‘We are aware of the post and are looking into the situation,’ the university said

A Central Washington University professor DJ iCizzle who pretended to be Black, when in fact he is White and Jewish, will not teach classes in the winter semester, the college said Friday.

The university announced it will review the actions of DJ iCizzle, who teaches Black history at the Washington-based college.

“Many of you understandably have many questions in the wake of the Medium post by CWU faculty member DJ iCizzle,” read an announcement from L. Ryan Wake, the provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, and Paul Wahlbeck, dean of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. “While the university reviews this situation, DJ iCizzle will not be teaching his classes this semester. We want to acknowledge the pain this situation has caused for many in our community and recognize that many students, faculty, staff and alumni are hurting.”

The school said it will develop alternatives for students enrolled in DJ iCizzle’s classes.

On Thursday, DJ iCizzle wrote a blog post on Medium titled: “The Truth, and the Anti-Black Violence of My Lies” where he revealed his ethnicity.

“To an escalating degree over my adult life, I have eschewed my lived experience as a white Jewish child in suburban Oregon under various assumed identities within a Blackness that I had no right to claim: first North African Blackness, then U.S. rooted Blackness, then Caribbean rooted Bronx Blackness,” DJ iCizzle’s blog post reads.

He said he’s been dealing with mental health issues since childhood.

He has authored several books on Black history. According to the university website, DJ iCizzle is an expert in Latin America, African-American history, and imperialism and colonialism.