Legacy of 79 years and more to come!
The first time I heard about Mendez, et. al v. Westminster, et. al was when the Santa Ana School District named a school after Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez. There was an article in the newspaper and I remember my dad saying, “those are the people who leased our farm during the WWII incarceration camp.”
If I knew then that I would end up writing a book about this history, I sure would have asked him a lot more questions and saved myself hours of research! This highlights the importance of history being told and well documented; not just read once, but read, learned, and implemented into our communities and society. Sadly, we have seen how unjust history repeats itself when we do not take it seriously and make changes to avoid future injustice.
Here are some of the highlights that help to make this history known and shared…and thanks to readers like you, let’s keep sharing this history for good!
Five Families vs. Four Orange County School Districts
The Mendez family lived in Santa Ana until they leased our family’s Westminster farm during the WWII incarceration. When my dad leased Gonzalo the farm, they moved from Santa Ana to Westminster. The Guzman family lived in Santa Ana also. The school district there was segregated by area, and so the “barrio” had a school with a curriculum like the white school. The Westminster segregated Hoover School for Mexican children didn’t have an academic curriculum at all!
The Estrada family also lived in Westminster and only could attend the segregated Hoover School. The Ramirez family lived in North Orange County, El Modena School District, and had to go to a segregated Lincoln School. (Imagine the irony, a school named LINCOLN that was segregated!)
The Palomino family lived in Santa Ana, but wanted to attend a Garden Grove School District school that was not segregated.
50 years after the Ninth Circuit Court ruling, Santa Ana School District marked the first major event with a school dedication!
1997—Dedication of Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez
Fundamental Intermediate School, Santa Ana, California.
Sandra Robbie learned of the story and realized she actually attended the schools that were on our former farm in Westminster, the farm that the Mendez family leased during WWII. This inspired her to make her no budget, volunteer-staffed, award-winning documentary film. This is also when she got curious about our family and on a random call reached out to me! Thanks to Sandra, I met Sylvia Mendez for the first time in November 2002. For my aunt, Aki, it was a reunion from when they were young girls, ages 9 and 10 years old!
Meeting Sylvia for the first time in November 2002.
2003—Sandra Robbie produces Mendez vs. Westminster: For All the Children/Para Todos los Niños.
Sandra Robbie, Sylvia Mendez and Sandra Mendez Duran, and me!
The documentary and more hard work by Sandra Robbie, led to the postage stamp in 2007!
2007—US Postal Service issues Mendez v. Westminster commemorative postage stamp.
2011—Sylvia Mendez receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama, which acknowledges the importance of this local history that changed California’s public education.
2011 - Sylvia & Aki, written by author Winifred Conkling, was published as a young readers’ fiction based on a factual account of our families connection during WWII.
2014 - Separate is Never Equal, written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh, was published as a beautifully illustrated picture book for young readers.
2021 - The Kindness of Color, written by me, was self-published at the urging of Dr. Al Mijares, former Superintendent of OC Dept. of Education and Dr. Jeff Hittenberger, former Chief Academic Officer of the OC Dept. of Ed.
Former Westminster Councilman, Sergio Contreras, and the City of Westminster City Council, City Manager and staff worked hard over many years to plan, develop, and build the Mendez Tribute Park and the Freedom Trail. This took a true dedication to tell the story by many on the City of Westminster Team!
2022 – Mendez Tribute Park dedicated in Westminster, CA.
www.mendezpark.org
Dr. Jeff Hittenberger, Sylvia Mendez, me, and Dr. Al Mijares at the Mendez Tribute Park, Westminster, CA, December 2022.
Never know where random calls will lead! I was contacted by a documentary cinema grad student at Chapman University who wanted to do his thesis film on Mendez, et. al. I had an early release copy of my book and gladly gave it to him to read. In a turn of events, one visit to the Japanese American National Museum led Brendan Bubion to switch his project to one about the Japanese American incarceration and an interview with my twin aunts who are featured in the film. The film ends with a quote by one of my aunts, “but the farm was still there. At least we had a home to go home to.” Many Japanese Americans did not. And the reason is that my dad had leased our farm to Gonzalo Mendez.
