Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, amid Hispanic Heritage Month, U.S. Rep. Jimmy Gomez (CA-34) introduced legislation to name the Los Angeles U.S. Courthouse after Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez, American civil rights icons whose activism, along with four other families, culminated in the landmark 1946 case that led to the end of segregation in California schools and paved the way for Brown v. Board of Education. Gomez announced the bill at a press conference today alongside the Mendez’s daughter, Sylvia Mendez, who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her civil rights activism and whose education was the subject of the historic court case.

VIDEO HERE  

PHOTOS HERE

Gomez’s bill would be a historic first, as the Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez United States Courthouse would be the first federal courthouse named after a Latina, out of over 200 named federal courthouses in the U.S. The courthouse sits just blocks from where the historic Mendez case was originally decided.

A two-pager on the Mendez family and Rep. Gomez’s legislation can be found HERE.

“This Hispanic Heritage Month, I am making sure Latino stories are enshrined in American civil rights history by introducing legislation to name the Los Angeles federal courthouse located in my district—just blocks away from where Mendez v. Westminster was decided—after the Mendez family. 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 that led to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling,” said Gomez. “The Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez U.S. Courthouse will be a powerful symbol of the enduring Latino American legacy and our nation’s broader struggle for equality.”

“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 U.S. courthouse the Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez U.S. Courthouse,” said Sylvia Mendez. “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. I am eager to see Rep. Gomez’s bill move forward to preserve this important piece of Hispanic history.”

“The Los Angeles federal courthouse would be the first in the country named after a Latina, and by carrying the names of the Mendez family would serve as marker for Latino civil and equal rights history in our city and the United States,” said Rep. Nanette Barragán, Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. “Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez, along with four other heroic families, are Latino heroes. Their courage ultimately broke down the segregation policies of schools in California and in doing so, helped spark the movement for a more equal and just American education system for all students of color.  Their story of justice is an American story, an immigrant story, and a story of perseverance and pride and I applaud Congressman Jimmy Gomez’s efforts to memorialize this moment in history.”

“The story of Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez is the story of two parents who fought for their children – and in doing so, changed the world,” said Rep. Joaquin Castro. “All Americans deserve to know how the Mendez family laid the groundwork for millions of children to get a better education. As we push for greater Latino representation in the telling of American history and across American society, I’m proud to support Congressman Gomez in this historic effort.”

"It is a privilege to join Congressman Gomez in this effort to name the federal courthouse in his district in honor of Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez," said Janet Murguía, President and CEO of UnidosUS. "The Mendez family played a critical role in the end of segregation in our schools, the advancement of civil rights and in our shared American history. By naming the courthouse in their honor, the lasting and historic impacts of Mendez v. Westminster case are permanently and publicly commemorated to inspire Angelenos and all Americans for generations to come." 

“MALDEF supports Rep. Jimmy Gomez’s introduction of legislation to rename the Los Angeles U.S. Courthouse in honor of the Mendez family and in recognition of the important significance of the Mendez v. Westminster School District case in the fight to end school segregation,” said Andrea Senteno, Regional Counsel of MALDEF’s (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) Washington, DC office. “The Mendez case is an important, but often overlooked, piece of civil rights history, and the renaming of the U.S. Courthouse is a fitting way to acknowledge the history of discrimination against Mexican Americans and Latinos in the U.S. and to educate the public about the significant contribution the Mendez family made in the fight for educational equality for everyone in the U.S.”

The following organizations signed a letter in support of Rep. Gomez’s legislation to memorialize the Mendez Family:

Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS)

Esperanza United (formerly Casa de Esperanza: National Latin@ Network)

GreenLatinos

Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) 

Hispanic Federation

Hispanic National Bar Association

IDRA

Labor Council for Latin American Advancement

LatinoJustice PRLDEF

Latinos for Education

League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)

MANA, A National Latina Organization

Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)

Migrant Legal Action Program

National Hispanic Media Coalition

National Hispanic Medical Association

National Latinx Psychological Association

National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association

SER National

The National HEP/CAMP Association

UnidosUS

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