According to students, the People of Color-themed student cooperative housing at UC Berkeley that restricts white people from common areas has a terrible history of prejudice and mistreatment.
Although the house was “established on the foundations of cross-cultural interchange, academic and professional assistance, and anti-oppression/allyship,” according to student Manduhai Baatar, it has acted contrary to these goals in the past.
Baatar said in a 2020 Medium article that the house has been plagued by ‘white supremacy,’ irresponsible students who have rendered it ‘uninhabitable,’ and a reputation for ‘call out culture’ and drug usage.
A photo posted to Reddit shows the inflammatory rules, that include ‘White guests are not allowed in common spaces’
The house rules state that white guests are not allowed in common spaces
Baatar writes, “The house has also failed to uphold their pillar of anti-oppression and allyship, since it has grown known for its reputation of anti-Blackness, upholding white supremacy by disregarding the numerous types of oppression perpetuated by former members.”
A list of the POC house’s house rules, which expressly forbade white visitors from entering communal areas, was recently shared on Reddit, sparking criticism.
As a privately-owned off-campus housing, UC Berkeley has stated that the problematic house and its rules are none of the school’s concern.
Baatar described a residence that was designed to foster racial peace and serve as a safe environment for persons of color, but devolved into a tangled web of claims of racially motivated aggressions.
‘Several members have been criticized for being white/white passing, aligning themselves with whiteness, or permitting white violence in the house,’ Baatar wrote. ‘Consequently, many members (and their guests) have both explicitly and implicitly upheld white supremacy, misogyny, queer/transphobia, anti-Blackness, classism, and colorism in the space.’
‘Other instances of tension in the house include the unacknowledged privileges granted to those who profit from whiteness or are closer to whiteness, most exemplified by those with socioeconomic privilege and white passing privilege.’
Baatar stated that rather than the house being a haven because of its noble objectives, many students came there due to its low rent. As a result, the property fell into disrepair and tension arose between those who believed in the house’s aims and those who never cared about them.
Baatar noted, “POC houses are notorious for their call-out culture, in which members are frequently condemned for their conduct without pursuing restorative justice or holding people accountable for the harm they have caused.”
Baatar argues that instead of the house being strengthened by its diversity, crossed wires from different cultures led to conflict.
‘Conflict frequently emerges as a result of the multiple identities and points of view brought into the house, hence failing the third and final pillar of cross-cultural interchange.
There appeared to be no personal or emotional commitment in the property or what it represents, and there was little confidence in the house administration.
According to a list uploaded on Reddit, while the student house aspires to be a “inclusive” atmosphere, the regulations clearly say that “white guests are not permitted in communal places.”
This 30-room, five-story residence is located close to the Berkeley campus and can accommodate up to 56 students. A private landlord owns the residence.
However, the ‘rules’ that were published on social media have sparked uproar, with many individuals condemning the limits as ‘racist’ while others have come forward to discuss their experience living in the co-op.
One Reddit member of mixed race who claimed to have resided in the residence stated that their “presence as a light-skinned person was not well appreciated.”
They said that house members called them derogatory names and that they were not permitted to let their father join the house ‘because he is white.’
The house was constructed as part of the Berkeley Student Cooperative, a program aimed to provide cheap accommodation for students in California’s costly Bay Area, and ‘aims to provide housing for low-income, first-generation, immigrant, and marginalized students of color.’
According to the ‘rules,’ residents should ‘avoid bringing bigoted parents/family members’ because ‘Queer, Black, and Indigenous members should not be forced to avoid common spaces due to homophobic or racist parents/family members.’
Janet Gilmore, Senior Director of Strategic Communications at the University, told DailyMail.com that the residence is “not campus operated,” indicating that “it is not the campus’s responsibility to comment.”
Gilmore also claimed that the University has its own theme programs, but that they have ‘no such policies as those suggested in the Reddit image’ and that ‘Cal Housing Theme Programs do not discriminate based on race, according with UC and campus policy.’
As this case involves an off-campus, unaffiliated landlord, the college has no authority to sanction the landlord under the Student Code of Conduct.
