One of the country’s most progressive and socially liberal schools is courting controversy as it faces accusations of racism after it allegedly banned white residents from a community farm on Saturdays.
Gill Tract Community Farm in nearby Albany has designated Saturdays exclusively for use by ‘Black, Indigenous, and People of Color’ (BIPOC) after the Mountain States Legal Foundation filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education.
The move has been denounced by some as an example of “systemic racism.”
Gill Tract Farm was established in 2013 through a partnership between UC-Berkeley and local communities and serves as a site for urban agriculture research.
Part of the farm’s ethos is to support the “food justice” movement by growing healthy food.
UC-Berkeley faces accusations of racism over allegations it banned whites from community farm
Gill Tract Farm has partnered with UC-Berkeley since 2013, but the move banning whites has been criticized as “systemic racism.”
Opened in 2013, the farm is a partnership between UC-Berkeley and the surrounding neighborhoods.
William Trachman, general counsel for the Mountain States Legal Foundation, has criticized the university’s stance.
“UC-Berkeley believes that racial segregation is progressive now, but it is no different from segregation of the past,” Trachman told the New York Post.
“Preventing Caucasians from accessing the Berkeley College of Natural Resources Farm on Saturdays is a clear violation of Title VI, which prohibits educational institutions from engaging in or permitting racial discrimination,” Trachman said.
Trachman calls for a thorough investigation of all UC-Berkeley programs to address what he has described as “systemic racism.”
UC-Berkeley has said they were not aware of the discrimination complaint until they were contacted by the media.
‘Saturdays are exclusively BIPOC. Exceptions have only been made for BIPOC-focused events with a lot of advance planning and planning,” said the
“I trust you will stand in solidarity with upholding the boundaries around that safe and sacred space,” said an email from a farm manager.
UC-Berkeley has said they were not aware of the discrimination complaint until they were contacted by the media.
This controversy arises in the context of legal challenges to race-conscious admissions policies and diversity programs at institutions of higher education, with concerns about possible reverse discrimination.
After being contacted about the allegations, a university spokesperson denied all knowledge of the farm’s special Saturday policy.
‘Gill Tract’s website and calendar make no mention of any program or activity of the type described in the complaint. That said, the university takes complaints like this very seriously and I can assure you that I will be contacting the appropriate people on campus on Monday in an effort to determine what the facts are. Dan Mogulof, spokesperson for UC-Berkeley. fixed.
This controversy arises in the context of legal challenges to race-sensitive admissions policies and diversity programs at institutions of higher education, and concerns are raised about possible reverse discrimination.
Recently, a federal discrimination complaint was filed against a Minnesota college scholarship available exclusively to black students, with similar claims targeting other race-based exclusion programs at several institutions.
Last June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that race-sensitive college admissions policies, or “affirmative action,” were unconstitutional and should be shelved.
Programs that appear to take race into account and show greater “diversity, equity and inclusion” through programs created specifically to promote opportunities for black and other minority students have since come under legal scrutiny, amid complaints that they actually amount to reversing discrimination.
DailyMail.com contacted the farm and UC Berkeley for a detailed explanation.
Inflammatory rules for off-campus housing include “No white guests allowed in common spaces”
This is not the first time the far-left University of California, Berkeley has sparked controversy over race.
In August 2022 aAn off-campus co-op for students at the university called ‘Colored Person Theme House’ banned white guests from entering the common areas of the house.
A list of house rules revealed how occupants were told that “many POC moved here so they could avoid violence and the presence of white people, so please respect their decision to avoid them if they bring white guests.”
While the student house claims to have an “inclusive” environment, the rules specifically state that “white guests are not permitted in common spaces.”
The accommodation, located near the Berkeley campus, was a five-story, 30-room house that could house up to 56 students. The house is owned by a private owner.
But the “rules” that were leaked on social media have caused outrage: many people criticized the restrictions as “racist”, while others came forward and revealed their experience living in the co-op.
The Person of Color Theme House was established in 2015 to better serve and empower students of color within the Berkeley Student Cooperative system.
A description of the house on the Berkeley Student Cooperative website says it can house up to 56 residents and that it “exists to create a safe and welcoming space for the members of its house.”
The house was created as part of the Berkeley Student Cooperative, a program designed to provide affordable housing to students in California’s Bay Area, and “aims to provide housing for low-income, first-class students of color.” generation, immigrants and marginalized.
According to the ‘rules’, people who live there must ‘avoid bringing parents/family members who express bigotry’, because ‘queer, Black, and Indigenous members should not have to avoid common spaces because of homophobic or racist parents/family members.’ ‘
Janet Gilmore, senior director of Strategic Communications at the University, told DailyMail.com that the house is “not campus-operated”, meaning “it is not the role of the campus to comment”.
Gilmore also said the University has its own theme programs, but “they do not have policies like the one alleged in the Reddit image” and stated that “Cal Housing’s theme programs do not discriminate on the basis of race, according to UC and the campus.” policy.’
‘As this is an unaffiliated, off-campus landlord, the campus does not have the ability, under the Student Code of Conduct, to discipline the landlord.’