Allegedly “Berating” Black Donda Academy Employees by Giving Them Less Than White Coworkers

The former Donda Academy security guard for Kanye West is suing him for allegedly abusing Black employees at the now-closed school.

Benjamin Deshon Provo, the former employee, alleges that West imposed strict clothing regulations on his White workers, including forcing them to shave their heads, and that he paid them more than his Black employee.

In the past, a number of other employees have sued West for wrongful termination, alleging that the rapper let them go after they voiced concerns about certain problems at the school.

West, Donda Academy, and other parties are being sued by Provo, a former security guard, for “discrimination, hostile work environment, retaliation, and violations of various labor codes.”

He stated in his lawsuit that the rapper and his management paid Black employees $5 less than White employees.

Provo reportedly said that when he voiced his complaint to his former manager John Hicks, the senior employee would ignore him, telling him not to discuss money with Ye. He dislikes discussing money.”

Provo further asserted that Hicks informed him that West’s decreased pay rate was allegedly due to insufficient funds to pay for security.

Provo, however, found this hard to accept, pointing out that despite his protest to the management, the salary disparity persisted.

The suit went as follows in part: “Kanye frequently screamed at and berated Black employees, while in contrast, he never so much as raised his tone of voice toward White staff.”

Provo, a Muslim, included in his grievances the rapper’s alleged attempt to impose appearance standards that violated his faith.

‘Alright y’all, it’s time for you to shave your heads,’ declared Kanye, who started acting noticeably more aggressively and demandingly. I’m not going to play around. In the lawsuit, Provo asserted.

Provo had dreadlocks at the time and defied West’s orders to cut them. He claimed that Hicks approached him and gave him an ultimatum when he refused to back down.

“Kanye said, ‘Tell the one with the dreads to shave his head, or he is fired,'” Provo remembered what he had said to the manager.

Nevertheless, he refused to shave his head, which apparently resulted in his expulsion from the school even though he was given several responsibilities besides security guard.

Provo is the most recent employee in a long line of employees to sue West over their treatment while working at his school, according to the Daily Mail.

A former educator filed a lawsuit against the rapper in July 2023, citing “alleged health and safety violations and for dismissing [him] when he complained.”

Teacher Isaiah Meadow stated in his lawsuit that West neglected a number of infrastructure problems at Yeezy Christian Academy, the school that came before Donda Academy.

That April, the rapper was sued by Cecilia Hailey and her daughter Chekarey Byers, who had worked there before, for wrongful termination following their reports of code breaches and other inappropriate behavior at the school.

Timanni Meeks, another former instructor, was added to the lawsuit as a plaintiff two months later for similar reasons.

Trevor Phillips, a former employee of controversial rapper Yeezy, said in court filings acquired by The Blast that he experienced “severe discrimination, harassment, and retaliation” from the rapper when he worked for the well-known apparel firm. Phillips was also involved with Donda Academy.

In his lawsuit, Phillips claimed that West had once declared his goal to “put a jail at the school” and that he would “proudly” disseminate his anti-Semitic conspiracy theories in front of the faculty, staff, and students.

The former worker further stated that in December 2022, over a dinner with West at Nobu Malibu, the rapper called Jews “miserly” and even went so far as to refer to Adolf Hitler as “an innovator.” It is also said that West thought the Holocaust was “fake.”

Separate from his legal troubles, West faced criticism recently for declaring on X in a six-second clip that he was developing an adult film business and that “Yeezy Porn Is Cumming.”

Many questioned why he was reversing his statements about how porn damaged his family and his purportedly spiritual viewpoint.

The rapper removed his social media accounts in response to the criticism, but other people said it was a temporary move and he would soon return.

Rumor had it that West intended to launch the studio and act as its producer in collaboration with adult film producer Mike Moz.

Former adult film actress Stormy Daniels’ spouse, Moz, collaborated with her on the X-rated movie “Operation: Desert Storm.” Additionally, Moz produced the 20013 documentary “Aroused,” in which sixteen porn stars talked candidly about their personal life.