Mendez Tribute Monument & Trail
Acknowledging the past. Celebrating the future.
Commemorating the Landmark Mendez v. Westminster Case of 1946.
Several years before Brown v. Board of Education, the 1946 court case Mendez v. Westminster School District had a revolutionary impact on Southern California and ultimately paved the way for civil rights legislation nationwide.
While Orange County is not widely recognized as a seat of the civil rights movement, all Americans are indebted to the actions of Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez, and four other families, who challenged segregation in local schools by suing to end educational segregation in Orange County.
It is time to honor this groundbreaking court ruling and historic event.
The City of Westminster is currently developing a Mendez Tribute bike path that will run for 2.5 miles along Hoover Street. Nearby, on the very site of the school where the Mendez children were originally assigned, an inspiring commemorative statue will be constructed.
The Mendez Tribute Monument and Trail will be a celebration of this momentous achievement for all to enjoy. The Monument and surrounding landscaped area will serve as a gathering place for all ages and backgrounds to come together in remembrance of this historical event, reminding us all that the future is what you make it, and to reflect on just how far we’ve come.
