NoemiS: May 2012

We have had many cases of segregation over the last 200 years. Even before the Civil War occurred slavery existed. Slavery was abolished through the thirteenth amendment in January 31^st of 1865, and ratified by the states in December 6^th of 1865. Although slavery was abolished, African Americans were not treated equal nor they were given the same rights. Plessy Vs. Ferguson in 1896 is a popular case of segregation. During this time the phrase “Separate but Equal” was very popular. The Supreme Court concluded that a Louisiana law requiring whites and blacks to ride in separate railroad cars did not violate the Equal Protection Clause. It was more about the same quantity not quality. The fourteenth amendment sates that no one could be denied equal protection of the law.” Plessy argued that "Our Constitution is color blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among its citizens." In other words, that our constitution is for us to be treated equal and does not approve of different social classes among them.

Although many reflect on the issues of segregation as a North and South problems it occurred in the West as well, where it was a place of equally discriminating policy.

Several years later another case of segregation occurred in Topeka, Kansas.

A well-known case that dealt with segregation called the “Brown vs. Board of Education in 1950. It had to do with the segregation of African American children from White children in schools. African American children were not allowed to go to white schools. The parents of the African American children did not agree with what the Whites were doing, so they contacted the NAACP. (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) which was “Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. From the ballot box to the classroom, the thousands of dedicated workers, organizers, leaders and members who make up the NAACP continue to fight for social justice for all Americans.( NAACP.Org)

They lost the first case, but did not give up. They took the case to Superior courts, and rejoiced with victory. Yet, segregation continued.

This was not the first case that was heard about desegregation. Twenty years earlier the first desegregation case took place. About 80 years have gone by since the Alvarez vs. Lemon Grove District went to court, in Southern California. In this case Mexican Immigrants and their communities were the ones who were targeted of segregation by the all-White Lemon Grove school Board. This case took place during the Great Depression Era. It was not only the first desegregation case, but a successful case.

In this paper I will explain and go into detail what was happening during the time that the case was taking place, and description of how Lemon Grove was portrayed , what the case was about, and those who were involved, nevertheless the outcome of the case.

During the 1930’s the Great Depression Era occurred, when stock markets crashed, jobs were limited and Mexican Americans were being deported back to Mexico. It affected many, but struck the Mexicans the hardest, for they feared to be deported.

Lemon Grove provided the Californios and Mexicanos jobs. For instance, jobs in agriculture, mining, and railroads. About fifty Mexican families settled to live in Lemon Grove. Some Mexicans migrated from other near by town, creating a close relationship, rather than being scattered around. They formed a community of Baja Californios in Lemon Grove. Many families had many been there for many years, some had children that were American citizens by birth. Babies that were born in American soil to immigrants were referred as “anchor babies.” Many of these families desire to come to the U.S was so that their children can receive a better education and be someone in life.

In Bakersfield a family from so many other Mexican families were deported. Which the pinas described to the USA Today, "They came in with guns and told us to get out," recalls Piña, 81, a retired railroad worker in Bakersfield, Calif., of the 1931 raid. "They didn't let us take anything," not even a trunk that held birth certificates proving that he and his five siblings were U.S.-born citizens.

The deportation of Piña's family tells an almost-forgotten story of a 1930s anti-immigrant campaign. Tens of thousands, and possibly more than 400,000, Mexicans and Mexican-Americans were pressured — through raids and job denials — to leave the USA during the Depression, according to a USA TODAY review of documents and interviews with historians and deportees. Many, mostly children, were U.S. citizens.(Koch, USA Today).

The Great Depression was horrible. The Mexicans lived day by day waiting to see if they were next in being deported and struggled harder to make ends meet.

