Sylvia Mendez and the Struggle for Mexican American Civil Rights
What inspired me is that my parents fought for me when I was very young. . . . They wanted me to know that I was an individual . . . that we're all individuals, that we're all human beings and that we're all connected together and that we all have the same rights; the same freedom.
–Sylvia Mendez, February 16, 2011
Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez moved to Orange County, California, with their children Sylvia, Gonzalo Jr., and Jerome in 1944. When they tried to enroll in the majority-white school near their home, they were instead sent to a segregated school for Hispanic students. The Mendez family filed a lawsuit, arguing that segregating children based on ethnicity was a violation of the 14th Amendment. Judge Paul McCormick ruled in favor of the Mendez family in 1946, and a year later Governor Earl Warren signed a law ending school segregation in California. For students of color outside of California, school segregation would continue until the landmark decision Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954. By that time, Earl Warren was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and wrote the unanimous decision declaring that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”
Years before the landmark desegregation decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, federal Judge Paul J. McCormick barred the Westminster School District from segregating students on the basis of ethnicity.
Judgment and Injunction, Gonzalo Mendez et al v. Westminster School District of Orange County et al, March 2, 1945. Records of District Courts of the United States, National Archives at Riverside
Years before the landmark desegregation decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, federal Judge Paul J. McCormick barred the Westminster School District from segregating students on the basis of ethnicity.
Judgment and Injunction, Gonzalo Mendez et al v. Westminster School District of Orange County et al, March 2, 1945. Records of District Courts of the United States, National Archives at Riverside
For Sylvia Mendez, the fight for rights didn’t end with the Westminster School District—it would become a lifelong cause. Sylvia continues to advocate for civil rights today, sharing her family’s story and encouraging others to take advantage of educational opportunities. President Barack Obama awarded her the 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom for her role in the struggle for Mexican American civil rights.
Additional Resources:
- DocsTeach: Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient: Sylvia Mendez
- DocsTeach: Mendez v. Westminster: One Student's Research Journey into a Barrier-Breaking Case
- Barack Obama Presidential Library: 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom Ceremony