Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez United States Courthouse

Floor Speech

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Mr. GOMEZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Titus for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill to name the Los Angeles U.S. Courthouse in my district after two individuals whose courage bent the arc of history toward justice, Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez.

The Mendez family, alongside the Ramirez, Estrada, Guzman, and Palomino families, challenged segregationist policies that prevented their children from getting the same quality education as their White peers, and they won.

Their efforts resulted in the landmark 1946 case of Mendez v. Westminster School District, which led to the desegregation of California schools and set the stage for Brown v. Board of Education, the monumental Supreme Court decision that stated: separate but equal is inherently unequal.

I introduced this bill alongside Sylvia Mendez, the daughter of Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez, who, as a child, set in motion this desegregation case.

Sylvia was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011 by President Obama and is the subject of this children's book, ``Separate is Never Equal,'' which I brought as a reminder of what this means for our children.

This courthouse will be a reminder that history and law are not just shaped by judges, they are molded by people who have the courage to challenge unjust laws and make our country better.

The NAACP, ACLU, and Japanese American Citizens League sent amicus briefs in this case, showing that our struggles are distinct, but our battle to form a more perfect union is one and the same.

In fact, Thurgood Marshall wrote the NAACP's brief, and just years later used similar reasoning before the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record letters from the NAACP, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and 21 Latino civil rights organizations and advocacy groups in favor of this legislation. NAACP, November 3, 2023. Hon. Mike Johnson, Speaker, House of Representatives. Hon. Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Leader, House of Representatives. Hon. Sam Graves, Chairman, House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. Hon. Rick Larsen, Ranking Member, House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee.

Dear Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, Chairman Graves, and Ranking Member Larsen: I am writing to express strong support for H.R. 5754, introduced by Congressman Jimmy Gomez, which would name the Los Angeles U.S. Courthouse at 350 W. 1st Street in honor of Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez. Their activism, along with four other families, culminated in the landmark 1946 case Mendez et al v. Westminster et al that led to the end of segregation in California schools and paved the way for Brown v. Board of Education.

The NAACP's connection to this case and the Mendez, Guzman, Palomino, Estrada, and Ramirez families dates back to 1946. During the original case, the NAACP sent an amicus curiae brief in support of the families and argued that school segregation was inherently unjust and unconstitutional. As Thurgood Marshall, Robert L. Carter, and Loren Miller wrote in that brief:

``Our Democracy . . . can only function when all of its citizens, whether of a dominant or of a minority group, are allowed to enjoy the privileges and benefits inherent in our Constitution. Moreover, they must enjoy these benefits together as free people without regard to race or color. It is clear, therefore, that segregation in our public schools must be invalidated as violative of the Constitution and laws of the United States.''

The NAACP takes pride in our contribution to this historic case, which directly influenced Governor Earl Warren to sign a 1947 law repealing public school segregation statutes in California. Just seven years later, Warren, now Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, authored the unanimous opinion in Brown v. Board of Education. This landmark decision, influenced by Thurgood Marshall's compelling oral arguments as NAACP chief counsel, ended school segregation across the country.

Nearly 80 years later, we stand by our words and advocacy in the Mendez v. Westminster case and the advocacy of the families who fought for equal protection under the law for all children. Today, we honor their legacy in supporting this bill. We strongly believe the Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez United States Courthouse will be an enduring testament to the movement for civil rights for all.

We urge you to pass this bill swiftly to ensure the lasting and historic impacts of the Mendez v. Westminster case--and the families who fought for equal rights--are permanently and publicly commemorated to inspire all Americans for generations to come. Sincerely, Derrick Johnson, President and CEO. ____ City of Los Angeles, December 14, 2023. Hon. Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Leader, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Sam Graves, Chairman, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Washington, DC. Hon. Rick Larsen, Ranking Member, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Washington, DC.

Dear Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, Chairman Graves, and Ranking Member Larsen: I write to express support for H.R. 5754, introduced by Representative Jimmy Gomez, which would name the Los Angeles U.S. Courthouse at 350 W. 1st Street in honor of Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez. Their activism, along with four other families, culminated in the landmark 1946 case Mendez et al v. Westminster et al that led to the end of segregation in California schools and paved the way for Brown v. Board of Education.

