The School of the Art Institute of Chicago rescinded an honorary degree given to Kanye West.
Kanye West received an honorary degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2015. The school announced it revoked the award from him on Thursday (December 8).
“The School of the Art Institute of Chicago condemns and repudiates Kanye West’s (now known as Ye) anti-Black, antisemitic, racist, and dangerous statements, particularly those directed at Black and Jewish communities,” the school said in a statement. “Ye’s actions do not align with SAIC’s mission and values, and we’ve rescinded his honorary degree.”
‘Ye lost his honorary degree after a group called Against Hate at SAIC asked the school to rescind his award in a petition. According to Change.org, the petition garnered 4,148 signatures.
“Kanye West’s hateful speech incites violence and does not represent the values of our community,” Against Hate at SAIC wrote.
The rescinded degree added to the list of consequences for Kanye West’s antisemitism and offensive remarks. Several brands cut ties with ‘Ye due to his hate speech. He lost his billionaire status after Adidas ended its longtime partnership with him in October.
Despite the backlash, Kanye West continued to spout antisemitic rhetoric and conspiracy theories in recent interviews. ‘Ye declared he liked Hitler and loved Nazis during an appearance on Alex Jones’ show InfoWars. He later told Jewish people to forgive Hitler in a conversation with Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes.