Monday, September 08, 2025

Celebrating - Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez and their daughter Sylvia

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, I am celebrating Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez, who changed California and set a legal precedent ending De Jure Segregation in the United States(1). In 1946, they tried to enroll their children in the majority white school near their home, and their kids were sent to a segregated school for Hispanic students. They filed a lawsuit, arguing that segregating children based on ethnicity was a violation of the 14th Amendment. They won their case and the appeal.  Governor Earl Warren then moved to desegregate all public schools and other public spaces. (1, 2)

Their daughter, Sylvia Mendez, received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2010 for her role in the struggle for Mexican-American Civil Rights

1. Felicitas Méndez - Wikipedia

2. Sylvia Mendez and the Struggle for Mexican American Civil Rights | National Archives Museum