ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Desegregation

Desegregation means making sure that everyone is treated the same, no matter what color their skin is. For a long time, people with white skin were treated a lot better than people with black skin. They couldn't go to the same schools or eat at the same restaurants, and they had to sit in different parts of buses and theaters. This was not fair or right.

So, some people worked really hard to change this. They said that everyone should be allowed to go to the same schools, eat at the same restaurants, and sit wherever they wanted on buses and in theaters. This was called desegregation.

It wasn't easy to make this happen. Some people didn't want things to change because they didn't like black people. They were called segregationists. But other people, including some very brave black people, kept fighting for desegregation. They held protests and marches, and eventually, the government decided that it was time to make things fairer.

Today, desegregation means that everyone, no matter what color they are, should be treated the same. It helps make sure that everyone has the same opportunities and can do things like go to school and get a good job, no matter what their skin color is.