Historic exihibit at the Courthouse

imageR_Courthouse

It’s all good in the neighborhood: a quick look at a cool attraction located in the community:

A new exhibit in the Old Courthouse in downtown Santa Ana has revived interest in the rich history and cultural significance of the Mendez v. Westminster court case.

In 1945 before the Civil Rights movement began, five Mexican-American families sued four school districts in Orange County for forcing their children to attend separate schools for such things as different skin color or inability to speak English. After in court the families won, influencing the U.S. Supreme Court’s court decision of Board v. Board of Education to end segregation in schools nationwide.

At a showing of her Emmy-award winning documentary, Mendez v. Westminster: For All the Children/ Para Todos los Niños, filmmaker Sandra Robbie says our history could resemble Freedom Trail in Massachusetts here in Orange County.

The exhibit A Class Action: The Grassroots Struggle for School Desegregation in California and discussions by Gonzalo Mendez Jr. will be held until June.

A photo showing the big three stories courthouse building with brick-like looking walls. The base level is white while the top two stories in light brown color with orange brick roof.


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