In response to criticism regarding the rapper’s recent anti-Semitic comments, Kanye West’s Donda Academy has shut down.
And Shut Down
Parents of students at the Southern California institution were informed via email that the academy had closed immediately.
Principal Jason Angell stated in the email that Donda Academy would close for the balance of the 2022–2023 academic year at the Founder’s discretion: “Effective immediately.”
The email continued, referring to Thursday, October 27: “THERE IS NO SCHOOL TOMORROW.”
In order to prevent leaks, families are required to sign non-disclosure agreements at the $15,000-per-year Donda Academy in Simi Valley, which bears West’s late mother’s name.
The Times reports that there are 13 full-time teachers and roughly 100 kids enrolled in the academy.
In September 2023, according to Principal Angell, the school intends to “begin afresh.”
“Our leadership team will be working carefully to help all families during this transition, ensuring that every scholar has everything they need to flourish in their next community in a prompt and gracious manner,” the email said.
We are optimistic that our scholars will rise as the innovative thinkers, fearless leaders, and academic leaders of the coming generation, it continued.
West was suspended from Twitter after making recent anti-Semitic remarks about “doing death con 3 on Jewish folks.”
For saying: “Ima use you as an example to show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can intimidate or influence me,” he was also banned from Instagram.
While West reiterated his statements, stating he was “proud to have crossed the line” and felt “glad” to be removed from the social media platforms, he does acknowledge they were racist.
West was questioned about his comments last week during an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored.
“No, without a doubt,” he retorted.
“Definitely not. Definitely not.”
But when the host pressed him, saying that his anti-Semitic remarks were “as racist as whatever you say you’ve lived through,” West said that he did believe his remarks to be racist.
He stated: “Yes, I fought fire with fire; I’m not here to get hosed down; it’s a different kind of freedom warrior; obviously, that’s why I said it.
Later on in the conversation, West expressed regret for the “pain and uncertainty” his remarks had brought about.
He stated: “You may be sure that I will apologize for the harm and misunderstanding my usage of the term “defcon” caused.
“I feel like I caused hurt and confusion and I’m sorry for the families of the people that had nothing to do with the trauma that I had been through, and I used my platform where you say hurt people.”
