Separate but equal facilities were constitutional
Answer:
while the men were at war, women and people of color took over the "manly" jobs. the government saw that the women were capable of doing hard work and not just being teachers/stay at home moms. the women and minorities started getting a bit of recognition. definitely not as much recognition they deserved, and they still weren't treated well, but they were still able to be nurses, pilots, etc and work in factories/the labor field.
Possible that it was the McCormick Reaper