The School of the Art Institute of Chicago has revoked the honorary doctorate given to rapper Kanye West in 2015.
According to TMZ, the president of the school, Elisa Tenny, revealed in a letter that West’s degree was revoked due to his recent outbursts of antisemitism and otherwise offensive comments.
SAIC president Tenny wrote that West’s degree was rescinded because the board found that “his anti-Black, antisemitic, and incendiary statements, particularly those directed at Black and Jewish communities, are disgusting and condemnable”.
Tenny noted that West had been awarded his degree “in recognition for his artistic accomplishments to that point in time.” However, over the seven years since then, his “disturbing behaviours” and “dangerous statements” have crafted an image that “[does] not align” with the school’s “community values.”
