Watch the Archived Videos of these Events School Program CLE Program

The Mendez children and their babysitter.

Wednesday, May 2, 2007
A free program for students discussing issues of school segregation
10:00 - 11:30 am
Indiana Statehouse
Indiana Supreme Court Courtroom, Rm 317

Wednesday, May 2, 2007
A Free CLE worth 1.3 Credit Hours
Course Number: 99541
3:00 - 4:15 pm
Indiana Statehouse
Indiana Supreme Court Courtroom, Rm 317

Overview
In celebration of Law Day 2007, and in the spirit of this year’s theme, “Empowering Youth, Assuring Democracy,” the Indiana Supreme Court Legal History Series will host a free school program featuring Sandra Robbie--the Emmy Award-winning writer/producer of “Mendez v. Westminster: Para Todos Los Niños (For All the Children).”

Before there was Brown v. Board of Education, there was Mendez v. Westminster. Years before the U.S. Supreme Court decided the better-known case of Brown v. Board of Education, the Mendez family moved to Orange County, California, where their children were denied access to their local all-white public schools. The Mendez family fought the discriminatory policy of the local school authorities and won! Shortly thereafter, Governor Earl Warren ordered the end of segregation in California’s schools. Seven years later, as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Warren authored the opinion in Brown v. Board of Education that declared all separate schools inherently unequal, and in Brown II, he ordered America’s public schools to desegregate “with all deliberate speed.”

The school program, featuring Ms. Robbie, will help students understand the reasons for segregation and how students have the power to implement change in a democratic society. The event will include 2 small group activities, viewing an excerpt from the documentary and talking about how it was made, and discussion of types of segregation still in schools today.

The CLE will feature excerpts from the documentary, remarks by Ms. Robbie about her work in creating the film, and an audience discussion about the continuing efforts to provide equal educational opportunities to all school children. Indianapolis area attorney Marisol Sanchez, a co-founder and member of the ISBA Latino Affairs Committee and an associate at Bose McKinney & Evans, will facilitate the CLE session.

Sandra Robbie is a Latina resident of the same community where the Mendez children lived and went to school. Ms. Robbie has worked tirelessly to bring this story to the public’s attention. As an intern at a local PBS affiliate, Robbie researched, wrote, and produced a documentary focusing on Mendez for which she received an Emmy Award in 2002.

Get a printable flyer for the school program event

Get a printable flyer for the CLE program event

Read the announcement published in Res Gestae

Read the interview published in OC Metro

For more information or to make a reservation for either event contact:

Dr. Elizabeth R. Osborn
Assistant to the Chief Justices for Court History & Public Education
Phone: 317-232-2550
Email: eosborn@courts.state.in.us

Supporting Materials

Document	Webpage	Adobe PDF
Berkeley Women's Law Journal, 2004 -- Mendez and the Legacy of Brown: A Latino Civil Rights Lawyer's Assessment by Thomas A. Saenz
U.S. Department of Justice Press Release -- Federal Court Approves Settlement that will Release the Indianapolis School System from Court Supervision
United States of America v. Indianapolis Board of School Commissioners
Driven to educate -- O.C. woman to take her message about the Mendez v. Westminster case on the road
Children's book on O.C. desegregation debuts -- Co-authors examine the 1946 Mendez vs. Westminster case
Read the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court's Court's opinion: Mendez v. Westminster
PBS Documentary: Mendez v. Westminster by KOCE Television, Huntington Beach, California
Before 'Brown v. Board of Education' by National Public Radio
Mendez v. Westminster and the California Road to Brown v. Board of Education by Vicki L. Ruiz
Mendez v. Westminster encyclopedia article at Wikipedia
Mendez v. Westminster, A Look At Our Latino Heritage