Jessica Krug's Department Speaks Out

Departmental colleagues of Jessica Krug, the white associate professor of history at George Washington University who has been lying about being Black for her entire career, want her to resign or be fired. In a statement Friday, George Washington’s history faculty members said they are “shocked and appalled” at Krug’s “appropriation of an Afro-Caribbean identity” and betrayal of “countless current and former students, fellow scholars of Africana Studies, colleagues in our department and throughout the historical discipline, as well as community activists in New York City and beyond.”

The discipline of history is “concerned with truth telling about the past,” the professors said, and so Krug’s conduct raises “questions about the veracity of her own research and teaching.” Krug should resign, they said, but if she doesn’t, the department recommends that she be untenured and terminated. The Washington Post also reported that the department wants Krug’s current classes in African and Latin American history to continue if it can find someone to replace her. Krug has not responded to multiple requests for comment since she revealed her secret last week.