Kanye West’s honorary doctorate from a prestigious art school is revoked

(CNN) — The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has revoked an honorary doctorate degree it had awarded Kanye West, as the fallout for the rapper for his offensive comments about blacks and Jews continues to come.

Through a statement, the prestigious art school announced its decision on Thursday and noted in a statement that it “condemns and repudiates the anti-black, anti-Semitic, racist and dangerous statements by Kanye West (now known as Ye), especially those directed at black and Jewish communities.

“Ye’s actions do not align with SAIC’s mission and values, and we have rescinded his honorary title,” the institution added.

The 45-year-old star received an honorary doctorate in 2015, in recognition of his contributions to art and culture. After her controversial actions, a group called Against Hate at SAIC launched a Change.org petition to have her title rescinded, arguing that it would be detrimental to allow her to keep it.

“Regardless of his contribution prior to receiving this award, it is detrimental to allow Ye, as he is currently known, to continue to use the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to help legitimize hate and violence,” the petition read in part. .

“This harm affects the artists, designers and scholars affiliated with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and their values ​​of justice, compassion and free speech without hate,” he added.

According to an update shared on the petition page Thursday, SAIC President Elissa Tenny wrote in a letter that West’s comments are “disgusting and reprehensible” and have been “painful to our entire community.”

“This has been a difficult decision to make, one that has been thoroughly deliberated,” Tenny wrote. He added that it is the first time in the school’s 80-year history that a degree has been revoked.

CNN has reached out to West’s representatives for comment.

The revocation of the honorary title comes weeks after a mural honoring West was painted in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood.

The rapper also recently lost lucrative deals with brands like Balenciaga, Adidas and Gap. His Twitter account was suspended after he shared an image of a Star of David with a swastika inside of it.