Sylvia Mendez - A Voice for Equality

As a young girl, Sylvia Mendez played a pivotal role in school desegregation.

Sylvia Mendez was only eight years old when she became the center of a landmark civil rights case. Born on June 7, 1936, in Santa Ana, California, Sylvia was the daughter of Gonzalo Mendez, an immigrant from Mexico, and Felicitas Mendez, who was born in Puerto Rico. In 1944, her family moved to Westminster, California, to work on a farm they rented from a Japanese American family who had been sent to an internment camp during World War II.

At that time, schools in California were segregated. In Westminster, there were only two elementary schools. Seventeenth Street Elementary was a “Whites-only” school, while Hoover Elementary was designated for Mexican American children. Hoover was small, made up of only two rooms, and offered very limited instruction. Girls were taught sewing and home economics, while boys learned simple vocational skills. The message was clear, Mexican American students were not expected to achieve at the same level as their white peers.

In 1944, Sylvia’s aunt took her, her brothers, and her cousins to enroll at Seventeenth Street Elementary. Sylvia’s cousins, who had lighter skin and a non-Hispanic last name, were allowed to enroll. However, Sylvia and her brothers were turned away because of their darker skin and Mexican last name. Outraged, Sylvia’s aunt refused to enroll her own children if her nieces and nephews were denied.

Sylvia’s parents tried again to enroll their children at Seventeenth Street Elementary, but the school refused. Gonzalo Mendez appealed to both the school principal and the Orange County school board, but they would not change their decision. Faced with no other choice, Gonzalo and Felicitas decided to fight back in court.

In 1945, Gonzalo hired civil rights lawyer David Marcus, who filed a lawsuit against four Orange County school districts, including Westminster. Four other Mexican American families joined the case. Together, they represented about 5,000 Hispanic children who were forced to attend segregated schools. The case became known as Mendez v. Westminster.

David Marcus argued that school segregation violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. He explained that separating children by ethnicity made them feel inferior, hurt their ability to learn English, and denied them the same opportunities as white students. The defense argued that Mexican American children needed separate schools because they were “deficient” in English and required special instruction.

On February 18, 1946, Judge Paul McCormick ruled in favor of the Mendez family and the other plaintiffs. He stated that “a paramount requisite in the American system of public education is social equality” and declared that public schools must be open to all children regardless of their background. This decision was groundbreaking. Although the school districts tried to appeal, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ruling.

In 1947, California Governor Earl Warren signed a law ending school segregation in California, making it the first state to officially desegregate its schools. This was seven years before the U.S. Supreme Court’s famous Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954, which declared school segregation unconstitutional nationwide. By then, Earl Warren was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and he wrote the unanimous opinion that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”

For Sylvia, the ruling meant she could finally attend Seventeenth Street Elementary. She became one of the first Hispanic students at an all-white school in California. But her story didn’t end there. Sylvia grew up to become a nurse, working in the profession for 30 years. After retiring, she dedicated her life to sharing her family’s story and educating others about the importance of fighting for equal rights.

In 2010, President Barack Obama awarded Sylvia Mendez the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the nation’s highest honors, for her role in the civil rights movement. She continues to advocate for justice and equality, reminding students everywhere that education is a right that must be protected.

Sylvia Mendez’s courage, and the determination of her family, helped open doors for generations of children. Their case not only changed California but also laid the foundation for ending segregation across the entire United States.

References:
“Sylvia Mendez and the Struggle for Mexican American Civil Rights.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, visit.archives.gov/whats-on/explore-exhibits/sylvia-mendez-and-struggle-mexican-american-civil-rights.
“Sylvia Mendez.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/biography/Sylvia-Mendez.

Keywords:
Civil Rights, Justice, Courage, Perseverance, Freedom, Responsibility, Challenge Injustices, Make a Difference

Image Citation:
Public Domain

Explore ARTEFFECT projects about this Unsung Hero:
Sylvoa Mendez Artworks