Patriotism together

Sandra Robbie has been touring the country since 2002 screening her documentary “Mendez vs. Westminster” about the 1947 federal court decision that ended segregation in California classrooms.

Robbie recently bought a ’67 Volkswagen van, painted it orange and inaugurated her “Magical History Tour” to educate the public about the Mendez case and it’s historical significance. She’s timed the event to coincide with the release of a U.S. Postal Service commemorative stamp celebrating the ruling’s 60th anniversary.

Next Wednesday, Robbie and Sylvia Mendez, the grown-up subject of Robbie’s historical film, will be cruising in the van together in the 103rd annual Huntington Beach Fourth of July parade, along with 200 other entrants.

“Nothing says peace and love like the bus,” said Robbie, who called the Volkswagen “a great ambassador of the Mendez history.”

The bus will also be on display on Main Street after the parade, giving the public a chance to meet the Emmy Award-winning producer and talk to Mendez who, as an 8-year-old in the Westminster school district in 1944, was denied enrollment in a “whites only” school.

The four-day festival includes not only the parade but also the Pier Plaza Fun Expo, a Main Street home-decorating contest, a pancake breakfast at Lake Park, the Surf City 5K Run and Fitness Expo, and of course, Zambelli’s fireworks display over the ocean at the pier.

Robbie, a former Huntington Beach resident who remembers watching the city’s annual parade in her 20s, almost missed her first chance to ride in the parade. The city initially rejected her Volkswagen entry, saying it didn’t comply with “parade standards.”

What seemed headed for controversy was resolved quickly. All Robbie needed to do was add “some red, white and blue” and a little projected music, she said.

“The celebration of the American spirit is exactly what Mendez is about,” Robbie said, in reference to her film and her parade ride.

Call (714) 374-1535 for more information about the parade. To view the Mendez vs. Westminster commemorative stamp, go to www.uspostalservice.