Sylvia Mendez

According to the article header, in what year did Sylvia Mendez and her parents fight school segregation?

• 1954

• 1946

• 2011

• 1935

Fill in the blank: The 1946 case known as _______ outlawed the use of specific schools for Spanish-speaking children in Westminster, California, paving the way for desegregation across the state.

• Mendez v. Westminster

• Brown v. Board of Education

• Plessy v. Ferguson

• Sweatt v. Painter

The Mendez v. Westminster case, which occurred a decade before Brown v. Board of Education, helped pave the way for national desegregation. What was Sylvia Mendez’s role in the 1946 events?

• She was an 8-year-old girl at the center of the case, wanting to attend the local 'beautiful school' for white children instead of the separate Mexican school.

• She was the lawyer who argued the case in court.

• She was a teacher at the segregated Mexican school.

• She was a judge who ruled on the case.

According to the article, what event in 1944 triggered the Mendez family's fight against school discrimination?

• A move to lease a farm from a Japanese American family who had been forced into an internment camp

• A court ruling that outlawed segregated schools in California

• A protest organized by students at the 17th Street School

• A newspaper article exposing conditions at Mexican schools

Fill in the blank: When Mendez and her siblings tried to register at the 17th Street School, they were turned away, while their cousins with _______ and a French last name were allowed to register.

• fairer skin

• darker hair

• blue eyes

• Spanish accents

Which specific conditions described in the text illustrate how the Mexican school was used to Americanize students rather than provide equal academic opportunities? Select all that apply.

• Two wooden shacks with second-hand books and faulty desks

• Preparation of boys for labor work instead of teaching them to read and write

• Instruction for girls on housekeeping duties like knitting and sewing

• Advanced science labs and new textbooks

What reasoning did Judge Paul J. McCormick provide in his ruling for the Mendez family and co-plaintiffs on February 18, 1946?

• Segregation helped Spanish-speaking children learn English faster

• Evidence showed Spanish-speaking children were held back by segregation and that mixing students fosters a common cultural attitude essential to American institutions

• The districts lacked funds to integrate schools immediately

• Parents did not have standing to sue the school districts

Which of the following best describes the outcome of the Mendez v. Westminster case?

• It resulted in the closure of all Spanish-speaking schools.

• It upheld the legality of segregated schools.

• It only affected schools in Texas.

• It led to the desegregation of public schools in California, and ultimately helped to end desegration across the United States.

Who were the main plaintiffs in the Mendez v. Westminster case?

• Japanese American families returning from internment camps

• French-speaking families in Westminster

• The school district officials

• The Mendez family and other Mexican American families