A white woman who spent years pretending to be Black is now apologizing for being a “culture leech.”
On Thursday (Sept. 3), Jessica A. Krug, a professor at George Washington University, wrote a public apology via Medium, admitting she has appropriated Black culture for most of her adult life.
“To an escalating degree over my adult life, I have eschewed my lived experience as a white Jewish child in suburban Kansas City under various assumed identities within a Blackness that I had no right to claim: first North African Blackness, then US rooted Blackness, then Caribbean rooted Bronx Blackness,” she began.
“I have not only claimed these identities as my own when I had absolutely no right to do so — when doing so is the very epitome of violence, of thievery and appropriation, of the myriad ways in which non-Black people continue to use and abuse Black identities and cultures — but I have formed intimate relationships with loving, compassionate people who have trusted and cared for me when I have deserved neither trust nor caring,” she continued, acknolwedging that her actions were wrong.
Krug explained that she suffers from mental health issues, noting her condition is no justification for her actions. She said that she thought to tell the truth sooner, but her “cowardice” was more “powerful” than her ethics.
In her apology, Krug also shared her thoughts on cancel culture and accountability.
“I believe in accountability. And I believe in cancel culture as a necessary and righteous tool for those with less structural power to wield against those with more power,” she wrote. “I believe in cancel culture as a necessary and righteous tool for those with less structural power to wield against those with more power.”
She continued, “I should absolutely be cancelled …. You should absolutely cancel me, and I absolutely cancel myself.”
Following Krug’s confession, Dr. YoFiggy, an English professor at Michigan State University, took to Twitter to air out the real reason behind Krug’s statement.
According to her, the white woman came forth with the truth only after some Black Latina scholars got together, did the research and found out she had been lying.
“Krug got ahead of the story because she was caught & she knew the clock was ticking bec folks started to confront her & ask questions,” Dr. YoFiggy tweeted. “DO NOT BELIEVE FOR ONE SECOND that she would have come out with the truth on her own. She made a living & a whole life out of parroting Black Rican trauma and survival. As a Black Rican I am PISSED.”
Dr. YoFiggy expressed the need for Krug to take accountability for all that she “has taken, everything she has gained,” and “all that she stole” with the false identity, adding she is grateful for not knowing her personally.
Check out the thread of Dr. YoFiggy’s tweets below.