Reclaiming Our Regional History: An Intergenerational Plática with Student, Parent, and Teacher Activist in Williams v. California

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

For the 2026 Regional Spotlight Session, we propose an intergenerational plática comprised of students, parents, and teachers from the L.A. area involved in the historic Williams v. California class action lawsuit filed in 2000. Their resolve to take action led to the Williams Settlement, achieved in 2004. The settlement compelled the state to acknowledge its constitutional obligation to provide equal educational opportunities to all students. It also led to new regulations and oversight measures that were codified into state law and an allocation of nearly $1 billion to address dilapidated conditions at school campuses. Importantly, the “Williams Complaint Procedure” was adopted statewide, a critical accountability tool that empowers any member of the public to report school-level violations related to Williams regulations (CDE, 2024).

Although Williams is part of state law, not much is known about the historical actors involved in the case, many of whom are members of our local communities. Indeed, most of the literature about Williams focuses on the legal rationale of the case (Koski & Weis, 2004; Mintrop, 2004; Oakes, 2004; Ortiz, 2004; Powers, 2004; Russell et al., 2004; Timar, 2004). When scholarship has attempted to center students, it often highlights the inequitable conditions experienced by students, such as English learners (Rumberger & Gándara, 2004) and poor and working-class youth (Fine et al., 2004). While these accounts were important to substantiate the impacts these schooling conditions had on access and achievement, they reduced plaintiffs to passive victims rather than empowered activists. This proposed session changes that narrative and illuminates the ways Communities of Color exercised their voices and leveraged the legal system to fight structural inequalities within and beyond their schools.

Sub Unit

• Spotlight on Los Angeles and the Region

Chair

• Anna M. Ortiz, California State University - Long Beach

Participant

• Lluliana Alonso, California State University - Long Beach

Discussant

• Daniel Gilbert Solorzano, University of California - Los Angeles