mendez vs. westminster
a re-enactment
script by
giselle valdez
In March of 2023, in the U.S. Southern District of New York Ceremonial Courtroom, the Latino Judges Association along with the Columbia Law and St. John’s Law School Latinx Law Students Associations led a powerful re-enactment of Mendez v. Westminster School District of Orange County, the first successful federal school desegregation decision in the United States. I wrote this script for the re-enactment, which I am sharing, to continue to shine a light on a powerfully impactful case for the Latino community.
“That we are are all individuals; that we are all human beings; that we are all connected together; and that we all have the same rights, the same freedom.”
— Sylvia Mendez
“For Sylvia Mendez, a life-long quest for equality began when she was just eight years old. Outraged that their daughter had to attend a segregated school, Sylvia’s parents linked arms with other Latino families to fight injustice in a California federal court in a case that would pave the way for Brown v. Board of Education.”
— President Barack Obama
About the Playwright
I am a Columbia Law student and a proud Chicana from San Diego, California. I studied Literature at Columbia University, which inspired my love for theatre and legal storytelling. I led the scriptwriting and directing for this project, while working with the Latino Judges Association and the CLS Office for Judicial Clerkships.
