What does the statement separate but equal mean?

The phrase "separate but equal" refers to a legal doctrine established by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1896 case Plessy v. Ferguson, which upheld racial segregation laws. It suggested that racial segregation was constitutional as long as the separate facilities for different races were considered equal in quality. However, in practice, this doctrine often resulted in significant inequalities, particularly in education and public services, leading to systemic discrimination against marginalized groups. The principle was eventually overturned by the landmark 1954 case Brown v. Board of Education, which declared that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.