>> I WAS A CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLTEACHER AT THE TIME AND WE WANTED TO SUPPORT YOUNG CREATIVES.

DONDA'S HOUSE WAS BORN.

IT TOOK US TWO YEARS TO LEARN ABOUT DONDA WEST AND WE LAUNCHED PROGRAMMING IN AUGUST OF 2013.

>> DID YOU HAVE A SENTIMENTAL ATTACHMENT TO THAT NAME, DONDA'S HOUSE?

>> OF COURSE.

MY RELATIONSHIP WITH KANYE HAS BEEN OVER 20 YEARS.

AND IT WAS REALLY THROUGH THE MENTORSHIP OF HIS MOM THAT HE AND I CONNECTED MORE.

ESPECIALLY PROGRESSING IN ARTS.

HIS MOM WAS NOT A MUSICIAN BUT AS THE DEAN OF THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT AT CHICAGO STATE, AS AN EXPERT IN RUSSIAN POETRY, AAS A TEACHER, AND AS A LOVER OF YOUNG PEOPLE, Dr.

DONDA WEST MADE SURE THAT EVERY YOUNG PERSON WHO CAME THROUGH HER DOOR GOT THE SAME TYPE OF LOVE AND EDUCATION AS SHE GAVE HER SON.

IT WAS REALLY INCUMBENT UPON ME TO PLAY IT FORWARD -- PAY IT FORWARD.

WHEN IT CAME TO CONSTRUCTING WHAT HAD BECOME DONDA'S HOUSE.

>> WAS IT DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO THEN START TAKING HER NAME OFF OF THIS ORGANIZATION?

>> NOT REALLY.

BECAUSE DONDA'S HOUSE WAS MORE THAN A NAME.

IT WAS A MISSION.

IT WAS -- WE READ HER THESIS WE WERE USING SOME OF THE LESSONS SHE TAUGHT US TO TEACH OTHERS AND WHAT WE BELIEVE NOW AT ART OF CULTURE IT IS THE MISSION THAT MEANS MORE THAN THE NAME OR THE CELEBRITY.

ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE WERE HAVING AS AN ORGANIZATION WAS THE CELEBRITY ATTACHMENT.

AND THE ASSUMPTION THAT WE WERE BEING FUNDED BECAUSE IT WAS ATTACHED TO A CELEBRITY OR ATTRACTING YOUTH WHO WANTED TO JUST BE THERE BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT IT WAS A RECORD DEAL OR CELEBRITY.

NOW THAT IT IS ART OF CULTURE WE CAN FOCUS ON THE MISSION OF NOT ONLY Dr.

DONDA WEST, BUT MANY HEROS THROUGHOUT CHICAGO.

>> WERE YOU SURPRISED THEN BY WHAT KIM KARDASHIAN WEST WROTE ON TWITTER TO YOU?

>> WELL, I WOULDN'T SAY I WAS SURPRISED BECAUSE IT WAS A CONVERSATION THAT WAS BEING HAD IN PRIVATE THAT SPILLED OVER TO THE INTERNET.

JUST TO GIVE A BASE ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING, SOME OF THE COMMENTS THAT KANYE WAS MAKING ABOUT HISTORY AND ABOUT POLITICS WERE AFFECTING THE ORGANIZATION AND THE WORK WE ARE DOING HERE IN CHICAGO.

WE BEGAN GETTING CALLS OF CONCERN BY OUR SPONSORS AND SOME OF OUR FUNDERS.

SO THIS MADE ME HAVE TO REENGAGE KANYE.

IT WAS A THING OF IF YOU ARE NOT GOING TO HELP, DON'T HURT.

AND THIS CONVERSATION OVER A PERIOD OF TIME SPILLED OUT INTO THE PUBLIC SPHERE.

>> DID YOU HAVE TO OR DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ACCUSED HIM OR HE ABANDONED THE NONPROFIT, KANYE WEST, THAT IS?

>> YOU KNOW IT WAS AN ORGANIZATION THAT WE BEGUN BY MYSELF, KANYE, AND MY WIFE DONNIE WHO IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR I WAS THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND KANYE WAS THE BOARD MEMBER/SPONSOR.

WE WENT A FEW YEARS WITH NO CONTACT, NO HELP, NO ANYTHING.

AND WE WEREN'T UPSET ABOUT IT, BECAUSE THE MISSION HAS TO KEEP GOING FORWARD.

BUT AGAIN, SOME OF THE CONTACTS -- THOSE COMMENTS THAT HE WAS MAKING, HAD BEGUN AFFECTING WHAT WE DO FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN CHICAGO.

AND THAT'S WHEN IT BECAME MORE OF AN ISSUE.

>> DONNIE, HAVE YOU MADE EFFORTS TO REACH OUT TO THE WESTS SINCE THIS PUBLIC DISPUTE ON TWITTER?

>> WE ARE IT DEFINITELY OPEN TO HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH THE THE WEST FAMILY AND ANY CELEBRITY WHO IS INTERESTED IN BEING ENGAGED WITH DONDA'S HOUSE.

WE UNDERSTAND IT'S TENDER RIGHT AFTER THE INCIDENT OCCURRED WE SAW THAT KIM WAS AT THE WHITE HOUSE TALKING ABOUT MASS INCARCERATION WHICH IS GREAT.

WE UNDERSTAND THAT NOT ALL CELEBRITIES ARE GOING TO BE INSPIRED BY ARTS EDUCATION.

EVERYBODY HAS THEIR OWN ISSUE THAT IS IMPORTANT TO THEM.

