Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez of California is set to introduce legislation Wednesday, aimed at renaming his district's courthouse as the Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez U.S. Courthouse in tribute to a Latino family's contribution to school desegregation.
In 1947, Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez, a Mexican-American couple, initiated a legal lawsuit in the vicinity of the present courthouse that ultimately brought an end to school segregation in California. Their landmark lawsuit would later serve as a blueprint for the historic Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954, which declared public school segregation unconstitutional.
"When Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez and four other courageous families challenged segregation in California schools 77 years ago, they not only stood up for their own children — they took a stand for the civil rights of students of color everywhere and left a legacy," Gomez told NBC News on Tuesday.
He stated that it would also be the first time a federal courthouse is named after a Latina.
Sylvia Mendez, the daughter of Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez, became the first Mexican-American to go to an all-white school in California in 1947. The now 87-year-old played an instrumental role in the Mendez v. Westminster School District of Orange County case after she was denied enrollment at her local school in Westminster. This led her parents and four other families to sue the school district for segregation.
In 1946, the Mendez family won in federal court, with Judge Paul J. McCormick emphasizing the fundamental importance of social equality within the American public education system. He stressed that access to education must be inclusive and open to all children, irrespective of their lineage. However, the decision was appealed by the school district.
The family secured another victory in 1947. Just two months following this appeal, then-California Governor Earl Warren signed legislation to officially end desegregation in public schools.
"It is an immense honor that Congressman Jimmy Gomez is working to memorialize the work of my parents, and all the families involved in this case, by naming the Los Angeles US courthouse the Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez US Courthouse," Sylvia Mendez said in a statement released Tuesday.
"My parents and the four other families in this case refused to give up on their vision for a more equal society for their children, where the color of someone's skin doesn't determine their access to education," she added.
Gomez stated that the Mendez family's battle should be recognized as "a powerful symbol of the enduring Latino American legacy and our nation's broader struggle for equality."
He noted that the legislation has garnered support from members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, along with prominent Latino civil rights advocates, including UnidosUS President Janet Murguía and Thomas Saenz, the President and General Counsel at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF).
"This Hispanic Heritage Month, I am making sure Latino stories are enshrined in American civil rights history," Gomez added.
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