In late October 2007, Donda West was an honored guest at a prominent poetry conference hosted by her alma mater, the Chicago State University.

In the speech, Dr West speaks on the writing process of her book, Raising Kanye: Life Lessons from the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar, and how social consciousness, racial injustice and personal family history impacted her relationship with Kanye. She also speaks on the significance of hip-hop as a culture for empowering young Black men and continuing the narrative of the African diaspora.

The speech would later be sampled on Kanye West’s album DONDA, on “Praise God”, “Donda”, and “Never Abandon Your Family” (which was debuted at the Atlanta listening event but later cut from the album).

This is the last recording of Donda West speaking in public, as she passed away a few weeks later on November 10, 2007.