California university latest to establish ‘black-only’ housing for students
California State University Los Angeles is the latest in a line of universities to offer ‘black-only’ housing for its students in response to demands from students who claimed that the option would offer them safe refuse from micro-aggressions and other forms of racism present in campus culture.
The segregated housing move was made in response to demands made by the school’s Black Student Union nine months ago.
“[It] would provide a cheaper alternative housing solution for Black students,” read one of the union’s demands. “This space would also serve as a safe space for [black students] to congregate, connect, and learn from each other.”
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The new housing, called the Halisi Scholars Black Living-Learning Community reportedly “focuses on academic excellence and learning experiences that are inclusive and non-discriminatory,” according to Cal State LA spokesman Robert Lopez’s remarks to The College Fix.
However, critics, such as Niger Innis, the national spokesperson for the Congress of Racial Equality, are worried that instituting segregated housing will erase decades of progress.
“If they wanted to go to an all-black institution, there are plenty of historically black colleges that still exist,” Innis told FoxNews.com. “But if they want to go to an institution that is racially diverse and integrated, then racial diversity and integration is part of it. To have a university-sanctioned segregation or separation is, to me, a bit troubling.”
