colour-bar

A sign in the window displayed a colour-bar.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Racial segregation: "colour-bar" refers to a social or legal system that separates people of different skin colours, typically denying equal rights, opportunities, or access to facilities to non-white individuals. This term is most commonly used in historical contexts, particularly in South Africa during apartheid or in the United States before the Civil Rights Movement.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The colour-bar prevented black citizens from using the same public restrooms as white citizens. (Racial segregation enforced by law.)
  • Many sports leagues maintained a colour-bar, excluding athletes of colour from professional teams. (Systematic exclusion based on race.)
  • The colour-bar was finally abolished after years of protest and legislation. (The legal system of racial separation ended.)

Advanced Usage

• "to enforce a colour-bar": to actively implement or maintain racial segregation.

  • The government enforced a strict colour-bar in all public institutions. (They mandated racial separation in schools, hospitals, and transport.)

• "to break the colour-bar": to challenge or overcome racial segregation, often by being the first person of colour to achieve something.

  • Jackie Robinson broke the colour-bar in Major League Baseball in 1947. (He became the first African American to play in the league.)

Variants and Related Words

• Colour-bar (n): alternative spelling used in British English (same meaning as "color-bar").
• Colour-line (n): a synonym for "colour-bar", referring to the social boundary separating racial groups.
  • The colour-line in housing meant that families of different races could not live in the same neighbourhoods. (The racial divide in residential areas.)

Synonyms

• Racial segregation: the separation of people based on race, often enforced by law.
• Apartheid: a specific system of racial segregation in South Africa (1948–1994).
• Jim Crow: a set of laws in the United States (late 19th to mid-20th century) that enforced racial segregation.

Related Idioms

• "the colour-bar is drawn": a phrase indicating that racial segregation is officially or unofficially established.

  • In that club, the colour-bar was drawn at the entrance. (Non-white members were not allowed in.)

• "to cross the colour-bar": to defy or ignore racial segregation by interacting with people of another race.

  • He was arrested for crossing the colour-bar when he sat next to a white woman on the bus. (He violated segregation laws.)