A group of black California college students requested that they only live with people of color in a Facebook post that has since gone viral and sparked a national debate about racism and safe spaces at US universities. >Three students at Claremont colleges, a consortium of five undergraduate liberal arts schools in southern California, recently posted that they were searching for a fourth roommate in an off-campus house and added “POC only” to the listing, referring to people of color. >The Claremont Independent, a student magazine, published an article on Tuesday about the housing request and ensuing online debate, with the headline “STUDENTS AT CLAREMONT COLLEGES REFUSE TO LIVE WITH WHITE PEOPLE”. Accompanying the story was a photo of a black man at a water fountain, with a sign reading “FOR COLORED ONLY”. >The article quickly spread beyond the private college campus near Los Angeles to conservative news outlets and mainstream media organizations across the US, launching heated arguments about the experiences of people of color on predominantly white college campuses and raising questions about whether the “POC only” statement was a form of racism. >By Friday, students said the controversy had been blown out of proportion, with some defending the rights of the original Facebook posters to live exclusively with people of color. >“It’s a legitimate request,” said Josue Pasillas, a 21-year-old senior and president of the student senate at Pitzer College. “Students of color should have the right to create spaces where they feel comfortable on campus and off campus. It’s all about living in solidarity with others without the judgment and racism that they face on a daily basis.” >Pasillas, who is Latino, scoffed at commentators who have presented the situation as a case of “reverse racism” or “racism against white people”. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/12/facebook-ad-nonwhite-roommate-claremont-california-college