THE PALOMINO Family (Tribune photo).
By Amberly Nguyen
Orange County Tribune
A proposal to rename Rosita Elementary School in Santa Ana in honor of Frank and Irene Palomino – civil rights pioneers – was discussed at Tuesday’s meeting of the Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Education.
The GGUSD held a public hearing on the idea. In 1947 the Palominos went to court to challenge the Westminster School District’s practice of sending Mexican school children to a school separate from the white pupils.
That challenge was successful in the courts and it not only led to an end to racial segregation in California public schools, but the case –Mendez v. Westminster School District – served as a precedent in the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision which banned segregation in public schools across the nation.
“Following the landmark victory of this case, its significance faded,” said Veronica Palomino. “Its significance faded, and for decades our grandparents’ contributions were forgotten.”
Rosita Park and the school were named after Rosita Street. The likely new name would be Frank and Irene Palomino Elementary School.
The Santa Ana City Council has endorsed the name change, and renaming the park as well. Although in Santa Ana, the school is within the boundaries of the GGUSD.
A decision on the proposed change is considered likely to be made later this summer.