I don't get anti-black vibes at all in Berkeley (Oakland: neighborhoods, theater)

[Donald342]

Of the three major liberal cities, (Oakland, Berkeley and SF) I'd say Berkeley gives of the most positive vibes and I don't feel racism or exclusion at all. Whatsoever. SF the most. Oakland is somewhere in the middle.

I find this interesting.

Any explanations?

[dalparadise]

Perhaps the campus unrest in the 60s has something to do with it? Cal sit-ins and protests in the mid 60s joined forces with the Black Panthers. Each lent credibility and exposure to the other.

Cal also brought an element of civil disobedience to the Black Panthers' more militant stance, while the Black Panthers brought the fight for civil rights into Cal's protest platform, which was more idealistically based on free speech and anti-war/government protesting. Civil rights earned them a much bigger stage and was a more polarizing topic.

It was an uneasy alliance, but it defined Berkeley and the attitudes and values forged in the 60s still shape it today.

[rkwalton]

I'll raise my hand to second both posts. I live in Berkeley and rarely feel any racism. When I do it's usually at the start of the term from twitchy new students from wherever-the-hell.

I do think it's the 60s protest history and progressive legacy of the city that makes it simply more tolerant. For now, it works for me and I love living here quite a bit because it's nice to feel comfortable.

[Natural510]

Berkeley's not racist per se, especially against black people, but it is an extremely racially-obsessed place.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by Donald342

Of the three major liberal cities, (Oakland, Berkeley and SF) I'd say Berkeley gives of the most positive vibes and I don't feel racism or exclusion at all. Whatsoever. SF the most. Oakland is somewhere in the middle.

I find this interesting.

Any explanations?

Well, approximately 70% of all adults in Berkeley have a bachelor degree or higher, and that is significantly higher than both SF and Oakland, which also have very high educational attainment levels compared to most other urban areas btw.

I would like to think that when people are educated through formal learning, or through life experiences, that they would be more inclined to know that we are basically the same underneath our different skin colors.

[18Montclair]

On the other hand, whereas you may perceive that Berkeley is less anti-Black, Oakland actually has affluent neighborhoods that are predominantly Black, which is no small fete on the West Coast.

[DocGoldstein]

Originally Posted by Donald342

Of the three major liberal cities, (Oakland, Berkeley and SF) I'd say Berkeley gives of the most positive vibes and I don't feel racism or exclusion at all. Whatsoever. SF the most. Oakland is somewhere in the middle.

I find this interesting.

Any explanations?

You feel the "most" exclusion in S.F?

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by DocGoldstein

You feel the "most" exclusion in S.F?

If that's how he feels, that's how he feels. As I person of color I dont recall ever feeling that way in the city at all, but we each see the world through a different set of eyes and from different circumstances.

[DocGoldstein]

Originally Posted by Venom Point

Try being white in Oakland you'll really feel excluded. When I was a PhD student at Berkeley we'd sometimes go to the fox theater for a show and we'd be the only white people there. You could feel the eyes burning a hole in your back.

Well I lived in Oakland (a long time ago), and never felt excluded as a white jewish guy. I'd say on the whole the Bay Area is one of the more "inclusive" places when it comes to different cultures and races. L.A and NY are like that as well.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Donald342

Of the three major liberal cities, (Oakland, Berkeley and SF) I'd say Berkeley gives of the most positive vibes and I don't feel racism or exclusion at all. Whatsoever. SF the most. Oakland is somewhere in the middle.

I find this interesting.

Any explanations?

Welcome to Berkeley! This is Berkeley. This is why author Alice Walker chooses to live there. Berkeley welcomes diversity. The City Council has been very Left-oriented for decades. It can be a very intellectually-stimulating place, and generally mellow. Enjoy.