Donda Academy: Kanye's failed Christian school and the athletes it duped

Not long ago, he was labeled by Forbes as one of the richest Black men in the US. But recently, Kanye West lost the support of many brands, celebrities, and athletes with his anti-Semitic comments. The scandal has enormous consequences for his new school: Donda.

The Donda Academy opened its doors in September 2022 and closed them in October 2022. It did not only have problems with staff and sponsorships after Kanye's racist comments, but it also had issues of legitimacy and accreditation in the American school system.

Photo: Donda Academy website

Located in Simi Valley, California, the Donda Academy started out with 100 students and 16 teachers, Rolling Stone reported. The teacher-student ratio was supposed to be less than 12 students per class.

The center was named after Ye's mother, teacher Donda West, who died in November 2007 after undergoing several plastic surgeries in one combined operation.

The Donda Academy was supposed to be a private, Christian-inspired school that covered the student's entire education, from preschool through high school.

At this center named after Kanye West's mother, each day students would learn the basics of Christianity, grow in their faith, and attend enrichment classes based on Christian doctrines.

The students would be known as 'doves,' a recognizable Christian symbol. In fact, the institution's logo was a white dove, presumably in honor of the Holy Spirit, iconically represented by this bird.

Photo: Donda Academy website

The purpose of Donda Academy was to establish the spiritual foundations that young people needed to advance, prosper and grow in their future, the Academy's website stated. In addition, it encouraged and empowered critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity.

In addition to typical subjects such as mathematics, science, or world languages, students could partake in a wide variety of activities, such as visual arts, cinema, parkour, basketball, and choir...

They would also have the privilege of meeting some of the most famous celebrities in the world. They were experts in their respective fields (and friends of Kanye West).

Tuition for this exclusive school would be $15,000 per student per year. There was a scholarship system though.  "Everyone is welcome to apply regardless of financial situation," the website read. "Financial aid and scholarships are available for students who qualify."

Privacy was a selling point of this center compared to other Christian schools of the same profile. Among the first students of Donda Academy would be the children of collaborators, creatives, and other celebrities close to Kanye West.

Upon enrollment, therefore, the students and their parents, as well as the staff members, had to sign a non-disclosure agreement, Rolling Stone magazine reported.

The schoolchildren would be required to wear a uniform. The maker of that uniform would be Adidas, collaborating with Ye in the Yeezy brand.

An important obstacle to the continuance of that uniform, however, occurred when Adidas revoked its contract with the rapper due to his anti-Semitic remarks.

There was a lot of criticism of the Donda Academy. For one, the director of the school (and its choir) was Brianne Campbell. Several media reported that she did not appear to have any experience in education at all.

Moreover, when it opened, the Donda Academy did not have a license from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), California's highest academic body. Without such accreditation, alumni of Donda Academy would not be able to enter college.

Perhaps for these reasons, the project did not convince Kanye West's ex-wife, Kim Kardashian. She did not want her four children to be part of the first generation of 'doves.'

The former couple's children, named North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm, were not going to attend their father's exclusive school.

Despite the backlash, Kanye West was absolutely committed to this project. His producer and collaborator Malik Yusef told Rolling Stone that Kanye had plans to extend the Donda Academy to locations across the country.

What's more: Kanye West wanted to create his own university. Something his political idol, Donald Trump, had also done with Trump University.

However, Trump's academic project had failed miserably, leading to court cases and millions of dollars in settlements. And now, Donda Acadamy has appeared to be heading in the same direction.

Donda Academy closed in the week of October 24, a little over a month after it had opened. The reason for the closure was a massive walkout by teachers and staff in reaction to Kanye's anti-Semitic comments online. They resigned in protest, TMZ reported.

According to ESPN, academy principal Jason Angell sent an email to everyone involved in the academy, stating that the decision to close the school had been made by Ye himself. However, faced with staff shortages, he really didn't have much choice to begin with.

With Donda Academy closing, 100 students were left without a school to go to. The organization promised to "work diligently to help all families through this transition, ensuring that every schoolchild has what they need to succeed in their next community in a fast and kind manner."

It was not as easy as it sounded. Donda Academy had a high school boys' basketball program whose players were left in a situation of limbo, TMZ reported. Three of its players are in the top 50 rankings of the class of 2023.

Jaylen Brown, one of the basketball talents who left Donda Academy as a coach, is now busy trying to save the school's basketball players, TMZ reports. He's trying to help them find tournaments to participate in.

One of these tournaments' founders, Jeremy Treatman, told ESPN that "Kanye's words and actions violate our values as a company and a country, and what we seek to ensure at all of our events - a spirit of diversity, sportsmanship, inclusion, equity and mutual respect." It's because of his anti-Semitism that the tournament doesn't want to host his basketball team anymore.

The goal of the Donda Academy was to train the next generation of leaders. Now, without staff or teachers, and the academy closed (for now), we don't really know what Ye's next step will be. However, his website states that "we intend to begin afresh in September of 2023."

As Kanye suffered the consequences of his hate speech on social media, the students were left without a school and his basketball team without games to play. They are, probably, the biggest victims of this entire scandal.