Legal Definitions - segregation

Segregation is the act of separating people based on their race, gender, religion, nationality, or ethnicity. It can happen in everyday activities, at work, and in the exercise of civil rights. Segregation can be either de jure (in law) or de facto (in practice).

• Historically, in the United States, there were laws against interracial marriages and hiring people of certain ethnicities for jobs. These laws created de jure segregation.
• Jim Crow laws in the southern United States imposed strict segregation of the "races" in public places, such as schools, buses, and restaurants. This was also de jure segregation.
• Today, de facto segregation can be seen in neighborhoods where people of certain races or ethnicities tend to live together, creating a lack of diversity.

These examples illustrate how segregation can be enforced by laws or happen naturally in society. In both cases, it leads to the separation of people based on their identity, which can have negative effects on individuals and communities.