Civil Rights Activist Sylvia Mendez to Speak at Cypress College
In celebration of Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month, Cypress College’s Puente Program is hosting Civil Rights Activist and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Sylvia Mendez.
In 1947, the Mendez vs. Westminster case became a historical decision in the desegregation of California schools, when the parents of Sylvia Mendez led the crusade and successfully won a class action suit against four Orange County school districts. This verdict was so historically significant that it helped argue the Brown vs. Board of Education case. Mendez was honored with the Presidential Medal Of Freedom in 2011 by President Obama. She is now retired and travels around giving guest lectures on her experiences on the forgotten civil rights movement of California.
She will be speaking at Cypress College on September 4, 2018 from 5–7 p.m. in Humanities 131. To attend, RSVP here.