To designate the United States courthouse located at 350 W. 1st Street, Los Angeles, California, as the "Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez United States Courthouse".

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Titus for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill to name the Los Angeles U.S. Courthouse in my district after two individuals whose courage bent the arc of history toward justice, Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez.

The Mendez family, alongside the Ramirez, Estrada, Guzman, and Palomino families, challenged segregationist policies that prevented their children from getting the same quality education as their White peers, and they won.

Their efforts resulted in the landmark 1946 case of Mendez v. Westminster School District, which led to the desegregation of California schools and set the stage for Brown v. Board of Education, the monumental Supreme Court decision that stated: separate but equal is inherently unequal.

I introduced this bill alongside Sylvia Mendez, the daughter of Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez, who, as a child, set in motion this desegregation case.

Sylvia was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011 by President Obama and is the subject of this children's book, ``Separate is Never Equal,'' which I brought as a reminder of what this means for our children.

This courthouse will be a reminder that history and law are not just shaped by judges, they are molded by people who have the courage to challenge unjust laws and make our country better.

The NAACP, ACLU, and Japanese American Citizens League sent amicus briefs in this case, showing that our struggles are distinct, but our battle to form a more perfect union is one and the same.

In fact, Thurgood Marshall wrote the NAACP's brief, and just years later used similar reasoning before the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record letters from the NAACP, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and 21 Latino civil rights organizations and advocacy groups in favor of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, for all Americans to feel part of our American story, they need to see themselves reflected in the buildings and monuments that commemorate our history.

The Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez Courthouse will be the first courthouse named after a Latina out of over 200 named Federal courthouses.

I thank the over 60 cosponsors, including Members from both sides of the aisle, along with the overwhelming support of the California delegation and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the Senate to pass this legislation swiftly to send a clear sign about what we stand for as a Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5754, which designates the Federal courthouse in Los Angeles, California, as the Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez United States Courthouse.

The Mendezes were activists whose efforts culminated in the 1946 Federal court case Mendez v. Westminster School District of Orange County. This helped to end segregation in California schools and helped pave the way for desegregation efforts nationwide.

Mrs. Mendez was born in Puerto Rico and moved with her family to California at the age of 12. She and her

family encountered discrimination and racism in California because of their Puerto Rican heritage. She married Gonzalo Mendez, a Mexican immigrant who had become a naturalized U.S. citizen. They had several children and operated a successful agriculture business in southern California.

The Mendezes attempted to enroll their children in a local school but were rejected because of their Mexican names and appearance. In response, the Mendezes bravely organized and filed a lawsuit against the local school district to end the district's practice of segregating Mexican schoolchildren.

After they won the case in 1946 and won a subsequent appeal in 1947, the State of California took the further action of enacting a law officially desegregating California public schools, making it the first State in the country to do so.

The law was signed by then-Governor Earl Warren. Seven years later, Mr. Warren, then Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, wrote the opinion in Brown v. Board of Education in which the Court ruled that segregation of any kind in public schools is unconstitutional.

If H.R. 5754 is enacted, the Los Angeles Federal courthouse would be the first courthouse in the Nation named after a Latina.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this legislation and urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Napolitano), who we are going to miss terribly when she retires from her role in the leadership on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Gomez), who is the sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this historic legislation, I urge my colleagues to do the same, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5754) to designate the United States courthouse located at 350 W. 1st Street, Los Angeles, California, as the ``Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez United States Courthouse'', as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on H.R. 5754.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5754, a bill to designate the United States courthouse located at 350 W. 1st Street, Los Angeles, California, as the Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez United States Courthouse.

Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez are remembered for their leadership in the 1946 Federal court case Mendez v. Westminster which desegregated public schools in California, which established the legal precedent for the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case. It is fitting that we acknowledge the late couple by naming this courthouse in Los Angeles after them.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of H.R. 5754, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time, and I am prepared to close.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I join in supporting this bill recognizing the legacy of Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez by naming a United States courthouse in Los Angeles after them. This is an historic and appropriate recognition, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5754 to designate the United States courthouse located at 350 W. 1st Street, Los Angeles, California, as the Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez United States Courthouse.

I thank Representative Jimmy Gomez for introducing this important legislation. I am proud to support this courthouse renaming bill as it recognizes the critical role that Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez served in the fight for civil rights in the United States.

Their resolve to fight for equality in the landmark case Mendez v. Westminster, along with four other families from Orange County, California, would not only end segregation in California schools but also lay the groundwork for Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.

In September of last year, I stood alongside Sylvia Mendez, daughter of Felicitas and Gonzalo, as Representative Gomez marked the introduction of his bill.

Sylvia, a dedicated civil rights activist, travels the country to ensure the legacies of her parents and the four other families are not forgotten.

I am proud to have worked with my L.A. area colleagues in 2011, especially former Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard, in advocating for the construction of this much-needed courthouse in downtown Los Angeles.

The Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez U.S. Courthouse will serve as a reminder of the contributions of Latino Americans to this country, and I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 5754.