West OC Times

On January 9, 2024, Assemblyman Tri Ta, alongside Senator Thomas J. Umberg and civil rights activist Sylvia Mendez, introduced a bipartisan bill to include the landmark civil rights case Mendez v. Westminster in California's education curriculum.

Assemblyman Ta emphasized the importance of this legislation by stating, “Westminster played an important the civil rights moment and California students should learn about the courageous story of the Mendez family.” Senator Umberg echoed this sentiment, highlighting the significance of the Mendez v. Westminster case in advancing the desegregation movement, stating, “People know Brown v. Board of Education, but Mexican Americans were facing similar struggles. This lawsuit moved the desegregation movement forward and helped protect the rights of everyone, regardless of their ethnic background.”

In 1943, the Mendez family challenged the discriminatory policy of denying their children entry into the Seventeenth Street School in Westminster, CA, leading to a successful lawsuit that ended school segregation in California and set a precedent for Brown v. Board of Education.

The descendants of Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez expressed their support for the bill, stating, “The Mendez family is very excited that Assemblyman Tri Ta will introduce legislation to revise the Education Code to incorporate the Mendez case into the standards. This will ensure that all students will learn an important part of California history and is a milestone that our family has pursued for several years."

If passed, the bill will require the inclusion of Mendez v. Westminster alongside Brown v. Board of Education in the state's academic standards, acknowledging the significant contribution of the Mendez family to the fight for civil rights in California.