The Kindness of Color follows two immigrant families facing separate battles with racism in WWII-era Southern California. Unexpectedly, their paths intertwine, ultimately paving the way for the landmark court case Mendez, et. al v. Westminster and the desegregation of California public schools seven years before Brown v. Board of Education. In the face of tremendous discrimination, the Mendez and Munemitsu families are sustained by the simple yet harrowing acts of kindness extended to them by friends and strangers as they navigate their difficult journeys toward justice.
"Joel Springs history of school policies imposed on dominated groups in the United States examines the concept of deculturalization-the use of schools to strip away family languages and cultures and replace them with those of the dominant group. The focus is on the education of dominated groups forced to become citizens in territories conquered by the U.S., including Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, Latino Americans, and Hawaiians."
"Drawing on in-depth interviews, this text examines how Asian American teachers in the US have adapted, persisted, and resisted racial stereotyping and systematic marginalization throughout their educational and professional pathways. Utilizing critical perspectives combined with tenets of Asian Critical Race Theory, Kim and Hsieh structure their findings through chapters focused on issues relating to (anti-)essentialism, intersectionality, and the broader social and historical positioning of Asians in the US."