Described by La Mesa Scout (1926) as “one of the prettiest spots in the San Diego suburban district… the hills surrounding the town are covered with fine lemon and orange groves that are producing hundreds of dollars… each year. Lemon Grove district was mainly populated by the better class people, which chose to live and call San Diego their home. However, things changed for them when little by little Mexican families started to settle in Lemon Grove. Most families immigrated into San Diego County from many near by town. (Alvarez 1)

It was January 5, 1931 was the day that Principle Jerome T. Green from Lemon Grove Grammar School took action, after being instructed from the school trustees to except all students, but not the Mexican students. The children were humiliated and put down. Jerome instructed them to leave to the barn, which would be there “new school” he told them they did not belonged there.

Of course the children where not happy with what they heard. They immediately went home and informed their parents, and told them what had happened. The parents where furious! The parents had not been informed about this, so it took them by surprise.

On July 23^rd, 1930 about six months before the barred entrance, the board had met. That was the day that they discussed the separation, of the Mexican children from the American children.

The children were embarrassed to go to “school in barn” where they were provided two teachers, used supplies, hand me down books and desks. Of course the parents did not allowed their children to go to school. Even though, during this time the national repatriation was taking place, this was to lower the number of alien Mexicans in California, the parents did not think twice about defending their children. The repatriation was when they deported Mexicans you looked like one and you would be deported, paid train and everything.

The parents were not going to let no one get over on them and their children. Most of the 75 Mexican children who attended that school were citizens. There was a total of 169 that students that attended that school. Those children had the same rights as the American children. The Mexican American joined with the immigrant parents were not going to let this happen. They would fight to established the rights of their children to equal education, despite what the majority of the population favored, segregation, and deportation of the Mexican population in the United States.

It was then when the parents of these children decided to reach out to Enrique Ferreira who had been the Mexican Consul for about ten years, for advice. With some help from him they took Lemon Grove school board to court, for they felt that segregating their children from school was unethical. Ferreira contacted attorneys, Fred C. Noon and A.C. Brinkely to act as legal consul for the Mexican American parents in Lemon Grove. The families got together and organized a Comite de Vecinos de Lemon Grove.

The parents went beyond asking for help from the Mexican Consul; they went to the speaking Spanish community, the media and other latinos to get support on what was going on. While this was happening, the all- white Lemon Grove school board was panicking, They had no idea that this would happened. Of course they thought that the parents of these children were going to accept anything, for they would be afraid to being deported.

The Lemon Grove all-white school board did not feel they were doing anything wrong. The so called new school could held about 85 desks, it had a playground, it was built on the side of their convenience, they required special attention and would receive it there. They argued that the school was built on purpose to establish an Americanization school where they would receive better instruction that they were not able to get at the larger school.

The Lemon Grove argued that the Americanization school was not intended to be a segregation of Mexican children.

Still the parents did not care about their reasons.

Robert Alvarez speaks in a documentary that he was the lead plaintiff in the 1931 lawsuit against the Lemon Grove Board of trustees. His parents were the ones who organized, and got most of the Mexican community involved. Many were scared at first, for they did not want to be deported.

The court case focused around a rebuttal of the school board's claims concerning the backwardness and deficiencies of the Mexican American children. In addition to the plaintiff representing the children at large, ten principal witnesses took the stand to illustrate the inaccurate generalizations concerning the scholastic achievements of the Mexican children. But the major questions were levied at the school board and school staff.

Judge Chambers: When there are American children who are behind (in grade level), what do you do with them?

Answer: They are kept in a lower grade.

Judge: You don't segregate them? Why not do the same with the other children?

Wouldn't the association of American and Mexican children be favorable to the learning of English for these (Mexican) children?

Silence is the answer.

Lawyer Noon: All the Mexican children were behind (in their work)?

Answer: Many of them from the Lemon Grove School counsel.

Noon: How did they behave in school?

Answer: The older ones behaved themselves; the younger ones gave us a lot of work.

Noon: What was the reason for separating them?

