n. the action of incorporating a racial or religious group into a community; the elimination of laws, regulations, or customs which prohibit members of a specific racial or national group from using certain locations, organizations, or facilities. In the 1960's and 1970's civil rights legislation was passed by the U. S. congress, prohibiting segregation by governmental agencies and in places of public accommodation, which resulteo in widospread besegregotion of schools and places of business. Some segregation remains in privately operated organizations.
Syn. -- integration, integrating. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]