Final answer:
Racial passing and segregation thrived notably in the suburbs due to socio-economic migration patterns known as White flight. Suburbia and automotive culture heavily influenced residential segregation, causing complicated societal structures related to race and community demographics.
Step-by-step explanation:
Racial passing thrived in various social systems, but notably in suburban areas following a pattern of socio-economic migration. White flight, a term referring to the migration of economically secure white individuals from urban areas to suburbs, had a profound impact on racial and economic segregation in America. This phenomenon escalated throughout the twentieth century, influenced by a multitude of factors including the end of legal segregation following Brown v. Board of Education, and continued into the present with new dynamics as middle-class African-American families move to suburbs, while affluent white people return to urban centers.
The emergence of suburbia and automotive culture changed the geographical and social landscape of America. People could live in one suburb and work in another, leading to neighborhoods becoming even more segregated. The results of White flight and subsequent migration patterns left behind economically disadvantaged African Americans in urban cores, perpetuating de facto segregation in communities and schools.
Fluid migration and the quest for socio-economic advancement further complicated the issues of race and community, leading to a kaleidoscope of suburban demographics. However, legacies of de jure segregation persist, as many African Americans still reside in predominantly black neighborhoods or segregated suburbs, a stark reminder of past housing policies designed to separate races.