AND SO WE'RE JUST HAPPY THAT SHE IS DOING SOMETHING AND THAT THEY ARE DOING SOMETHING AND WE ENCOURAGE THAT.

>> WOULD YOU LIKE TO FIND A WAY TO REENGAGE THEM AND GET THEM REVOLVED IN THIS ORGANIZATION THAT STARTED WITH HIS MOTHER'S NAME?

>> WE ARE DEFINITELY OPEN.

WE JUST DID AN EVENT FRIDAY WITH ONE OF THE ACTORS FROM BLACK PANTHER.

WE JUST FINISHED A CHICAGO BLUES FESTIVAL SHOWCASE.

SO OUR DOORS ARE OPEN TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO COME IN TO SUPPORT.

>> SO THE WESTS HAVE CLAIMED YOU'VE MISMANAGED THE NON-PROFITS AND RECORDS SHOW THAT DONDA'S HOUSE WAS NOT IN GOOD FINANCIAL STANDING WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE AND HAD NOT FILED SENIOR TAXES IN A COUPLE F YEARS.

HOW DO YOU RESPOND?

>> WELL -- >> WE HAVE A WHAT IS CALLED A DEFER.

OR -- DEFERMENT OR EXTENSION IN PLACE WITH THE IRS LIKE MANY SMALL ORGANIZATIONS WE HAVE HAD CAPACITY CHALLENGES.

AND WE KNOW MANY OF THE QUESTIONS ARE ABOUT FIGURING OUT WHAT KANYE HAS AND HAS NOT DONE WITH THE ORGANIZATION AND VERY SOON THOSE 990s WILL BE AVAILABLE WE ARE A PUBLIC CHARITY SO EVERYTHING WILL BE OPEN.

>> IN TERMS OF BEING IN GOOD STANDING, IT WAS JUST A PAPER THAT NEEDED TO BE FILED.

IT WAS NOT BEING IN BAD FINANCIAL STANDING WITH THE STATE.

ANYTHING THAT WAS OWED TO THE STATE HAS ALWAYS BEEN PAID OR ALWAYS BEEN TAKEN CARE OF.

SO I THINK THERE IS A THING OF WHEN SOMEONE SAYS ARE YOU NOT IN GOOD STANDING WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

AND OFTEN ALL IT MEANS IS FILE THAT PIECE OF PAPER TODAY.

>> WHAT SORT OF IMPACT HAS THIS POLITICAL AND CONTROVERSIAL STATEMENTS HAD ON THE NONPROFIT?

HAVE YOU BEGUN TO HEAR FROM ANYONE ELSE?

YOUR EXISTING FUNDERS AND SPONSORS?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

I MEAN WE WERE PLANNING FOR OUR FIFTH ANNIVERSARY WHICH HAPPENS IN AUGUST OF THIS YEAR.

AND WE HAVE SPONSORS WHO DID NOT WANT THEIR BRAND TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE COMMENTS THAT KANYE WAS MAKING SPECIFICALLY LOCALLY.

AND SO WE HAD TO REALLY TRY TO DO OUR BEST TO SEPARATE WHAT KANYE WAS SAYING FROM THE ORGANIZATION.

AND ALTHOUGH WE ARE FIVE YEARS OLD YOU WOULD THINK THAT THAT HAD HAPPENED, WE WEREN'T PUBLICLY PEOPLE WERE ASSOCIATING THE TWO AND CONSIDERING DONDA'S HOUSE KANYE WEST'S CHARITY WHICH IT WAS NOT.

AND I THINK THAT THE NEW NAME IS GOING TO MAKE THAT CLEAR.

>> AND ON THAT NOTE, KANYE HAS NOT BEEN ON THE BOARD FOR MORE THAN THE LAST YEAR, HOW MUCH RESPONSIBILITY DO YOU BELIEVE HE HAS FINANCIALLY FOR BEING REMAINING A FUNDER OR SPONSOR AND SENDING FINANCIAL SUPPORT?

>> WELL, I THINK IT GOES INTO A FEW THINGS: NUMBER ONE, AGAIN, KANYE AND I HAVE HAD A PERSONAL-PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIP FOR OVER 20 YEARS.

ONE OF THE THINGS KANYE WAS TRYING TO CONVINCE ME TO DO WAS TO EVEN WORK ON HIS NEW ALBUM THE ONE THAT IS OUT.

WHAT I WAS TRYING TO DO IS CONNECT THAT TO HIS SPONSORSHIP OF DONDA'S HOUSE.

AGAIN, BY PEOPLE NOT REALLY KNOWING THAT THERE IS A SEPARATION BETWEEN DONDA'S HOUSE AND KANYE'S PARTICIPATION, THAT WAS SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE HAD TO DISCUSS ABOUT HOW HIS COMMENTS ARE AFFECTING WERE AFFECTING THE THEN DONDA'S HOUSE.

THAT IS THE CONVERSATION THAT TURNED INTO WHAT PEOPLE SAW IN THE PUBLIC SPHERE WAS THE CONVERSATION OF HOW ARE WE GOING TO HANDLE EITHER SEPARATING YOU FROM DONDA'S HOUSE OR YOU SPONSORING DONDA'S HOUSE?

>> AND KANYE WAS A BOARD MEMBER AND HE FUNCTIONED THROUGHOUT OUR HISTORY FOR THOSE FIRST THREE YEARS AS A BOARD MEMBER.

HE MADE CONNECTIONS.

HE INDIRECTLY HELPED US GET OUR LARGEST DONATION TO DATE FROM THE LOUIS VUITTON FOUNDATION.

AND IT WAS JUST I THINK AFTER THAT MAYBE TWO YEARS AGO WHEN