U.S. Postal Service Unveils Mendez v. Westminster Stamp in Honor of Historic Court Case’s 60th Anniversary

WHO: Patricia Martinez-Orozco, Executive Director of the Oregon Council for Hispanic Advancement and Dallas Keck, Portland District Manager, U.S. Postal Service

WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2007

TIME: 3 p.m.

WHERE: Portland Main Post Office, 715 NW Hoyt St., Portland

EVENT:
The U.S. Postal Service marks the 60th anniversary of the landmark Mendez v. Westminster et. al. court decision with a new postage stamp, to be unveiled Wednesday during a local ceremony honoring Hispanic Heritage Month. The landmark desegregation ruling opened the door toward equality in education for Mexican-American students in California — and ultimately for all students in the United States.

When their children and nephews were denied entry into a local school in 1943, Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez took up the cause of desegregating Orange County schools. The next year, with no success through meetings and attempted negotiations, they and four other families filed suit in U.S. District Court. They claimed that their children, along with 5,000 other children of “Mexican and Latin descent,” were victims of unconstitutional discrimination by being forced to attend separate Mexican” schools in the Westminster, Garden Grove, Santa Ana and El Modena school districts.

“This stamp illustrates the importance of an equal opportunity for education for all Americans,” USPS Portland District Manager Dallas Keck said.

Wednesday’s unveiling event is open to the public; a special postmark in honor of the ceremony will be available along with the stamps, which are also available at all Post Offices in Oregon.