Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of people by race in schools, restaurants, buses, neighborhoods, and other public places. For much of American history, particularly in Southern states, laws forced Black Americans and white Americans to use separate facilities: different schools, different water fountains, different sections of buses, and different entrances to buildings. This system was called segregation.

Desegregation meant opening up these spaces so everyone could use them equally, regardless of race. The process began in earnest during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregated schools were unconstitutional. But changing the law didn't instantly change what happened in real life. Many schools, cities, and states resisted fiercely, and it took years of protests, lawsuits, and federal action to actually desegregate institutions across the country.

When you read about the desegregation of a school or lunch counter, it means that place stopped excluding people based on their race. Desegregation was a crucial step toward equal rights, though it often came with struggle and required tremendous courage from those who fought for it.