Oct. 12, Howard University sent out an early morning email that Kanye West would bring Sunday service to the Yard at 8 a.m., confirming rumors that had been circulating. A small group of students from Howard, American and Georgetown and other universities gathered at 7 a.m.
West performed with his choir led by choir director Jason White. The crowd sang along to the many traditional gospel songs as White encouraged the crowd to lift up God. The choir performed over 20 songs as West sang and rapped verse on a few. The choir also performed renditions of his old songs such as “Jesus Walks,” and “Father I Stretch My Hands.”
West also introduced two men that he said, his wife Kim Kardashian helped to free from prison. One of the men, Momula Stewart had been incarcerated for 23 years after being tried as an adult at 16. Stewart shared his talent for rapping in songs that revealed his life in prison and the impact on his family.
Many students said they were angered by West’s appearance campus because of his support for Pres. Donald Trump and West’s offensive comment that “slavery was a choice.”
West explained how he has turned to the Gospel to turn his life around. He said, “There’s a divide in Christianity… Christians we make it too hard for people to be involved.”
At the end of his performance of “Jesus Walks,” he talked about mass incarceration and modern-day slavery saying, “Why don’t everyone get locked up because they need more people to make slaves.”
He ended the performance saying, “You don’t have to agree with me but if they throw slave nets again, how about we all don’t stand in the same place.”
