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The landmark trial on May 17, 1954, known as the Oliver Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case (Brown vs. Board of Education), marked the end of segregation in American school districts. Supported by the 14th amendment, this law changed the nation by providing people of color with equal opportunities for education and a brighter future. Although groundbreaking, this legal battle was not the first attempt to integrate schools.
There was another case that was overshadowed by the creation of Brown vs.
the Board of Education. Despite being less well-known, both cases were significant with many similarities. The only distinctions were the timeframe, with the first being fought seven years before the second, and the ethnicity involved. Both cases held importance, raising the question of why only one is acknowledged while the other is forgotten over time.
Both Mendez vs. Westminster and Brown vs. the Board of Education were fought for the same reason of ending segregation in school systems. Mendez vs. Westminster was a significant court case that led to the desegregation of schools across California, with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in favor of it seven years before the Brown case.
The Mendez case, which was supported by the Brown vs.
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Board of Education case, had a significant impact on a young NAACP attorney named Thurgood Marshall. It was unexpected for many to learn that Marshall was involved not only with LULAC but also in the Mendez case. The collaboration between the NAACP and LULAC in this case promoted unity among different ethnicities and cultures, all working towards desegregation in schools.
Further exploration will delve into the history and similarities between the Mendez and Brown cases, including the April 1947 ruling in the Mendez vs. Board of Education trial (Maria Blanco, The Lasting Impact of Mendez v. Westminster in the Struggle for Desegregation, Thu, Mar 25, 2010).
The United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco sided with Mendez and other parents who were against the segregation of Mexican-American public school children by the Westminster School District. Judge McCormick declared that this segregation went against California laws and the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The lawsuit did not reach the Supreme Court because the Court ruled that the segregation decisions of the United States Supreme Court did not apply as there was no Hispanic race at the time, with Mexican Americans being classified as Caucasian. The California Education Code did not mandate segregation of Mexican origin children, and since California law did not allow separate schools for Mexicans, forcing children to attend such schools could be seen as arbitrary action without due process of law. (Charles Wollenberg, All Deliberate Speed, 1976, p. 127)
According to the state law, the Supreme Court could not hear this case because the Constitution did not address segregating Mexican Americans. In contrast, in Brown vs. Board of Education, Black individuals were considered a separate race and segregation was allowed under Plessey vs. Ferguson as long as a separate but equal law was provided. During the late 1920s-1930s, Mexican American parents united to advocate for their children to have equal education opportunities as Caucasian children in their community.
The growth of the Mexican and Mexican American community in California caused heightened anxiety among white Americans, resulting in segregation within schools and housing. Maria Blanco reflects on the enduring effects of Mendez v. Westminster in promoting desegregation, emphasizing the experiences of Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez when they relocated to Westminster in 1945. Due to Roosevelt's executive order 9066, which forced Japanese families to leave their homes, the Mendez family leased a farm from one of these families and enrolled their children at Seventeenth Street School in Westminster, Orange County.
The parents were surprised when both kids had to go back home because they could not attend the school due to their race. They had to go to the Mexican American School that was farther away. This was not an isolated case; the Mexican American schools that were established for these children were unjust. The 17th Street School was not just newly constructed, it also had a stunning playground, a pleasant cafeteria, dedicated educators, and let's not overlook the non-electronic fence. How could one contrast that with Hover, the Mexican school?
Hover was located near a cow pasture that was once old barracks (WESTCOTT, JOHN. "OUR LEGACY: MILLENNIUM MOMENTS Family Rejected 'Mexican School'; Mendez Vs. Westminster Ended State Segregation Ahead of U. S: MORNING Edition." Orange County Register, 1999). Robbie, who was a Mexican American student originally assigned to 17th Street School, had to attend a different school due to his ethnicity. Hover describes his experience, stating that it was a poor facility lacking basic playground equipment like monkey bars or swings.
During lunchtime, we would eat at the tables next to the cow pasture, which was surrounded by electrified wire to keep the cows away. The wires carried a small amount of electricity permitted to prevent the cows from approaching the fence. (Espinosa, Martina, California hidden curriculum: institutional Discrimination in the Fourth Grade, pg. 57)
The Forgotten Battle: Mendez vs. Brown in School Desegregation. (2016, Sep 10). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/mendez-vs-westminster-court-case-essay
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