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A Class Action—Original Exhibition

motal class action exhibit photographCourtesy of Anaheim Public Library, La Palma School (ca. 1930)
The Grassroots Struggle for School Desegregation 
in California
This award-winning exhibition was installed at the Old Orange County Courthouse from September 2011 to  to June 2012. The landmark courthouse is Southern California's oldest court building, dedicated in 1901.

Background
In March 1945, five fathers in Orange County, California, brought a class-action lawsuit against four school districts on behalf of their own children and 5,000 other children that were being forced to attend segregated “Mexican schools.”

This exhibition tells the story of their landmark lawsuit, Mendez et al. v. Westminster School District et al., and reveals how community organizing and grassroots activism can produce positive change in schools and communities across the United States. Read about the case.

Exhibition highlights
The interactive exhibition, for which MOTAL was awarded an Award of Merit by the prestigious American Association for State and Local History, provides a physical space where visitors can explore the case, its origins, and how its legacy inspired others to go on to make a difference.
  • Photographs and items from all plaintiff families
  • A mock classroom for visitors to explore and ponder
  • A courtroom reproduction where guests experienced the uncertainty and hope of America’s justice system
  • Interactive elements and oral histories from people with firsthand experience of segregated schools
  • A learning center with books, newspaper articles, and other materials
  • Space for community dialogue and civic engagement
  • A rich and varied event series

Visitors included
  • Elementary school students and teachers (especially 4th graders studying California history)
  • High school students and teachers (especially 11th graders studying American history)
  • Adult learners

Learn more
  • The case
  • Partners and sponsors
  • Acknowledgements

To receive a gift copy of the film Mendez v. Westminster: Families for Equality by Erica Bennett with a small donation, contact the Fullerton College Foundation at 714-992-7790 or info@foundationfc.com.

For more information about the exhibition or how to lease the exhibition, please contact us.


<  Overview  |  The Case  >
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​All rights reserved. Disclosures.
1111 E. Commonwealth, Unit C, Fullerton, CA 92831, USA

  • Home
  • MOTAL Articles
  • Artifacts
    • Artifact of the Month
    • Artifact Group and Index
  • Exhibitions
    • Two Roads, One Journey >
      • Objectives
      • Our Audience
      • The Experience
      • Exhibition Floor Plan
      • Venues
      • Creative Team
    • Traveling Exhibitions >
      • Two Roads, One Journey
      • A Class Action >
        • Exhibition Design
        • Exhibition Layout
        • Manuscript and Photographs
        • Artifacts
        • Recordings and Documentary
        • Docent Support
        • Classroom Materials
        • Suggested Events
        • Marketing Materials
        • Venues
        • What People Are Saying
        • Acknowledgements
      • Memories of Mexican Schools Listening Station
    • Past Exhibitions >
      • A Class Action Original Exhibition >
        • The Case
        • Exhibition Committee
        • Partners and Sponsors
      • Memories of Mexican Schools
      • Horace Mann
      • Maria Montessori
    • Dream Exhibitions >
      • Brain Exhibition
      • Learning Disabilities
      • Global Classrooms
  • Podcasts
  • Events
  • Programs
    • Artifact Collection
    • Artifact Group and Index
    • Learn
    • Bookshop
    • Resources
  • Contact
  • About Us
    • About MOTAL
    • Our History
  • Donate
  • Membership
  • Volunteer
  • Board Members
  • Behind the Scenes