"Separate but Equal" refers to the legal doctrine in the United States that was upheld by the Supreme Court in the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson. This doctrine allowed for racial segregation in public facilities as long as they were deemed to be "separate but equal" for African Americans and white Americans.

In reality, however, facilities designated for African Americans were almost always underfunded, inferior, and unequal to those available to white Americans. This led to pervasive inequality and discrimination against African Americans in areas such as education, transportation, housing, and public accommodations.

The "Separate but Equal" doctrine was eventually overturned by the landmark Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. The court declared that segregation in public schools was inherently unequal and violated the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. This decision marked a significant turning point in the Civil Rights Movement and paved the way for desegregation efforts across the United States.