Kanye West sued for racism by Donda Academy staff

The suit contains a photo of West wearing a black hooded sheet similar to white hoods worn by Ku Klux Klan members.


Pop Culture & Art April 26, 2024

A lawsuit has been filed against Kanye West by his former security guard over his alleged treatment of black staff at Donda Academy.

Benjamin Deshon Provo, who is black and Muslim, alleged in a new lawsuit filed in Los Angeles court that the "Runaway'"rapper and his management favored white staff and paid them at least $5 more.

According to the complaint obtained by DailyMail.com, Provo stated that Ye would walk around the school grounds and approach staff and students, insisting that they all shave their heads.

Provo, who wears dreadlocks for religious reasons, claimed that he was frequently targeted by West and his manager, John Hicks.

“Notably, Kanye began to become increasingly more aggressive, demanding, 'Alright y’all, it is time for you to shave your heads. I am not messing around,'' according to the lawsuit.

“However, Plaintiff refused. Thereafter, Hicks approached Plaintiff and stated, 'Kanye said, ‘Tell the one with the dreads to shave his head or he is fired.' Plaintiff refused to shave his head, and as a result thereof, his employment was terminated.”

Provo also alleged that the Simi Valley location of the school had to shut down due to unsafe conditions, such as insufficient ventilation, absence of fire hydrants, and other safety deficiencies.

Donda Academy was founded by Kanye West is known for making its students dress in all black and described as a “unaccredited Christian private school.” (Images: Page Six)

Other former staff members of Donda Academy, like Trevor Phillips also made similar accusations in their lawsuits against West earlier this month. In his lawsuit, Trevour accused Kanye of "caging" his students.

In addition to his responsibilities at the academy, Provo mentioned that he also worked as part of West's security team.

He alleged that the rapper demanded him and other guards to seize cameras from paparazzi, remove their sim cards, and hand them over to Kanye.

“Notably, this was a practice regularly engaged in by Kanye, who has a documented history of assaulting paparazzi,” the lawsuit said.

The affidavit contains a photo of West wearing a black hooded sheet similar to the white hoods worn by Ku Klux Klan members.

Provo claims when he brought up he was being paid less than white employees, Hicks allegedly responded, "Don't bring up money to Ye. He doesn't like to talk about money."

He alleges that Hicks also informed him that his employer couldn't afford security, so he would be paid $5 less. However, Provo stated that his white colleagues did not experience a pay cut.

Provo is taking legal action against West, Donda Academy, and others for discrimination, creating a hostile work environment, retaliation, and violation of various labor codes.

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