[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 11, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN 
          CITIZENS TO THE LANDMARK CASE MENDEZ V. WESTMINSTER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIMMY GOMEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 11, 2025

  Mr. GOMEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of LULAC, the League of 
United Latin American Citizens--the oldest Hispanic civil rights 
organization in the United States, which for nearly one hundred years 
has advanced the civil, economic, and educational interests of Hispanic 
communities.
  LULAC has been at the forefront of some of the most consequential 
battles for inclusion and recognition in our Nation's history, 
including the landmark case of Mendez v. Westminster.
  When Sylvia Mendez was rejected from attending school because of her 
Mexican heritage, her parents, Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez, joined 
together with the Estrada, Guzman, Palomino, and Ramirez families to 
challenge the status quo. As the families sought to take action against 
segregation in their school system, LULAC helped bring their fight to 
court. Its steadfast commitment and financial support helped to elevate 
the case from a local lawsuit to front and center in the national 
conversation on civil rights.
  Together, these families led the struggle against segregation in 
California's public schools which culminated in a historic win, and 
which paved the way for the landmark Brown v. Board of Education 
decision just seven years later.
  I am deeply honored to accept an award from LULAC in recognition of 
the efforts I led to rename the Los Angeles U.S. Courthouse after 
Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez--the first Federal Courthouse to be named 
after a Latina. Usually, federal courthouses are named after judges, 
but history and the law are not just shaped by the judges that make the 
decisions. They are molded by the people who have the courage to 
challenge unjust laws. This recognition is a testament to the advocacy 
of all the parents, children, and advocates who challenged unjust laws 
and won. I congratulate LULAC on its continued action and advocacy 
which stands as an enduring commitment to championing civil rights and 
serving Hispanic communities across the country.

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