NAACP Responds to Ye’s Apology, Urges Mental Health Advocacy
Written by b87fm on 01/28/2026
Ye’s recent apology to the Black and Jewish communities is prompting responses from leaders whose organizations were among those impacted by his past remarks.
On Tuesday night (Jan. 27), Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, publicly addressed the apology issued earlier this week by the artist formerly known as Kanye West. Speaking through The Breakfast Club correspondent Loren LoRosa, Johnson acknowledged Ye’s attempt to take accountability while encouraging him to use his influence in a more constructive way moving forward.
“There is courage in owning one’s journey—whether confronting mental health challenges or reckoning with chapters of our lives that require reflection and repair,” Johnson said. “Reflecting on one’s actions and being accountable for the impact it has on others is a journey to understand and not repeat past harms. Progress begins when we acknowledge, take responsibility for our actions, and seek efforts to repair for the harms caused.”
Johnson also urged Ye to become an advocate for expanded mental health resources, particularly within Black communities. Referencing the ongoing mental health crisis affecting African Americans, he called on the rapper to leverage his platform to push for greater access to care.
“This is an opportunity for him to use his platform to advocate for additional federal and private mental health support to remove barriers and increase access to care,” Johnson added.
In his apology letter, published Monday in The Wall Street Journal, Ye disclosed that he suffered frontal lobe damage following his 2002 car accident. He claimed the injury went untreated and contributed to his Type 1 bipolar disorder diagnosis, which he says fueled years of harmful and inflammatory rhetoric toward both Black and Jewish communities.
The apology sparked mixed reactions across social media and the entertainment world. Some viewed the letter as a sincere step toward accountability, while others questioned whether it was a strategic move ahead of his upcoming album, BULLY. In a recent Vanity Fair interview, Ye pushed back against that narrative, insisting the apology was unrelated to the project. His team also stated that the letter had been in development for several months.
BULLY has been in the works for some time and was initially slated for release on January 30. According to Rolling Stone, the album is now expected to arrive on March 20 via Ye’s new deal with Gamma.
