Separate Is Never Equal
by Duncan Tonatiuh
This powerful non-fiction picture book tells the true story of Sylvia Mendez and her family's fight against school segregation in 1940s California. When Sylvia and her brothers are denied enrollment at an all-white school despite being American citizens, her parents take legal action that leads to the landmark Mendez v. Westminster case. The book highlights Mexican-American civil rights history and showcases how one family's courage helped pave the way for educational equality, predating Brown v. Board of Education by several years.
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