Question

Which of the following are examples of de facto segregation?

Creation of separate dining areas for white and Black customers in line with state laws

Government drawing of school districts to create mostly Black or mostly white schools

Refusal of white homeowners to rent or sell to Black people

Legal segregation of neighborhoods based on race

Answer 1

De facto segregation = separation that happens in practice through private actions, economic conditions, or social factors (not required by law). De jure segregation = separation required or explicitly authorized by law or government policy.

Applying that:

- Creation of separate dining areas for white and Black customers in line with state laws — de jure (explicitly authorized by law).
- Government drawing of school districts to create mostly Black or mostly white schools — de jure if the government is deliberately drawing lines to segregate (it’s government action); (if school composition results only from private housing patterns without intentional government action, it’s described as de facto).
- Refusal of white homeowners to rent or sell to Black people — de facto (private discrimination and market/social practices causing segregation).
- Legal segregation of neighborhoods based on race — de jure (segregation enforced by law).

So the clear example of de facto segregation in the list is the refusal of homeowners to rent or sell to Black people.