On March 2, 1945, a group of parents led by Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez, filed a class action lawsuit in federal court, charging that segregation in Orange County, California’s public schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Supported in this legal effort by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the parents prevailed when Judge Paul J. MacCormick ruled in their favor.

Every year on March 2, the birthday of children's author Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss), the National Education Association celebrates Read Across America Day.