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The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is joining the growing list of entities that are taking a public stand against Kanye West and his slew of controversies.
News recently broke that the Chicago-based art school would be revoking Kanye’s honorary degree, which he received back in 2015.
In a statement obtained by TMZ, Elissa Tenny—president of SAIC—said that Ye “exhibited disturbing behaviors and made dangerous statements that do not align with our community values” after being presented the honor.
“His anti-Black, antisemitic, and incendiary statements, particularly those directed at Black and Jewish communities, are disgusting and condemnable. His words and actions have been painful for our entire community and, particularly, for those of us who feel that our identities and life experiences are under attack.”
In response to Ye’s antics, the institution ultimately decided to rescind the honorary degree.
“While the School grants honorary degrees to individuals based on their contributions to art and culture as of a moment in time, his actions do not align with SAIC’s mission and values. After hearing from many of you, and conferring with the Board of Governors, the honorary degree awarded to Kanye West has been rescinded.”
Tenny also noted that SAIC had never rescinded an honorary degree before, though administrators feel the measure is “appropriate” in this situation.
“There is no precedent in SAIC’s more than 80 years of granting honorary degrees for rescinding one, and as an institution of higher education, we know we must uphold a higher standard in protecting freedom of expression. Though we firmly believe in the right to express a diversity of opinions and beliefs, the severity of his behavior made it clear that rescinding this honor was appropriate.”
Ye definitely hasn’t been a stranger to backlash over the past few years, especially considering his comments about slavery and association with unpopular figures like Donald Trump and Candace Owens (to name just a couple of controversies). However, he seemingly upped the ante last week.
As The Shade Room previously reported, Kanye West made some questionable statements about Hitler during his appearance on Infowars. In fact, he outright said that he “see[s] good things about Hitler.”
“I see good things about Hitler also. I love everyone. Jewish people are not going to tell me you can love us, and you can love what we’re doing to you with the contracts, and you can love what we’re pushing with the pornography. But this guy that invented highways, invented the very microphone that I use as a musician, you can’t say out loud that this person ever did anything good, and I’m done with that.”
Kanye West went on to share, “Every human being has something of value that they brought to the table—especially Hitler.” He also declared, “There’s a lot of things that I love about Hitler.”
Ye’s comments ultimately led Alex Jones, a far-right conspiracy theorist, to distance himself from the rapper. Additionally, further antics led Elon Musk to suspend West’s Twitter account.
Do you agree with SAIC’s decision to snatch back Kanye West’s honorary degree? Also, do you think he could be on the road to being canceled for good?
