In the U.S. today, racial segregation remains rampant in neighborhoods, schools, and even the workplace. Given the persistent inequity in terms of both race and social class in the U.S., my research utilizes perspectives from developmental, social, and cultural psychology to examine how features of our social and cultural contexts (e.g., racially segregated neighborhoods and classrooms) influence individuals’ thoughts and feelings about intergroup relations, and how these psychological outcomes in turn reify existing inequities. In this talk, I will examine how racial segregation shapes both perceptions of others’ racial attitudes throughout development. In addition, I discuss how these perceptions may be used to justify and ultimately perpetuate the persistence of racial segregation. By bringing to light these processes, we can better understand why change is more difficult and slow than expected.