How did racism support racial segregation in North America and apartheid-era South Africa?

Racism served as the foundational ideology for both North American racial segregation and apartheid-era South Africa, functioning as a mechanism to maintain the economic advantages and superior social status of the politically dominant group. By categorizing humans into biologically separate, unequal races, these systems justified the systematic exclusion of marginalized groups from political power, economic resources, and civil rights.1234

North America

In North America, a "racial worldview" institutionalized the belief that races were unequal and should be segregated. This ideology was used to justify slavery and, later, the "separate but equal" doctrine under Jim Crow laws. By claiming that Black and white citizens could be treated equally in separate facilities, the state enforced a racial caste system that relegated Black people to the lowest rank, denying them equitable access to education, voting, and public accommodations.354

Apartheid-era South Africa

In South Africa, racism was formalized into the state policy of apartheid, which categorized every citizen by race to ensure white supremacy. The government used legislation like the Population Registration Act and the Group Areas Act to enforce residential and social segregation. Through "grand apartheid," the state sought to physically separate racial groups, forcing Black South Africans into impoverished "homelands" while restricting their movement and labor rights.62

Ultimately, both systems utilized racism to dehumanize the oppressed, portraying segregation as a natural or necessary order to protect the interests of the dominant population. Most human societies now recognize that racism is fundamentally wrong, as it precludes human understanding and violates the principles of equality and dignity.347