"Separate But Equal" was a legal doctrine in the United States that allowed for racial segregation in public facilities as long as those facilities were deemed to be "separate but equal" in quality. This principle was established by the 1896 Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, which upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the guise of equality.

Under the "separate but equal" doctrine, Black Americans were subjected to a system of segregation that was inherently unequal, with Black facilities and services consistently being underfunded, understaffed, and inferior to those provided for white Americans. This system perpetuated and enforced racial discrimination and inequality, leading to disparities in education, healthcare, housing, and other areas of life for Black individuals.

The injustice of the "separate but equal" doctrine was eventually challenged and overturned by the landmark 1954 Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, which declared that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal and unconstitutional. This decision marked a turning point in the struggle for civil rights and paved the way for the dismantling of segregation in the United States.