Mayor Snow presented proclamation to Roberto Alvarez, son of plaintiff in landmark legal case
By Karen Pearlman
Photo: mural artist Mario Chacon, by Christina Alvarez
April 1, 2025 (Lemon Grove) – Mario Chacon stood near the mural he painted three years ago with two assistants in Lemon Grove, and paused to give some thought on what the artwork represents.
The mural on the side of the building at 7963 Broadway depicts the story of one of the first historic successful public school desegregation cases in the United States.
“It was remarkable to me that here in one generation they tried to deny access to education, to a whole generation of children,” Chacon said. “And then one generation later, the son of the litigant is now a professor at UC San Diego.”
Twenty-three years before the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case changed the trajectory of educational facilities and ended state-sponsored segregation, Mexican-American parents challenged the Lemon Grove School District’s attempt to segregate their children.
Called “Roberto Alvarez v. the Board of Trustees of the Lemon Grove School District,” the case is also referred to The Lemon Grove Incident.
Chacon’s artwork shows the grammar school at the center of the fight, and someone sending children to another school. Another part of the mural shares the names of all the schoolchildren who were involved in the case. There are depictions of newspapers telling the stories of the day, women in a packing house and a banner depicting the first farmworkers union.
There’s also a courtroom scene showing a student at a witness stand.
Chacon shared his thoughts on Sunday, March 30, where a crowd of nearly 100 people showed up at the site of the mural to celebrate the 94th anniversary of the event.
“I learned about the case many, many years ago when I was in college,” Chacon said. “It’s always been in the back of my mind this this this thing is practically forgotten, but so important.”
Lemon Grove Mayor Alysson Snow presented a proclamation to Alvarez’s son, Roberto Alvarez Jr., who is a researcher and director of the Center for Global California Studies at UC San Diego.
Alvarez Jr. shared the story of the litigation and spoke to the crowd about how other school desegregation cases came before (and have come since) The Lemon Grove Incident. He said he was proud of the legacy of his father, their classmates and the adults who spoke on their behalf and mentioned the principal at the time Jerome Green, who was eventually let go.
He said the name of every child who was involved in the legal case.
“They had that courage to stand up and fight back during a very, very vicious and violent period of time,” Alvarez said.
Photo, right by Karen Pearlman: Roberto Alvarez, son of the original plaintiff in the case ending segregation in the Lemon Grove School District, speaks to a crowd March 30 in front of artist Mario Chacon’s mural.
Roberto Alvarez Jr.’s father was in fifth grade at Lemon Grove Grammar School when he became the face of and the lead representative of the landmark case.
The senior Alvarez went on in 1950 to found Coast Citrus Distributors, a San Diego-headquartered wholesale fruit and vegetable business still operating in California, Texas, Florida and five locations in Mexico.
Grace Communion Lemon Grove church opens meeting space at mural site
Grace Communion Lemon Grove, a local church, hosted the event at its new home at the venue where Chacon’s mural is located.
Called “The Neighborhood,” GC Lemon Grove’s venue has meeting space and will host local events including book clubs, workshops, paining events, trivia and board game nights and more, seeking to help neighbors connect with neighbors.
Plans show the space will open later this summer.
GC Lemon Grove Pastor Anne Stapleton shared some thoughts about Alvarez and also plans for the site where the mural is located.
She mentioned how “The Neighborhood” was exactly the right name for the spot. Parents of the students who were involved in the court case in 1931 formed Comite de Vecinos de Lemon Grove – or the Lemon Grove Neighbors Committee.
“We are going to carry on the tradition of being in the neighborhood, and we are going to see that all people are equal and we stand up for people who don’t have a voice,” Stapleton said. “That’s what we’re all about.”
Photo, left by Karen Pearlman: Pastors Mark and Anne Stapleton of Grace Communion Lemon Grove, on the site where a mural depicts the Lemon Grove Incident, speak to those gathered March 30 to celebrate the landmark legal decision that ended school segregation in Lemon Grove.
Stapleton asked anyone who was in attendance who is related to anyone painted on the mural or mentioned on the mural to stand up, and about 20 people rose. They were roundly applauded by others in attendance.