Breaking down the walls of segregation : Mexican American grassroots politics and civil rights in Orange County, California /

On March 2, 1945, five Mexican American families & their Jewish American lawyer filed a class-action lawsuit against four school districts in Orange County, California, to end the segregation of ethnic Mexican children. In a shocking decision, the court ruled in favour of plaintiffs, setting a l...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Gonzales, David-James (Author)
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2025]
Subjects:
Online Access:Connect to the full text of this electronic book
Description
Summary:On March 2, 1945, five Mexican American families & their Jewish American lawyer filed a class-action lawsuit against four school districts in Orange County, California, to end the segregation of ethnic Mexican children. In a shocking decision, the court ruled in favour of plaintiffs, setting a legal & historical precedent in Mendez, et al. v. Westminster School District of Orange County that shook the foundations of Jim Crow America & led to the end of de jure school segregation across the nation. 'Breaking Down the Walls of Segregation' tells the story of how ethnic Mexicans in a relatively unknown agricultural backwater built the unprecedented movement that led to this decision. Beginning in the 1880s, David-James Gonzales details the social & economic history of Orange County, explaining how citrus capitalists, seeking increased market share & profitability, established the walls of segregation to manage ethnic Mexican family labour.
Physical Description:1 online resource
Audience:Specialized.
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:9780197839485
0197839487