desegregation

American  

[dee-seg-ri-gey-shuhn, dee-seg-] / ˌdi sɛg rɪˈgeɪ ʃən, diˌsɛg- /

noun

1. the elimination of laws, customs, or practices under which people from different religions, ancestries, ethnic groups, etc., are restricted to specific or separate public facilities, neighborhoods, schools, organizations, or the like.

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Other Word Forms

• antidesegregation adjective
• desegregationist noun

Etymology

Origin of desegregation

First recorded in 1950–55; de- + segregation

Example Sentences

Holmes ruling, which ordered the immediate desegregation of Southern schools.

From Salon

The last time the military was deployed without a governor’s request or approval, military experts said, was to facilitate court-ordered desegregation in Southern states during the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

From Los Angeles Times

In addition to Cheney and Thompson, 18 other honorees were recognized at the Thursday ceremony, including a military doctor who improved battlefield trauma care and a civil rights leader who fought for desegregation.

From Salon

Harris’ ambitions bloomed at Thousand Oaks Elementary, where she was among the first bused to a new school as part of Berkeley’s voluntary desegregation program while other parts of the country resisted merging districts.

From Los Angeles Times

She joined La Mutua last year after discovering while working on the Alamosa school desegregation case that family members had once belonged.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• assimilation