Jessica Krug will not teach this semester, George Washington University says

A US tutorial who stated she lied about being black will not teach courses this semester, George Washington University has confirmed.

Jessica Krug, an affiliate professor whose work focuses on Africa and the African diaspora, admitted in a weblog publish that she was actually a white Jewish girl from Kansas Metropolis.

The publish learn: “I’ve constructed my life on a violent anti-black lie.”

Her colleagues stated they have been “shocked and appalled” by her admission.

In a Medium publish revealed on Thursday, Ms Krug said she had falsely assumed identities “that I had no right to claim: first North African Blackness, then US rooted Blackness, then Caribbean rooted Bronx Blackness”.

In an announcement, George Washington University said Ms Krug would not teach classes and acknowledged “many college students, college, workers and alumni are hurting.” It stated it was “reviewing” the case.

Her employment standing on the college is unknown. Ms Krug has not commented.

• White US professor says she lied about being black
• Rachel Dolezal: ‘I determine as black’

What has the response been?

Ms Krug’s colleagues at GWU’s Division of Historical past launched a joint assertion calling for her to resign from her publish or for the college to take away her tenure.

“She has betrayed the trust of countless current and former students, fellow students of Africana Research, colleagues in our division and all through the historic self-discipline, in addition to group activists in New York Metropolis and past,” the assertion stated.

“The self-discipline of historical past is worried with fact telling concerning the previous. Together with her conduct, Dr. Krug has raised questions concerning the veracity of her personal analysis and instructing.”

A pupil at GWU who was due to start Ms Krug’s class on Latin American history on Monday instructed the Washington Submit: “It simply breaks my coronary heart that these college students got here in, very bright-eyed and keen, to find out about Latin heritage and the historical past. All of us positioned plenty of belief in her.”

Ms Krug’s tutorial work consists of the 2018 e-book “Fugitive Modernities: Kisama and the Politics of Freedom”, focuses on the politics and tradition of African and African diaspora societies.

Her case bears robust parallels to race activist Rachel Dolezal, a white who claimed to be black. After her mother and father outed her in 2015, she stated she “recognized as black”.

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What else did she say within the publish?

Ms Krug described her behaviour as “the very epitome of violence, of thievery and appropriation, of the myriad methods through which non-Black individuals proceed to make use of and abuse Black identities and cultures.” She added that she had continued the pretence even in her private relationships.

She blamed her lies on psychological well being points and trauma skilled in her early years, though she stated this was not an excuse for her actions.

In response to media experiences, Ms Krug additionally used the title Jessica La Bombalera as an activist. In a single video posted earlier this 12 months, she berated white New Yorkers for failing to “yield their time for Black and Brown indigenous New Yorkers”.

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