Kanye West and his Donda Academy have been hit with a second discrimination lawsuit, this time from a former security guard at the school. Benjamin Provo claims that he was fired for refusing to cut off his dreadlocks.
The lawsuit says that Provo worked for the Donda Academy for six months, during which time he was subject to and witnessed various forms of discrimination against the educational institution’s black employees, stating that “Kanye frequently screamed at and berated black employees”.
“It is this hostile work environment created by Kanye West that resulted in Provo finding himself at the epicenter of a campaign of discrimination, harassment and retaliation as a result of being an unapologetic black man, and a follower of the Muslim faith”, says the lawsuit, according to Law360.
“As a result, Kanye and members of his management team required Provo to choose between these critical aspects of his self-identity and financial stability. Indeed, at the direction of Kanye, Provo was given the ultimatum, cut his hair or be fired”.
Provo says that during his time in the job, he noticed that white employees were treated better than black staff, including in the way that they were spoken to and how much they were paid.
He says that West also made various statements expressing disdain for the black community, and said that no staff at the school should own works by black leaders like Martin Luther King Jr or Malcolm X.
“Misguided by the belief that he is omnipotent, Kanye has and continues to act without fear of impunity, spewing hostility and hatred toward various religious groups within the general public and toward the employees who report to him”, says the lawsuit.
Provo says that he expressed concerns about how he and other staff were treated while still in the job, but noticed that when he did so his pay was docked. He is suing for discrimination, emotional distress, negligence, breach of contract and wrongful termination.
The legal team representing him recently filed another discrimination lawsuit on behalf of another former Donda Academy employee. Last year two other lawsuits were filed against West’s school, both from teachers who raised various health and safety concerns, including that windows were not glazed because West “did not like glass”.
