separate but equal

adjective

: of, relating to, or constituting a doctrine of segregation whereby Negroes and whites have equal facilities (as for education or transportation)

the separate but equal doctrine has been directly challenged and the Supreme Court has consented to review three cases involving it — Charles Thompson

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pertaining to a racial policy by which blacks may be segregated if granted equal opportunities and facilities, as for education, transportation, or jobs.

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separate but equal,

U.S. of or having to do with a policy of racial segregation between Negroes and whites, as in education, employment, or transportation, while providing ostensibly equal facilities for all: »

In the South, the “separate but equal” doctrine, which was struck down by the 1954 Supreme Court ruling, had led to the establishment of dual school systems (New York Times).

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historical racially segregated but ostensibly ensuring equal opportunities to all races

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separate but equal [separate but equal]

the phrase used to support the principle of ↑segregation in the southern US. It was based on a US ↑Supreme Court decision in 1896 which said that segregation was legal provided that the separate facilities for black people were equal to those for white people. It was also used as an excuse for segregation in schools, restaurants, etc, where conditions for black people were usually much worse than those for white people. The Supreme Court case of ↑Brown v Board of Education in 1954 resulted in a decision which ended the principle of ‘separate but equal’.