Final answer:
The U.S. Supreme Court rulings in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) and Brown v. Board of Education (1954) reflect a stark shift in the legal understanding of racial discrimination, from acceptance of 'separate but equal' to outright rejection of segregated schools as inherently unequal. Despite the progress made by the Brown decision, racial equality has not been fully achieved in practice.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Supreme Court's understanding of racial discrimination shifted significantly between Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) and Brown v. Board of Education (1954). In Plessy, the Court upheld the doctrine of 'separate but equal,' considering segregated facilities permissible under the Equal Protection Clause as long as they were of equal quality. However, the racial segregation in schools was deemed a violation of the principle of equality, primarily due to social science evidence that showed the psychological effects of segregation on Black children. The ruling in Brown established that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.
Although the Brown decision was a significant legal and moral victory, the struggle for racial equality in education and beyond continues. While legal segregation has been abolished, socio-economic disparities and de facto segregation still pose challenges to achieving full racial equality.