The honorary degree given to controversial American rapper, Kanye West, has been rescinded by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
The college reportedly decided to cut ties with the rap star in the wake of his months’ long hate speech rhetoric by taking back their honorary doctorate degree.
The honorary doctorate was originally awarded to West in 2015, according to CBS Chicago. But since then, “he has exhibited disturbing behavior and made dangerous statements that do not align with our community values,” said SAIC President Elissa Tenny in a statement first published by TMZ.
“[Kanye West’s] anti-Black, antisemitic, and incendiary statements, particularly those directed at Black and Jewish communities, are disgusting and condemnable,” Tenny wrote.
She went on to explain that West’s recent stunts – which have included praising Adolf Hitler and the Nazis in an interview with far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones – “have been painful for our entire community and, particularly, for those of us who feel that our identities and life experiences are under attack”.
It’s made explicit in the letter that one’s political leanings are not considered when the SAIC determines who it finds fit to receive an honorary degree. That said, Tenny continued in her letter, West’s “actions do not align with SAIC’s mission and values”, and the school’s decision to rescind his degree came after liaising with “many” students and “conferring with the [school’s] Board of Governors”.
She further elaborated: “This was a difficult decision to make, and one that has been deliberated thoroughly. 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 [West’s] behavior made it clear that rescinding this honor was appropriate.”
As reported by Artnet, the rescinding of West’s degree comes after a petition was launched by a group of students who’d dubbed themselves ‘Against Hate At SAIC’. In a statement accompanying their petition – which received over 4,000 signatures – the group wrote that “regardless of his contributions prior to the receipt of this award, it is harmful to allow [West] to continue to use the [SAIC] to help legitimize hatred and violence.”
West has not yet responded to his degree being rescinded.