Political Quotes

“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.…”