color line

American  

[kuhl-er lahyn] / ˈkʌl ər ˌlaɪn /

noun

1. Also called color bar.  social or political restriction or distinction based on differences of skin pigmentation, as between white and Black people.

---

idioms

1. draw the color line, to observe a color line.

Etymology

Origin of color line

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65

Example Sentences

She was determined to shine a light on what, for many Americans on both sides of the color line, is a hidden and forgotten history.

From Salon

When Jackie Robinson entered the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, his informational plaque didn’t mention that he had broken baseball’s color line.

From The Wall Street Journal

Historically, it has fallen to young, poor and working-class people on both sides of the color line to make that sacrifice.

From Salon

Du Bois famously observed that “the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color line.”

From Salon

She described how recent protests against police violence are affecting her understanding of America’s color line.

From Salon