colour bar
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. A social and legal barrier that prevents Black people from participating in various activities, institutions, or facilities on an equal basis with white people; racial segregation. This term historically refers to discriminatory laws, policies, and practices, particularly those enforcing racial separation in public places, housing, employment, and education.
Usage
- The term is used to describe institutionalized racial discrimination and segregation.
- It is primarily a historical term, most commonly associated with policies like apartheid in South Africa and Jim Crow laws in the United States.
- It functions as a compound noun.
Examples
Advanced Usage
- The term can be used metaphorically to describe any systemic barrier based on race or ethnicity, though this is an extension of its core historical meaning.
- Although not legally mandated, a subtle colour bar seemed to exist within the corporate culture.
Variants and Related Words
- Color bar: The American English spelling variant.
- Segregation (n): The general act or practice of separating people by race or class.
- Apartheid (n): A specific policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race, historically associated with South Africa.
- Jim Crow (n): The former practice of segregating Black people in the southern United States.
Synonyms
- Racial barrier
- Race bar
- Racial segregation
- Discrimination
Related Phrases
- To face the colour bar: To encounter racial discrimination.
- Many immigrants faced the colour bar when seeking housing.
- To break down the colour bar: To work to eliminate racial segregation.
- Activists fought for decades to break down the colour bar in education.
Noun
- barrier preventing blacks from participating in various activities with whites