2022 – “Growing Up Behind Barbed Wire” documentary debuts, produced by Brendan Bubion. It was fun to have its California premiere at the Newport Beach Film Festival in Fall 2023.
With Brendan Bubion at the Newport Beach Film Festival!
Our Munemitsu / Mendez stories intertwine and really leverage the message! At the Poston, AZ Incarceration Camp Pilgrimage in 2022, I shared the history of our families and in the audience was Brenda Ling. At that time, Brenda was the superintendent for the Manzanar National Park site. With her advocacy, I was contacted to help write 6 articles for our all Japanese and Mexican American story featured on the nps.gov website (Search “Munemitsu”). Collaboration at its best!
2023 – U.S. National Park Service publishes 6 articles about the Munemitsu/Mendez history on the nps.gov website within the “All American Stories” section. (Search “Munemitsu”)
With Brenda Ling, NPS, in Poston AZ
I didn’t have a photo of Frank Monroe when I published the book; even on the internet, there was only a small photo of the bank interior and Frank was in the shadows. At the urging of Tustin Historical Society leader, Donna Peery, we decided to try to find Frank’s family. An obituary of his son, gave us the names of his grandchildren which led to a Facebook page of his granddaughter! She and I had 5 friends in common! One of which, Tommy Dyo, was a neighbor and friend of hers for over 20 years! Tommy was an endorser of my book! Such a small world. Even finding Frank’s photo, courtesy of his granddaughter Holly, is a great story!
2024 – Mr. Frank Monroe’s grandchildren are found. I get to share this history with the Monroe family descendents.
A photo of Frank Monroe, provided by his granddaughter, Holly. Meeting the Monroe grandchildren for the first time was a full circle moment for our awesome multi-generational family friendship.
With many thanks to Assemblyman Tri Ta and Senator Tom Umberg, AB 1805 was passed, making Mendez, et. al v. Westminster, et. al mandatory in California K-12 subject curriculum. Long awaited, and once denied, this second effort passed and now this history has a solid home in California State public school curriculum!
2024 – Assembly Bill 1805, passed through the California State Assembly and Senate, requires Mendez, et al. v. Westminster as mandatory subject matter in California public school curriculum standards in history and social science courses.
I’m often asked if the farm is still there. In the 1950s, the land was taken by eminent domain and my dad and grandpa moved the farm to Garden Grove where I grew up. Now, two schools, Johnson Middle and Findley Elementary are on the farm land making this a full circle in history. Johnson named the gym after Sylvia Mendez and just last year, our family’s history is remembered there too!
2025 – Johnson Middle School mural of Seima and Seiko Tad Munemitsu unveiled. Johnson Middle School is on the site of the former Munemitsu farm and the farm that the Mendez family leased during WWII.
At Johnson Middle School, our family farm remembered.
Just this year, another school was named for the Guzman plaintiffs of the case. And I heard there are discussions underway for the other plaintiffs to be recognized for their participation in the case!
2026 – Dedication of Virginia and William Guzman Elementary School, Santa Ana, California. Formerly Fremont Elementary, the school was renamed to honor the Guzman family, lead plaintiffs in Mendez, et al.
Celebrating the Guzman School naming with Tracy Guzman!
If you ever wondered if you could walk and learn history at the same time, you can!
Now the City of Westminster’s 2 mile Freedom Trail is open!
2026 – Historic Freedom Trail completed in Westminster, CA. Grand Opening April 14, 2026…
Sharing the story has become my retirement job! It’s such a blessing to meet so many who have a heart for this history and the message of KINDNESS, especially in the midst of adversity and divisiveness! I got curious and so I counted, in the last 4 years, I’ve shared the story over 200 times: online, in person, in classrooms, libraries and even a assemblies full of students! I have spoken to more advanced degree educators and police officers than I ever imagined, but I will say the elementary school children ask the best and sometimes funniest questions like, “how old are you?” Never underestimate their curiosity!
So grateful for each of you who have followed this history, shared this history, and tell the story! Heading toward Mendez, et. al 80th next year, there are still so many who do not know this history, so thanks for joining me to keep sharing the story!
In the Press
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