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Mendez
vs. Westminster and the California Board of Education
In March
of 1945, Latino parents in Orange County, California confronted
the segregation of their children into "Mexican Schools."
Gonzalo Mendez, William Guzmán, Frank Palomino, Thomas
Estrada and Lorenzo Ramírez, with the help of the League
of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), sued four local school
districts for segregating their children.
Outcome
- In February of 1946, this landmark case ended segregation in
California school districts. Governor Earl Warren signed legislation
prohibiting segregation in California, giving equal rights to
all students. The Mendez case foreshadowed Brown vs.
Board of Education. The Mendez case included the judicious
use of social science research, the application of the 14th Amendment
and the involvement of Thurgood Marshall, co-author of the amicus
brief filed by the NAACP (Stewart, 2003).
Stewart, A.
"Mendez v. Westminster. The Right to an Equal Education, The
Responsibility of the State to Provide One," California History
Day 2003 Website Contest (Los Angeles, Calif.: Consitutional Rights
Foundation, 2003).
"Mendez v. Westminster, A Look at Our Latino Heritage."
http://www.mendezvwestminster.com |
