Summary
Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation, written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh, tells the true story about a girl named Sylvia Mendez and her family living in California in the 1940’s. When Aunt Soledad tried to enroll Sylvia, her two brothers, and her two cousins, her Aunt was only handed two enrollment forms. The two forms were for Sylvia’s two cousins who appeared white, even though their father was Mexican, but of French descent. Aunt Soledad was told the Mendez’s children were to attend the Mexican school because it was against the rules and regulations for them to attend the local public school. Even though Sylvia spoke fluent English and is an American citizen, she and her two brothers had to attend another school known as Hoover Elementary for Mexican children.
The “school” was a run down shack with an electric fence that separated the school from a cow pasture. The Mendez family saw how unfair this was and took a stand to fight for equal education opportunities for their children and everyone who faced discrimination in their town. The book follows their journey from gaining supporters, their fight in local and state court, and their victory. The Mendez vs. Westminster School District helped bring an end to the segregation of schools in California and seven years later, paved the way for Brown vs. Board of Education to state that segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.
Reflection
Elizabeth Marshall quoted Gloria Ladson-Billings, in Counter-Storytelling through Graphic Life Writing, “the voice of people of color is required for a deep understanding of the educational system” (80). “Graphic life writing represents one way to deepen an understanding of school as an institution with a history that continues to segregare and exclude youth because of their ethnic and/or racial backgrounds” (Marshall, 80).
The story of Sylvia Mendez and her family has been almost erased from history, due to the little discussion and mention it has throughout history textbooks and curriculum. I personally have heard of this story once during high school, which is a little alarming to me because I have a minor in history. I believe this story is an important one to share because it refutes the stereotype of children being unaware of racial discrimination solely due to their age. Sylvia was a young girl and could recognize the racial injustice she was experiencing and the hardships others had to face with inequality and segregation.
Graphic Analysis
“Graphic life writing by and/or about traditionally marginalized groups allows educators access to previously unheard stories as well as alternative images that counter the status quo; these texts revise and refute stereotypes found in children’s literature and other cultural texts. Graphic life writing, then, arises as a powerful medium for representing diverse realities, for creating a culturally specific curriculum, and for exemplifying how to fight institutionalized racism” (Marshall, 80). This allows educators and students to look at books that explore stories that are not typically found in traditional curriculum and can create a more inclusive classroom.
I have chosen a spread from Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation that occur on pages 18 and 19 that depict Duncan Tonatiuh recognizing racism. In these images, the reader views segregation that occurred in other public spaces. There are two aspects of this spread that caught my attention, one being the sign that states, “No Dogs or Mexicans Allowed… Public Pool.” The sign is clearly comparing people of Mexican descent to animals. Just by adding the sign, Tonatiuh is displaying a feeling that many people had during this time, that people from Mexico were not behaved and dirty, like animals. This allows the readers to unpack the hate that went into having that sign.
The other aspect of this spread was how Sylvia and her two brothers are represented in the photo. At first glance, it looks like they are locked out of the pool. However, I feel that Duncan used bars to represent prison. That they were not allowed to use the pool because they are criminals. The reader can view Sylvia and her brothers trapped behind bars, not being able to swim with the other white children because of the color of their skin.
I have chosen a spread from Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation that occur on pages 32 and 33 that depict Duncan Tonatiuh combating stereotypes. This spread shows different religions, ethnicities, and races bonding, celebrating, and coming together to fight for educational rights for the state of California.
“During the appeal, the Mendez family received support from the League of United Latin American citizens, the National Association for Advancement of Colored People, the Japanese American Citizens league, the American Jewish COngress, and other organizations. These groups sent letters with information relevant to the case and asked the judge to rule in favor of the Mendez family” (Tonatiuh, 32).
All this support from people who have never met Sylvia’s family, but believed in their cause reveals the power of using your voice, standing up for what is right, and coming together as a community!
Brainstorming a Lesson
Considering that I want to work with K-2 students, I would use Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh as an interactive read aloud that promotes critical thinking. I would want to center my lesson around brainstorming and building background knowledge on segregation and discrimination. By having prompting questions, the students will be able to evaluate how a character may be feeling or be able to compare and contrast the public school vs. the Mexican school.
About the Author
Link to Duncan Tonatiuh's website: http://duncantonatiuh.com/
Link to Duncan Tonatiuh's twitter:
The author and illustrator of Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation, Duncan Tonatiuh, was born in Mexico City and grew up in San Miguel de Allende. He went to highschool in the United States, but spent his summers in Mexico. He graduated from Parsons, the New School for Design in New York City. While attending, Tonatiuh studied both writing and illustrations. Duncan became inspired by the ancient art of the Mixtees and other cultures of Mexico, which he incorporates their stylized forms into his artwork.
During an interview with Robert Liu-Trujillo, Robert asks, "Why is it important to you to explore Mexican culture and share it?" To which Duncan replies, I grew up in Mexico, but I came to the U.S. when I was a tennager to attend high school and college. ..... miss and appreciate things in Mexico that were always around me... music, food, and traditions". Due to Duncan missing Mexico and its culture, he became curious about Mexican art. While in college, he befriended a Mixtec, an indigenous group from the southern part of Mexico. This is where a lot of his artistic inspiration and style came from. Duncan became interested in Mixtec codex from the 15th century. "I was struck by the drawings' flatness, geometry and repetition of color", Duncan stated in the interview with Robert. Duncan began collaging textures into his drawings with photoshop to give them a more modern feel while completing his thesis in college, and has been making his art that way ever since.
Through this interview, I have learned how authentic and culturally accurate the drawings are through Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation. As well as the story, Duncan has a bibliography in the back of the book to sight the authenticity of his retelling of the Mendez’ fight for desegregation.
Video of Duncan Tonatiuh Reading a Part of Separate is Never Equal
Lesson Plan for Separate is Never Equal
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