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Separados no somos iguales

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When her family moved to the town of Westminster, California, little Silvia Mendez was excited to enroll in her neighborhood school. But she and her siblings were turned away and told they had to attend Mexican school instead. Sylvia couldn't understand why; She was a U.S. citizen who spoke perfect English. Why were the children of Mexican families forced to attend another school? Unable to get a satisfactory response from the school board, the Mendez family decided to take matters into their own hands and file a lawsuit.

In the end, the Mendez family's efforts helped end segregated education in California in 1947, seven years before the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education ended segregation in schools across the United States.

With his distinctive illustration style and incorporating his interviews with Sylvia Méndez, as well as information from court filings and news, award-winning author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh tells the inspiring story of the Mendez family's struggle for justice and equality.

Spanish Description: Cuando su familia se mudó al pueblo de Westminster, California, la pequeña Silvia Méndez estaba entusiasmada con inscribirse en la escuela de su vecindario. Pero ella y sus hermanos fueron rechazados y les dijeron que, en vez, tenían que asistir a la escuela mexicana. Sylvia no podía entender por qué; era una ciudadana estadounidense que hablaba inglés perfectamente. ¿Por qué obligaban a los hijos de familias mexicanas a asistir a otra escuela? Al no poder obtener una respuesta satisfactoria de la junta escolar, la familia Méndez decidió tomar cartas en el asunto y organizar una demanda. Al final, los esfuerzos de la familia Méndez ayudaron a acabar con la educación segregada en California en 1947, siete años antes de que el fallo histórico del Tribunal Supremo en el caso Brown v. Board of Education terminara con la segregación en las escuelas de todo Estados Unidos. Con su distintivo estilo de ilustración e incorporando sus entrevistas con Sylvia Méndez, así como información de archivos judiciales y noticias, el galardonado autor e ilustrador Duncan Tonatiuh cuenta la inspiradora historia de la lucha de la familia Méndez por la justicia y la igualdad.

Publishing Details

Author : Duncan Tonatiuh

Illustrator : Duncan Tonatiuh

Type of Spanish : Translated

Physical Details

Type of Book: Picture

Cover: Hardcover

Pages: 40

Size: 9.4 x 0.65 x 11.25 in

Year Published: 2023

Instructional Details

Reading Grade Level: 5th

Genre: Non-Fiction

Sub-Genre: Biography

Theme: About POC, Bullying, Conflict, Equality, Hispanic Heritage Month, Identity, School, Social Emotional, Social Issues