<p>bl4ke360, interesting thought. </p>
<p>I went to a relatively diverse East Coast college. While most students had friends of multiple races, people’s best friends seemed to be of their own race (or similar national origin). I don’t think the segregation was due to prejudice or closed-mindedness as much as misguided institutional policies. A pre-orientation program for international students, for example, made sure that international students had a solid base of international friends before meeting anyone else on campus. Similarly, the “black cultural center” fostered a tightly-knit community among African Americans while decreasing their interactions with the rest of the campus community. (What would motivate African American students to voluntarily live segregated from the rest of campus? Offering them the single nicest dorm on campus, with guaranteed singles the size of doubles and the only dorm with full kitchens.)</p>
<p>I am neither black nor attending a big Southern school, so I really can’t contribute the sort of first-hand experience you are looking for. I just share bl4ke360’s concern that you won’t find strong African American organizations at the same time as good integration. Which one is more important to you?</p>