In 1896, the Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that public facilities such as schools, parks, and transportation, could be segregated. It set the precedent of “separate but equal,” which became standard in the United States and exacerbated the large discrepancies in funding between schools intended for white students and schools intended for students of color. In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregated schools were unconstitutional. Brown v. Board of Education is sometimes seen as the beginning of the civil rights movement, as it led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits segregation and discrimination based on race in public facilities and with regard to voting rights. Efforts to desegregate schools have been ongoing ever since, often complicated by cultural biases and how districting and educational funding operate in the United States.

The benefits of diversity in the classroom are well-documented. In addition to promoting tolerance and inclusion, studies show that children feel safer when their peer group is diverse: “Youths who reported [cross-ethnic] friendships felt less vulnerable—less lonely, less victimized by peers, and safer at school” (“Cross-ethnic friendships in urban middle schools make youths feel less vulnerable, safer.