International House Berkeley

Beta Kappa graduate of Pomona College, who developed his crosscultural awareness during a teaching assignment in Japan. Soon after his appointment, Blaisdell encountered considerable resistance in the community. There was resistance to men and women living under one roof; there was hostility towards foreigners; and the notion that people of color would live with "whites" in an integrated setting was, to many, simply incredible. Sunday Supper in the auditorium, 1935. Many Berkeley landlords protested the construction of the House, fearing an influx of foreigners. decided that this was the "back door" to the More than 800 people gathered in Berkeley campus and insisted that International House to protest racial integration in the proposed must be at the "front door." Here on Piedmont International House. At that meeting, Delilah Avenue, the House faced the Pacific and so Beasley, a black reporter for the Oakland brought a symbolic joining of West and East. Tribune, passionately defended the concept to a disgruntled and stunned audience. And it was Opening of I-House Berkeley Beasley who stood up to the protests of property nternational House officially opened on owners who feared that I-House would cause August 18, 1930, with single rooms for Berkeley to be overrun with Blacks and Asians. 338 men and 115 women, primarily Allen Blaisdell noted that one of the purposes graduate students. It was the largest student of the House was to draw foreign students housing complex in the Bay Area and the first – particularly Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos and coeducational residence west of the Mississippi (at Indians – out of their semi-ghetto housing the time the University itself would not officially situations and into an international community. recognize coeducational housing). But because When Harry Edmonds came to Berkeley I-House was managed by a self-supporting to establish a site, he chose Piedmont Avenue, corporation legally independent of the University, in part, because it was the home of fraternities the coeducational concept became a reality. The and sororities which then excluded foreigners intercultural housing facility also raised fears in and people of color. By proposing the site on the community about "mixed marriages." And, Piedmont Avenue, Edmonds sought to strike indeed, many of the first interracial and crossbigotry and exclusiveness "right hard in the nose." national marriages in the area were "born" at Originally the north side of the campus, an I-House. area ravaged by fire, was suggested, but Edmonds I 3

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