color bar
- noun
- /ˈkʌlər bɑr/
- Offensive
:
segregación racial
- For them, the color bar had virtually ceased to exist once they had fought alongside British troops who turned out to be as human as their Nigerian counterparts.
Examples
-
The civil rights movement fought hard to dismantle the color bar that restricted equality for black citizens.
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In the past, the color bar prevented people of different races from accessing the same public facilities.
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Many activists worked tirelessly to eliminate the color bar in education, ensuring that all children could learn together.
Synonyms
84
6.1
Authorities keep people apart by race or religion, often with different facilities
6
6.5
Keeping people apart because of their race, for example in schools or public places
3
7.9
A barrier that keeps Black people from taking part equally with white people
3
5.9
A rule or practice that keeps Black people and other races from taking part equally with white people
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
color + bar
The noun combines 'color' (race/skin colour) with 'bar' (a barrier or act of barring), so a learner who knows both words can plausibly infer a restriction or exclusion based on colour. However, the expression refers to a specific socio-legal practice of racial segregation and carries institutional/cultural connotations that may not be fully predictable from the parts alone, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
The phrase color bar comes from the image of a real bar or line that separated people by color, meaning skin color, like a fence that kept some people out. That's why it means 'to keep people of different races apart'.