ACTIVITY 6: Handout 2

What Does “Separate but Equal” Look Like?

For over 50 years, African Americans were forced to live under a system of segregation made legal by the Plessy v. Ferguson precedent. What did this system look like on a day-to-day basis for Americans? What were the social and emotional ramifications for all people? Below, describe some of the features of a racially segregated way of living.

Example: Black children often had to travel great distances and endure physical hardships on a daily basis to get to a “colored” school.

The Vermont state legislature will soon determine whether or not same-sex couples will live within a “separate but equal” segregated system of partnership. What would this look like on a day-to-day basis? What would be the social and emotional ramifications for all people? Below, describe some of the features of a segregated system of partnership.