The enforced separation of different racial, ethnic, or social groups in housing, education, and public facilities. This system of institutionalized discrimination was designed to maintain social hierarchies and limit opportunities for marginalized groups.
From Latin 'segregatus,' past participle of 'segregare' (to set apart from the flock), from 'se-' (apart) plus 'grex' (flock). The term evolved from describing the separation of animals to the systematic separation of human groups, gaining particular prominence during the Jim Crow era in the American South.
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