Desegregaatio

Desegregation is the process of ending legal and social separation of groups, most commonly by race or ethnicity, in public institutions and society at large. It involves removing laws, policies, or practices that enforce separate facilities, schools, housing, and public accommodations, and fostering equal access and interaction.

In the United States, desegregation followed the mid-20th-century civil rights movement. The 1954 Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education declared state laws establishing separate public schools unconstitutional. This initiated school desegregation efforts and led to further legislation, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited discrimination in public accommodations and employment, and the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which strengthened protections at the polls. Court-ordered desegregation and policies such as busing were used to promote integration. Opposition often arose, including white resistance and violence, and the extent of desegregation varied by region and institution.

Globally, desegregation has occurred in various forms. In South Africa, the end of apartheid in the early 1990s and the 1994 multiracial elections marked a transition to desegregated governance and society, though economic disparities persisted. Many countries have pursued desegregation within education systems, housing, and public services through legislation, affirmative action, and anti-discrimination enforcement.

Current debates focus on achieving meaningful integration, addressing de facto segregation, and monitoring outcomes in education, employment, and housing. Critics argue that formal desegregation does not automatically produce equal opportunity, while supporters emphasize legal equality and social inclusion as foundations for broader social change.