Westminster Breaks Ground On Park Commemorating Mendez Case That Ended School Segregation In California
#Segregation #OrangeCounty #ThecaseofMendezvsWestminster WESTMINSTER (CBSLA) — A new park in Westminster will commemorate Mendez vs. Westminster School District, a landmark court case that helped paved the way for desegregation in California’s public schools. The city of Westminster and the Orange County Department of Education held a virtual groundbreaking on the Mendez Tribute Monument Park, which will be at Westminster Boulevard and Olive Street. “The case of Mendez vs. Westminster impacted us all. Yet most residents have never heard about it,” Westminster City Councilman Sergio Contreras said in the virtual groundbreaking video. “This historic court decision paved the way for later rulings that would end school segregation once and for all in our nation. By building these statues and park, we hope to further solidify Westminster’s civil rights history in the minds of residents and visitors alike.” In 1946, 9-year-old Sylvia Mendez was turned away from a school that was “whites onl