Inaction Breeds Injustice: Canceling Kanye West and the Treatment of Black Lives

Kanye West is currently facing repercussions for his recent antisemitic remarks. Photo by Jamie Landis.

As this article is written, the name Kanye West continues to flood the media. Following a series of controversial statements and interviews, the cancellation of Kanye (whose legal name is now Ye) is in full effect. In less than a month, West lost connections with Adidas, Gap, and Foot Locker. According to Forbes, he is no longer on the Billionaire’s List, which is seemingly confirmed by his latest statement saying that he “lost two billion dollars in one day.” While numerous lessons and observations can be drawn from these recent events, the political aspects of Kanye’s condition are impossible to ignore. His case exposes bias in mental health advocacy and reignites the long-standing debate over cancel culture. The racial implications of his actions—and the response to them—however, are often left unmentioned outside of predominantly Black spaces. The stark difference between the almost instantaneous cancellation of Kanye following his antisemitic comments, but hesitation following his anti-black comments, exposes the normalization of anti-Black racism that plagues our society.

Kanye’s introduction to the political scene can be traced back to his infamous run for the presidency in 2016. During his rally, he made various conservative statements while also stating that “Harriet Tubman never actually freed the slaves.” He then went on to withdraw from the race and displayed full support for Donald Trump’s campaign, going as far as to don a MAGA hat. Kanye’s bid for president and support for Trump garnered considerable backlash, especially from the Black community. Despite his comments and alignment with far-right conservative views, his fanbase continued to support him. Kanye remained a voice for extreme conservatism following Trump’s election, leading to his notorious TMZ interview in 2018, in which he states:

“When you hear about slavery for 400 years … For 400 years? That sounds like a choice.”  

This painfully inaccurate statement was perhaps Kanye’s most blatant display of anti-blackness. At this moment, one would expect businesses to terminate contracts, fans to demand an apology or labels to require sensitivity training. Instead, the statement fizzled out of news headlines, and Yeezy products continued to sell. Anti-blackness remained unchallenged, unchecked by the brands expected to remain “politically correct.” 

This inaction, both literally and figuratively, sets the stage for the recent display of a “White Lives Matter'' t-shirt at a surprise Yeezy show. Standing with Candice Owens, another prominent Black conservative figure, the two were disturbingly radiant as they championed the racist paraphernalia. Once again, social justice advocates would hope for an instant response to criticism, demanding an apology, but the response fell short. In the week following the show, headlines remained largely objective, with some coverage of celebrities that called him out for his actions. Meanwhile, Kanye appeared in an interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News, in which he called the t-shirt “funny.” Despite the preposterous claims made by Kanye during the interview, Adidas, Gap, and other Yeezy-affiliated businesses remained largely unfazed. 

However, when Kanye’s focus shifted to bashing the Jewish community, the response was much different. His tweet in which he wrote that he was going to go “DEFCON 3 on Jewish people” received immediate backlash on social media, as did his Drink Champs interview, where he spouted numerous anti-semitic conspiracy theories and remarks. The interview was removed and sparked the largest wave of backlash against him to date. Adidas, Gap, Instagram, Twitter, and Balenciaga, to name a few, cut ties with the artist in a little over a week following the comments, rendering him officially “canceled.” 

It is without a doubt that Kanye’s antisemitic comments received the appropriate response: one of accountability, intolerance towards hate, and healing messages to the offended community. The refusal to support a figure spouting hate was and is admirable, but where was this response after his anti-Black comments? Surely a White Lives Matter shirt—the antithesis to Black liberation and the most visceral display of hatred—would be enough for corporations and the public to remove his platform? One could argue that white liberals, media, and corporations were hesitant to cancel a Black figure providing comments on his own community. However, if our society is to move towards centering the intolerance of hate, then a figure must be held accountable for disrespectful comments about any group, especially if they are as blasphemous as “choosing slavery.” 

The difference in response to Kanye’s comments suggests that an act against the Black community is more easily normalized as a part of American culture. It does not violate the social standards required to be“politically correct.” This reality is not meant to pit the Black and Jewish communities against one another nor negate experiences of antisemitism. Instead, this reality should be used to address the disregard for Black life that continues to prevail over our desire for change. In both virtual and physical spaces, we should expend as much effort highlighting moments of anti-blackness as anti-semitism. And when those moments of anti-blackness inevitably surface, they should be met with the same demands for apologies, education, and penalties. The canceling of Kanye West is a complicated process, with layers of emotionally charged issues that make the conversation difficult. However, for the sake of our country, we must once again acknowledge that, as of now, Black lives do not matter to our society. 

Nicholas Brown (CC '26) is a staff writer for CPR and activist. He is double majoring in political science and African American studies.