Okay, if the words “segregated,” “state university” and “black students” alarmed you, then calm down. It’s not quite what you think.
No, we are not going back to the days of state-sponsored segregated schools (or are we?). But we are likely heading into a new direction of more “special interest housing” on college campuses.
Just as they have freshman dormitories, all-female dorms and honors dorms, more universities might soon weight the benefits of having specialized, separate housing for minorities.
After a letter from California State University’s black student union, the Los Angeles-based school decided to honor the students’s request by introducing the Halisi Scholars Black Living-Learning Community. The community will include 20 beds, which students must apply for. Reports state those spaces have already started filling up quickly.
But what’s the reason for the separate community?
Reportedly, several minority students were tired of dealing with safety concerns, “microaggressions” and “racially insensitive remarks” from the general population and the normal housing environments.
In the letter to the school’s president, the Black Student Union stated:
“Black students at Cal State LA have been, and still are, consistently made the targets of racist attacks by fellow students, faculty, and administration. These attacks come in many forms. Some are more overt and some subtle. Racially insensitive remarks, and micro-aggressions, by professors and students create a learning environment that is not conducive to the overall learning atmosphere. This presents unnecessary barriers to the success of Black students here on campus. “
In the letter, the students went on to list several demands, including the demand for a “housing space delegated for Black students and a full time Resident Director who can cater to the needs of Black students.”
And a year later, volia, the students got their dorm.
BMWK, what do you think of segregated housing? Is it a benefit for black students to live and study together outside of the general population or is this opening a can of worms to tear down the integration achievements of the Civil Rights era?