“Year 3 and more to come!”
As I placed another order of “The Kindness of Color” with printers last month, I began to reminisce about this unexpected journey as an author. I never set out to be an author. Dr. Jeff Hittenberger and Dr. Al Mijares, both former leaders at the Orange County Department of Education, saw what I did not. They both saw the significance of this history, history that had been told verbally, but not fully written.
At their consistent urging, I started writing, story after story, in July 2019. I went over to Sylvia Mendez’ home one hot Sunday summer afternoon to get more details in the familiar stories she shared. I began to piece the stories and details together, researching to fill the gaps in this history. I found the history of our families fascinating, but wasn’t sure this was a book at all. I asked Sylvia if she would write the Foreword to the book, just in case it was a book. She said “yes!” and then I felt somewhat committed to proceed.
During that same summer, I was having appetizers with a cousin on my mom’s side of the family and sharing the stories that I had uncovered to date. Suddenly, a woman at the table next to us turned around and with such excitement said, “you should write a book! This history should be a book!” She was listening from the next table over. I found out she was a published author, Dolley Carlson, author of “The Red Coat.”
Another divine appointment was a totally unplanned meeting at an outdoor retreat I attended during the pandemic. Bob Goff, the founder of the retreat center asked me, “What are you up to?” When I told him, he said, “Send me your draft, I want to read it!” I was hesitant as Bob is a New York Best Selling Author of his 3 books, but on Monday after meeting him, he emailed and said, “don’t forget to send me your draft.” So I sent my unedited draft and the next day he wrote back, “This is a book!”
I couldn’t deny these encouragements and proceeded. I also realized my only barrier to moving forward was…me! My excuse of “I don’t know how” to write a book, publish a book, design a book cover, and distribute a book was all that was stopping me from pressing on. But step by step, when I needed the help, I was again divinely introduced to people who had the skills I needed to hire! What a gift they have been! Their collaboration was just another extension of our story, people coming alongside people when there was a need. It was clear I was experiencing the book’s theme of collaboration and kindness in real life.
September 29, 2021: Taking one of the first copies to Sylvia. She posted this photo on her Facebook account and my book was “launched!”
I remember going to take Sylvia one of the first copies I received from the printer. We took a photo and she posted it on her Facebook and my book was launched! I had no plan to market the book, but that one post to her 5,000 followers ended up being the best ever. My book has been fueled by “word of mouth” recommendations, the best marketing ever by readers like you! Thank YOU!
What Drs. Mijares and Hittenberger saw in this story continues to draw readers, and they tell their family and friends about it. This story is not just Mexican American history or Japanese American history, but an up-lifting multicultural story of what we can do together in the midst of adversity, whether it be school segregation or wide-spread racial incarceration. I could never make up this story! The kindness of many - White, Mexican, Japanese, Jewish, Black, Native American - became a collaborative movement that individually nurtured hope and eventually overcame adversity, first individually and then a force that desegregated California schools, first in the nation in 1947..
The “word of mouth” movement of my book extended to numerous speaking opportunities, most notably, as an ongoing speaker in the “Tools for Tolerance” program at the Museum of Tolerance (MOT), Century City for their educator and law enforcement program. MOT was one of the early supporters of this story as they dedicated a 35 foot exhibit wall to the Mendez, et al story for nearly 15 years now. Speaking to classrooms of students, educators, community leaders, and law enforcement and seeing how this history inspires them in their own communities has been such a gift!
Now, I celebrate that California AB#1805 was passed by the California legislature and signed by Gov. Newsom, September 2024. This bill requires Mendez, et al v. Westminster, et al. be included in the state’s history and social science curriculum standards as mandatory school curriculum. Starting on Jan. 1, 2025, the law directs a state commission to consider adopting new instructional materials on the landmark case to be taught in classes.
With gratitude to these two O.C. lawmakers, Assemblyman Tri Ta (R-Westminster) and former Mayor of Westminster, and state Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) who co-authored AB#1805. Both have been true advocates of this history for years. What a great show of bi-partisan collaboration to get this bill passed. The story’s theme of collaboration continues in them!
This bill covers K-12 as appropriate. In addition to “The Kindness of Color,” the children's picture book, “Separate is Never Equal” by Duncan Tonatiuh is beautifully illustrated for younger children. For students up to 2nd/3rd grades, "Sylvia and Aki” by Winifred Conkling is a very popular book featuring Sylvia and one of my aunts in a fictional story based on facts.
I could not be more thrilled that the Santa Ana Unified School District will be including "The Kindness of Color” in their Spring 2025 11th grade curriculum! I was shocked when they first called, but the reality of an order for 800 books for their classrooms made me realize that there is so much more for this history! Three years ago, I could never have imagined that this history would be shared in classroom curriculums. I’m so excited that this story will be shared so broadly and continue to cultivate more collaboration and kindness among us! This is also my biggest book order ever!
Thank you readers and supporters! Thank you for your kindness in telling others about it and helping me to cultivate kindness!
“Kindness is…collaboration and building trusted friendships.” pg. 63
“Kindness is…collaborating together for a win-win solution.” pg. 129
In the Press
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn as we cultivate kindness together