Before Brown: Mendez, et al. v. Westminster School District of Orange County (1946)

Recall in 4.3.1 the Supreme Court case of Gong Lum v. Rice (1927), addressing the right of a Chinese student in Mississippi to be regarded as "white" for the purpose of attending a preferred school.

The fight for educational access broadened to calls for an end to "separate but equal" schools. This California case, pre-Brown v. Board of Education, was an early challenge to separate but equal in the Ninth Circuit that led to both judicial and political momentum and victories against segregation of Mexican Americans in several southwestern states.

Ironically, the Mexican-American plaintiffs sued after leasing a home and farm that was vacated by the Munemitsus, a Japanese American family sent to the WWII Internment camps. California's multi-racial population has, and continues to, pose particular opportunities for inter-racial conflict and coordination. In the 9th Circuit, a joint brief supporting the Mendezes were filed by the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the National Lawyers Guild. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), American Jewish Congress, and the Attorney General of California also submitted briefs. Together, these briefs challenged the logic of all racial segregation in the United States, as well as the legality of segregating Mexican Americans in California.

In 2021, Janice Munemitsu, Tad Munemitsu’s daughter, wrote the book The Kindness of Color about the intertwined experiences of the Munemitsu and Mendez family that led to Mendez, et al. v. Westminster, et al. She also worked to create the Mendez Tribute Park in Westminster, an outdoor museum-park dedicated in 2022.