Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh (review)

Before Brown v. Board first brought in the heavy equipment to level the national educational field, important court battles were being fought—and won—at local levels. Among the most notable, and later overlooked, cases involved the Mexican-American Gonzalo Mendez family in California, whose dark-skinned children were assigned to a substandard “Mexican” public school, while their fairer-skinned cousins were invited to attend the “white” school. Mendez attempted to rally parents whose children were likewise shut out of the better public school, but found many too afraid of economic reprisal to raise a protest. Finally, Mendez found an attorney, and the school case went to court. There, testimony from the school superintendent demonstrated the depth of bigotry against the Mexican Americans, but a final ruling stated that “public education must be open to all children by unified school association regardless of lineage.” Tonatiuh frames the story through the experience of the Mendez daughter, Sylvia, whose first day at the integrated school is far from a social success. When her mother reminds her of what they had been through to get her into a good school, the story proceeds through a flashback, culminating in a better second day and a promising school year for Sylvia. Tonatiuh’s cast, stylized with subtle motifs that echo indigenous Central American artwork, replays the legal battle with dignified formality. An author’s note provides adult readers with additional material to share on the Mendez family in the aftermath of the trial, in addition to a glossary, index, bibliography, and photographs. This will rightfully be a first choice for juvenile collections on civil rights.