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Seventy-four year old Fullerton resident Sylvia Mendez received the highest civilian honor in the nation yesterday when Barack Obama bestowed upon her the President Medal of Freedom placing it over her shoulders. She was in the company of other recipients including Maya Angelou and Bill Russell. (Somehow George H.W. Bush got a medal too) A historical figure in Orange County’s history of desegregation, Mendez has spoken over the years about the legal case her parents were the lead plaintiffs in all over the country. Watch video of the presentation below:
Some further background history: On April 14th 1947, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco unanimously upheld a Ninth District Court decision in the case of Mendez, et al versus the Westminster School District of Orange County. The landmark ruling held that segregated schools in the four districts violated the 14th amendment of the constitution as California became the first state in the nation to end school segregation. The lawsuit was filed by the Mendez, Palomino, Ramirez, Guzman and Estrada families collectively and was supported by a diversity of organizations and people. Following the ninth district ruling, a young Sylvia Mendez, daughter of Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez, integrated a former “White School” after being denied enrollment as an eight year old in 1944.
The reverberations of the court ruling were felt throughout the nation as it served as an early legal precedent for Brown v. Board of Education.
Unbelievable that a suit was necessary to bring down racism so recently.
I’m more surprised that it’s taken this long for her to receive this medal! Same for Maya Angelou. Better late than never though.
Not that shocking, really.
OK…I think by now we have all heard the Mendez family tales of woe. We named a school after them, and now they get a prize from President Obama. Can we give it a rest now Sylvia? Here it is 2011, and for all of your hard work, and dumbing down of the Santa Ana schools, we now have schools once again schools that are nearly 100% Mexican! Where is the progress? I’m so happy that my 3 Mexican American kids are getting a 3rd rate education here in Santa Ana while you parade around getting awards. Enough of the self congradulations and let’s figure out how to pull this school district out of the sewer.
Ya Basta: Sylvia and her parents have done their part for their time. It’s up to the new generation to get crackin’ on de facto segregation in the schools while pushing for relevant forms of pedagogy – including teaching the history of Mendez, et al v. Westminster in the schools. When the youth is taught about it, and if they develop critical thinking skills, the next question is: what about now?
Funny thing, in terms of education and reform, the President putting the medal around her neck ain’t the bidness! Nor is his Sec. of Education Arne Duncan. RTTT is whack.