Mendez Tribute Monument Park — Attraction in Westminster

I have to respond to Keowee Nation’s review. The Mendez case did not argue desegregation because California law already allowed for segregated schools of certain races, and the attorneys feared the judge would add “Mexican” to the list rather than end the segregation practice. So, 1) argued the case in federal court to make a larger impact on all states. 2) argued that the 14th amendment was being violated and as citizens the children were being denied an equal education at the “separate” school. And, here are some notes from Superior Court Judge Frederick Aguirre about the impact this case did make, including on the Brown case subsequently. So please don’t rate the park poorly because your facts...

I believe the truth should be told to our children. This 1945 case did not end segregation, Méndez argued it wasn’t a segregation case on appeal. The case argued that children like Méndez should be considered to be of the white race and they should attend white race schools. It did not set precedent for Brown vs Board, this case was never mentioned in Brown vs Board. Thurgood Marshall won his first school desegregation case a decade before the Méndez case. In the 1935 Murray vs Pearson case, he used the 14th Amendment Equal protection clause. He went on to use the 14th Amendment throughout his career, including in the US Supreme Court case,...

A gem of a memorial to an easily overlooked case in civil rights history. The memorial is easy to miss since Google maps takes you to the tire store right next to it. It's actually on the corner.

The memorial tells the story of a Mexican American family and how they and their community stood up for what is right. This was a key cog in the country's march to our ideal that "all men are created equal". Memorial was very well done. Highly recommend visiting if you just happen to be...