My visit to the Mendez Tribute Monument Park
The Landmark Case finally has a landmark! To commemorate the 75th anniversary of Mendez, et al. v Westminster, et al. that led to the desegregation of California public schools in 1947, the City of Westminster dedicated the Mendez Tribute Monument Park on December 1, 2022. Due to the leadership, perseverance and vision of Sergio Contreras, former City of Westminster City Council Member, the Mendez Tribute Monument Park is now a reality! I’ve been on a committee for this park for about 5 years and the long awaited day finally came! Along with City of Westminster leaders, county representatives, students performing from the local school, and hundreds of community members, they opened this landmark and educational park for all!
The centerpiece monuments include 2 students eagerly heading toward school and one of Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez, lead plaintiffs for the case. It was a precious moment when Sylvia Mendez with her siblings Sandra and Philip watched as they unveiled the statues of their parents. The sculptures are the work of noted sculptor Ignacio Gomez whose work is also featured in the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Interpretative educational stations line the walkway telling the history of Mendez v. Westminster, starting with the Mendez moving to the Munemitsu farm during WWII and then finding out that the schools in Westminster were segregated! The stations include QR codes for more details and augmented reality visuals, photographs, and audio narrations. There is even a virtual scavenger hunt embedded in the park for kids of all ages! “It is the only public park that we know of that provides augmented reality technology, free of charge to its visitors.” said Asst. City Manager Adolfo Ozaeta, who led much of the effort for obtaining California state grant funds and managing the building of this park.
I loved this grand opening! In addition to celebrating with Sylvia and her family, I got to meet Ignacio Gomez, a native Angeleno and graphic artist turned sculptor for many significant Latino monuments in California. When I asked him how he began sculpting, he said that over 20 years ago, he entered a competition with a sketch for a statue and didn’t tell them he had never sculpted before. He won the competition and then had to figure out how to create the sculpture!
The day was cold and blustery for Orange County, but so many warm hearts filled the park! I invited Pam Keller, a teacher at Orangethorpe Elementary School, and she was able to bring her students to this momentous occasion. One of her sweet students made a card for Sylvia and when she spotted Sylvia and she yelled, “There she is! Sylvia is here!” She was thrilled to meet Sylvia in person, already knowing the story of the journey to school desegregation.
It was wonderful to see people of all backgrounds and races celebrating this day together. The City of Westminster did a wonderful job orchestrating the program that day, the first of many days that people will come to learn about this history that has impacted every California public school student since 1947!
I get asked often, “Is the farm still there?” and about the locations of the Seventeenth Street School and Hoover School. These locations are all within a 2 mile area of the monument park, and while the original land and buildings have been developed, what remains is the location and the history of the area. I’ve created a map of the area and it can be downloaded on my website for free.
Go take a look at history with your family and friends! And if you look closely at the interpretive panels, you might just spot me!
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