Definition

Noun: - A social and institutional barrier preventing Black people from participating in various activities, institutions, or facilities on an equal basis with white people; racial segregation. This term historically refers to the systematic exclusion and discrimination based on race, particularly against African Americans.

Usage

The term "color bar" is used to describe a system or practice of racial segregation and discrimination. It is primarily a historical term referring to formal and informal barriers. - It functions as a countable noun (e.g., a color bar, the color bar). - It often appears in discussions of historical social policies, civil rights, and systemic racism.

Examples

• The country's constitution once enforced a strict color bar in education and public services.
• Activists fought tirelessly to dismantle the color bar in the workplace.
• Despite legal changes, an informal color bar persisted in many social clubs.

Advanced Usage

• "to face the color bar": to encounter racial discrimination.
  • Even after the law changed, many qualified applicants still faced the color bar when seeking employment.
• "to break/remove the color bar": to eliminate a barrier of racial segregation.
  • Her achievement was significant as it helped break the color bar in professional sports.

Variants and Related Words

• Color line (noun): A very similar term, often used interchangeably with "color bar," to denote the social division between races.
• Segregation (noun): The general act or practice of separating people by race, class, or ethnic group.
• Jim Crow (noun, often capitalized): The specific system of laws and customs enforcing racial segregation and discrimination in the United States, especially in the Southern states from the late 19th century until the mid-1960s.

Synonyms

• Racial barrier
• Race barrier
• Discrimination
• Segregation

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "On the wrong side of the color bar": Being part of the group that is discriminated against.
  • For generations, his family lived on the wrong side of the color bar.
• "To cross the color bar": To move into a space or role traditionally denied to one's racial group.
  • She crossed the color bar by becoming the first Black judge in the state.

Noun

1. barrier preventing blacks from participating in various activities with whites