The most shocking thing about the Jessica Krug scandal is that people are shocked by it. Sure, Krug’s behavior was immoral, deceitful and cynical. For a white Kansas-born academic to pretend to be a North African-descended black woman or a Caribbean-descended black woman from The Bronx — she liked to mix it up — is out of order. But it isn’t shocking. Not today. Not in an era in which people are more often rewarded for their identities, especially if it’s a victim identity, rather than for their achievements.
Krug was an associate professor at George Washington University. Her academic focus was on Africa and the African diaspora.
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