The case that ended 'Mexican-only' schools
Some 75 years ago, Mendez, et al. vs. Westminster ended the practice of segregated Mexican schools in California. But today, Latino students are as segregated as ever.
Headlines From The Times · Paloma Esquivel, Gustavo Arellano, Denise Guerra, Shannon Lin, Kasia Broussalian, Ashlea Brown, Angel Carreras, David Toledo, Mario Diaz, Kinsee Morlan, Jazmín Aguilera, Shani O. Hilton
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Show Notes
In 1945, five families sued school districts in Orange County to challenge the practice of so-called Mexican schools, which kept Latino students from attending white schools with better resources. The daughter of one of the plaintiffs, Sylvia Mendez, has spent her retirement telling the story of the landmark desegregation case, which was decided 75 years ago on April 14, 1947.
But she goes from school to school talking about the importance of this case at a time when Latino students are, in many ways, more segregated than ever.
Host: Gustavo Arellano
Guests: L.A. Times education reporter Paloma Esquivel
More reading:
Op-Ed: How Mexican immigrants ended ‘separate but equal’ in California
Westminster council takes steps to recognize historic civil rights case