What does “separate, but equal” mean, and why is it important in the text Plessy v. Furguson?

"Separate, but equal" meant that African Americans could not use vehicles or go to the same places as the white people, but they would be the same. This is important in the Plessy v. Ferguson case because Plessy was a one-eighth black man and when the conductor asked him if he was a black man, he said "Yes". Due to the fact that he claimed he was a black man, he was told to get off, but refused to do so. Even if he was one-eight black, it didn't matter to the conductor because Plessy was still somewhat black. Since Plessy was black, he was not technically allowed to ride on the "White Only" train because they were supposed to be segregated. The effect of Plessy's decision in the end was that segregation became law and it spread over America like wildfire.

an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.

"why don't you like me the way i am? " i cried. "i'm not a genius! i can't play the piano, and even if i could, i wouldn't go on tv if you paid me a million dollars! "

explanation:

the conflict between jing-mei and her mother is over jing-mei's piano lessons since her mother wants her to become a prodigy but she does not want to play it any more.