User:Dennis Brown/Colored fair

Colored fairs were a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities, similar to fairs, but in an era when public facilities were segregated by skin color in the United States. These events took place after the American Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation, which granted African Americans universal freedom, but ushered in the Jim Crow era, forcing segregation in many areas of life. Blacks were usually prohibited from participating or using facilities that were designated "white only", especially in the Southern United States. These fairs were designed to provide similar entertainment and access, although they were significantly under-supported by businesses and local government when compared to the fairs that whites were allowed to attend.

Segregation
After the Union Army defeated the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, the country entered the Reconstruction era (1855-1867). During this time, many new laws were passed to grant Black Americans the same rights as white Americans, but there also came into being a legal doctrine known as Separate but equal. While in theory, this would means Blacks would have the same access to facilities, they would not be the same facilities that whites enjoyed. In reality, facilities for Blacks were often subpar. Schools, public bathrooms, eating establishments, and even bus seating were usually set up with the least desirable situation being given to Blacks. In the same vein, the colored fairs were established, with "colored" being a common term for African-American (Black person) at the time.

Decline
The beginning of the end started with Brown v. Board of Education, a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segregated schools are otherwise equal in quality. By the time the 1964 Civil Rights Act passed, the writing was on the wall; forced segregation was not constitutional. Once Blacks were able to legally access the same fairs that whites could access, the need (and desire) for a separate colored fair was greatly diminished.