Press Releases

“I want to acknowledge the Méndez, Estrada, Guzman, Palomino, and Ramirez families, whose courage and sacrifice helped change the course of American history,” said Rep. Gomez. 

 

“Today, we gathered to honor families whose bravery transformed our nation. For too long, their story was overlooked in our history books, even though their fight helped lay the foundation for one of the most important civil rights victories in American history.” 

 

“That is why I was proud to lead the legislation in Congress to rename this courthouse in honor of Felicitas and Gonzalo Méndez.” 

 

The Méndez family fought alongside the Ramirez, Estrada, Guzman, and Palomino families in the landmark 1947 federal court case Méndez v. Westminster that led to the end of segregation in California schools. This case laid the groundwork for Brown v. Board of Education, which desegregated schools nationwide. 

 

Gomez introduced legislation that was included in the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 which was signed into law by President Biden, making the Felicitas and Gonzalo Méndez U.S. Courthouse the first federal courthouse in history named after a Latina. 

 

As a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the son of Mexican immigrants, the courthouse naming is personal to Gomez. “Today is a recognition of people being at the center of changing our laws and the course of our nation’s history. When Felicitas and Gonzalo Méndez and four other courageous families challenged segregation in California schools more than seven decades ago, they not only stood up for their own children, but for me, my three-year-old son, and generations of students of color,” said Rep. Gomez