John Hardly, I suppose that the first part of your 26 Jul 07 - 07:36 AM comment was directed to me. My response to you would be that yes, there are certain circumstances and certain settings when I feel it is acceptable and legal for individuals to use their free will to congregate where and with whom they want, and other circumstances and settings where it is not acceptable and legal to do so.

It seems to me that at least one criteria for distinguishing when such "voluntary segregation" is whether the individuals are congregating in a public institution {and not at street corner}, whether that public institution or facility receives any city, county, state, federal funding; and whether the institution or facility prohibits persons from entering, and fully participating in an integrated manner, i.e. whether discrimination occurs within that facility on the basis of criteria that is not allowed by ammedments to our [USA] constitutions and laws.

I don't think having a table where some Black students encourage other Black students to sit but where they are not forced to sit [or having a table where Jewish students; or geeks, or football players, or cheerleaders, or members of a particul sorority or fraternity sit-or where certain people who have shared experiences and interests] sit within a public university cafetaria- is de facto against the law.

Of course, I'm not a civil rights attorney. Nor have I ever played one on television. And I didn't sleep last night in a Holiday Inn hotel {or whatever ad this half-remembered script comes from}.