What did Sylvia Mendez accomplish?

At age eight, she played an instrumental role in the Mendez v. Westminster case, the landmark desegregation case of 1946. The case successfully ended de jure segregation in California and paved the way for integration and the American civil rights movement.

How many awards has Sylvia Mendez won?

Miss Mendez and her family have received numerous awards and recognitions, including a US Postage stamp commemorating the 60th anniversary of the appellate victory; two public schools are named after Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez; a Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the National Parent Teacher Association; the US ...

Did Thurgood Marshall represent Sylvia Mendez?

Thurgood Marshall represented Sylvia Mendez and Linda Brown. Marshall used some of the same arguments from Mendez to win Brown v. Board of Education.

Who was Gonzalo Mendez?

Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez, who successfully ran an agricultural business, are American civil rights activists. In 1940, the Mendez family resided in the city of Westminster where at the time the school district mandated schools in Orange County to be segregated campuses for Hispanics and Whites.

Why is Sylvia Mendez important?

At age eight, she played an instrumental role in the Mendez v. Westminster case, the landmark desegregation case of 1946. The case successfully ended de jure segregation in California and paved the way for integration and the American civil rights movement. Sylvia Mendez when she was 8 years old.

Voices of History: Sylvia Mendez

Who is Sylvia Mendez and what did her family do?

Sylvia Méndez, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, will speak about her life as an American civil rights activist. When Ms. Mendez was eight years old, her parents organized with four other Mexican-American families and filed a law suit in federal court against four Orange County school districts.

Why did Sylvia Mendez get the Medal of Freedom?

Description. President Obama presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Sylvia Mendez for her Civil Rights activism and continued impact on education.

What is Sylvia Mendez ethnicity?

Sylvia Mendez is the daughter of Gonzalo Mendez, a Mexican immigrant and Felicitas Mendez, a Puerto Rican immigrant, who fought so that Sylvia could have an equal education through the landmark court case battle of Mendez v. Westminster, et al.

Does Sylvia Mendez have any kids?

She adopted two daughters and has four grandchildren. She spends her retirement traveling abroad. She has visited all 7 continents. Sylvia enjoys spending time with her family and educating others on the Mendez v Westminster case.

When did Sylvia Mendez get the medal?

2/16/2011. Sylvia Mendez was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama on February 15, 2011. This video of Mendez was created by the Obama White House to mark the occasion and highlight Mendez's activism and role in the landmark case Mendez v. Westminster School District.

Is Sylvia Mendez hispanic?

In the mid-1940s Mendez's family successfully sued the school district to end the segregation of Hispanic children in the state. Mendez was born on June 7, 1936, in Santa Ana, California. Her father, Gonzalo, was from Mexico, and her mother, Felicitas, was from Puerto Rico.

What school did Sylvia Mendez sue?

This article is part of Entangled Inequalities: Japanese Incarceration and Mendez, et al. v. Westminster School District of Orange County, et al. In 1944, a public school in California denied entry to Sylvia, Gonzalo Jr, and Jerome Mendez based on their surname and skin color.

What happened to Sylvia Mendez in 2011?

About Mendez v. Westminster. Sylvia Mendez, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a 2011 White House ceremony, was a child when she was turned away from a California public school for "whites only." That rejection fueled her father's determined journey through school, civic, and legal channels.

What is the book about Sylvia Mendez?

Seven years before Brown v. Board of Education, the Mendez family fought to end segregation in California schools. Discover their incredible story in Separate Is Never Equal, a picture book from award-winning creator Duncan Tonatiuh.

What was Sylvia Mendez first job?

After graduating from high school, Sylvia attended Orange Coast Community College and California State University, Los Angeles, earning multiple nursing degrees and a certificate in public health. She started her career as a pediatric nurse, eventually moving to assistant nursing director.

What was Sylvia Mendez awarded in 2010?

2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient - Sylvia Mendez.

Who has refused the Medal of Freedom?

Bill Belichick, coach of the New England Patriots, was offered the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Donald Trump, and initially accepted it, but changed his mind and turned down the medal after the 2021 United States Capitol attack. Country musician Dolly Parton turned down the medal twice.

Who won the first Medal of Freedom?

The order establishing the medal also expanded the size and the responsibilities of the Distinguished Civilian Service Awards Board so it could serve as a major source of such recommendations. Marian Anderson and Ralph Bunche received the first Medals of Freedom from President John F. Kennedy on July 4, 1963.

What is the history of the Westminster school?

Westminster's origins can be traced to a charity school established by the Benedictine monks of Westminster Abbey. Its continuous existence is certain from the early fourteenth century. After the dissolution of the monasteries in 1540, Henry VIII personally ensured the School's survival by statute.

When was Gonzalo Mendez born?

Gonzalo Mendez was born in Mexico in 1913. Mendez, his mother, and her other four children moved to Westminster, California, in 1919. In 1943, at age 30, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States and was a relatively well-off vegetable farmer.