Answer: To provide them with more personal attention.⁴⁹

In concluding Judge Chambers stated:

"I understand that you can separate a few children, to improve their education they need special instruction; but to separate all the Mexicans in one group can only be done by infringing the laws of the State of California. And I do not blame the Mexican children because a few of them are behind (in school work) for this segregation. On the contrary, this is a fact in their favor. I believe that this separation denies the Mexican children the presence of the American children, which is so necessary to learn the English language." (Alvarez 5)

The Judge himself knew what they were doing was not with a good intension. He felt that they all had the same rights, regardless of how fast one learns. The Lemon Grove Board felt that their children were being held back because the instructors could not proceed because the Mexicans could not catch up. What the whites feared the most was their children being mixed with Mexican children, they did not want them to end up together in the future. They were afraid of the multi-cultural.

This is case that is not heard about, for they isolated it and made it a local thing. After two months, the Mexican children were able to go back to school. They were happy!

This is a case that shows if we stand next to each other to fight for our rights, it can become reality. The parents of these children were afraid, yet they fought for their childrens’ right. Many of them had been living in Lemon Grove for a very long time. I have two daughter that I would fight for no matter what! These poor children were forced to act like Americans. They were hit if they spoke Spanish. They were not allowed to act like a Mexican. The instructors were watering down their cultures. They were depriving them from their background. I feel that this case is important to many, and myself because thanks to them now we are all able to mix in schools and are all treated equally.

The Plessy V. Ferguson might have not won, but did bring a lot of attention of how wrong it was. The Brown case lost the first case, but did not give up. That shows that we as human have determination to fight for what is right. We should all be treated equally, for we are all humans.

Alvarez v. Lemon Grove District

The Lemon Grove Incident [videorecording] / KPBS-TV;

Producer, writer, Paul Espinosa; director, Frank Imprint

New York, N.Y, ; Cinema Guild, 1985

“The Lemon Grove Incident” by Paul Espinosa is a documentary which takes place in Lemon Grove, CA . The film describes in detail the Alvarez v. Lemon Grove School District case was about. The video also contains pictures of the barn that the Americans try to put Mexican kids in. The documentary states the reason why the Americans felt it was the best thing to do, and their reason why they did it. I decided to use this film as a resource because it does not only focuses on the actual case, but also has several people that lived it which share their testimony of how they felt, what they did to prevent segregation, and the role they played. I feel that this film is important because it goes beyond what one can read. One gets to feel how the Mexicans felt and one is able to relate to their pain.

Ruiz, Vicki L. "Alvarez v. Lemon Grove District ." The American Mosaic: The Latino American Experience. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 26 Apr. 2012.

“Alvarez v. Lemon Grove District,” an article written by Vicky L Ruiz describes what happened on January 5, 1931 in San Diego. Ruiz states in this article what triggers Mexican American to take Lemon Grove District to court. Despite their fear of deportation, they fought for their children rights. What I found most interesting in this article is how Ruiz describes in detail the barn and the reasons why the Americans felt that segregating the children was the best for them. I’m using this article because I like how Ruiz uses elementary language and it is easy for me to understand the article. It also contains a lot of good information that I can use for my research for paper.

Vigil, James Diego. From Indians to Chicanos: The Dynamics of Mexican-American Culture. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland, 1998. Pr.

“From Indians to Chicanos” is a book written by James Diego Vigil in 1998. This is a great book that describes in detail how Indians became Chicanos. When I first read this book, for a previous class, the chapter that grabbed my attention was Ch.8 “Aspects of Cultural Imperialism.” In this chapter it talks about the Lemon Grove Incident, and how the Americans tried to segregate their children from the Mexicans. I’m Salvadorian; however, I identify myself with the same cultural background. I decided to write about the Lemon Grove Incident and to use this book because it does not only cover the topic I’m writing about, but it also has background about what was going on at the time. Who was affected and who was target. I feel that what the Americans were trying to do was not right and I would have also one way or another made my voice heard no matter what the outcome would have been.

NoemiS

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Reflection

The Lemon Grove Incident

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Annotated Bibliography

"What doesn't kill us makes us stronger"