"Separate but equal" was a legal doctrine in the United States that allowed for racial segregation under the guise of providing equal facilities and opportunities to Black and white citizens. This doctrine was upheld by the Supreme Court in the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson, which ruled that segregation was constitutional as long as facilities for Black and white individuals were "separate but equal."

However, in reality, the facilities provided to Black Americans were almost always inferior to those provided to white Americans. This doctrine perpetuated systemic racism and discrimination, as it enforced segregation and denied Black individuals equal rights and opportunities in education, housing, employment, and public accommodations.

The "separate but equal" doctrine was eventually overturned in the landmark 1954 Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, which declared that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional and violated the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause. This decision marked a significant victory in the civil rights movement and paved the way for the dismantling of segregation laws and practices in the United States.