The powerful story of the Mendez, Guzman, Palomino, Estrada, and Ramirez families, which culminated in a successful suit against discriminatory school segregation practices in California, holds significance for the state of civil rights and freedom in our Los Angeles region today. This historic case directly influenced Governor Earl Warren to sign a 1947 law repealing public school segregation statutes in California. Just seven years later, Warren, by then Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, authored the unanimous opinion in Brown v. Board of Education. This landmark decision was influenced by Thurgood Marshall's compelling oral arguments as NAACP chief counsel and ultimately ended school segregation across the country.

As a longtime public servant deeply committed to the progress of our city, our state, and our country, I understand just how important it is for every student to have equitable access to education and other public resources. Honoring the legacy of the Mendez family would be an enduring testament to the maxim ``separate is never equal'' and the movement for civil rights for all.

I urge you to pass this bill swiftly to ensure the lasting and historic impacts of the Mendez v. Westminster case--and the families who fought for equal rights--are permanently and publicly commemorated to inspire all Americans for generations to come. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Karen Bass, Mayor. ____ September 27, 2023. Hon. Kevin McCarthy, Speaker, House of Representatives. Hon. Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Leader, House of Representatives. Hon. Sam Graves, Chairman, House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. Hon. Rick Larsen, Ranking Member, House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee.

Dear Speaker McCarthy, Leader Jeffries, Chairman Graves, and Ranking Member Larsen: We, the below signed Latino civil rights and advocacy organizations, write to express our strong support of Congressman Jimmy Gomez's legislation that would designate the Los Angeles U.S. Courthouse at 350 W. 1st Street in honor of Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez. The Mendez's advocacy led to the landmark 1946 case that ended segregation in California schools and paved the way for the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Fittingly, the courthouse sits just blocks from where the historic Mendez case was originally decided. The Mendez family, including Felicitas and Gonzalo's children, Sylvia, Gonzalo Jr., and Jerome, also strongly support the renaming of the courthouse to the Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez United States Courthouse.

Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez advanced civil rights for all by mobilizing parents in their community to push for an end to segregation in California schools after their daughter Sylvia and her brothers were rejected from attending a whites-only school because of their Mexican appearance and ancestry. In 1946, the Mendez family's efforts led to the landmark decision in Mendez, et al vs. Westminster School District of Orange County, et al, steering California to enact legislation that made it the first state to officially desegregate its public schools. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF), led by Thurgood Marshall at the time, had been developing a legal strategy to end school segregation and wrote an amicus brief in support of Mendez. Some of the arguments LDF made in Mendez were similar to those that were later made in the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education decision seven years later ending school segregation nationwide.

Our public institutions should reflect the rich diversity that represents the history and strength of our nation. However, of the 200+ named United States courthouses across the country, only 20 are named for people of color and 6 are named in honor of a woman. The Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez United States Courthouse would be the first federal building to be named for a Latina and only the eighth commemorating Hispanic Americans. Given its location in the county with the largest Latino population in the United States, the commemoration of the advocacy of Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez--who were of Puerto Rican and Mexican heritage, respectively--by renaming the courthouse honors both the diversity of its population and the critical progress for civil rights.

During National Hispanic Heritage Month, we highlight and celebrate the centuries of Latino contributions to the United States. It is also an opportunity to acknowledge and lift up Latinos' stories to who we are as a people and nation. The history of the desegregation of schools in California and throughout the Southwest is a significant part of the mostly unsung history of our community in this nation and needs to be better known among our fellow Americans. In short, Latino' stories are American stories, and they need to be told.

We urge you to pass this bill expeditiously so that the lasting and historic impacts of the Mendez family and the Mendez v. Westminster case are permanently and publicly commemorated to inspire Angelenos and all Americans for generations to come. Sincerely,

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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Mr. GOMEZ. Mr. Speaker, for all Americans to feel part of our American story, they need to see themselves reflected in the buildings and monuments that commemorate our history.

The Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez Courthouse will be the first courthouse named after a Latina out of over 200 named Federal courthouses.

I thank the over 60 cosponsors, including Members from both sides of the aisle, along with the overwhelming support of the California delegation and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the Senate to pass this legislation swiftly to send a clear sign about what we stand for as a Nation.

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