"Separate is NEVER Equal" Part I

"... adults are still clinging to a Victorian ideal of an innocent child” (as quoted by Peralta, 2016, para. 17)

"Graphic life writing written and illustrated by and within Indigenous communities and by people of color denaturalizes the idea of the White child as an innocent bystander and calls attention to how racial subordination operates in the school." (Counter-Storytelling through Graphic Life Writing, Elizabeth Marshall, 2016)

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In the biography, Separate is Never Equal by Duncan Tonatiuh, the story of "Sylvia Mendez and her family's fight for desegregation," or the legal case of Mendez v. Westminster School District, is portrayed through the use of quotes from the actual court case documents, life experiences of Sylvia Mendez, and powerful illustrations using ancient Aztec style artwork.

The image in this story that is most prominent, to me, in regards to representing and recognizing racism, is one that spreads across pages 18 & 19 in the story.

(image screen captured from https://www.getepic.com/app/read/39980)

This is the point in the story where the Mendez family is seeking outside, legal help from the lawyer, David Marcus. In this particular image, Tonatiuh depicts the children who are of Mexican descent as being treated as animals. These children are being forced behind bars, kept away from the white children who are enjoying their lives of luxury, privilege and freedom playing with one another in the "public" pool. Even worse, there is a sign posted at the pool explaining, "No dogs or Mexicans allowed," relating the children directly with that of a family's pet or animal -- a dog. When reading this section of the story, I recall my stomach physically twisting and feeling ill in relation to this image and the words written across this page in regards to how these people were treated.

The image in the story that resonates with me the most as being one that combats racism is that of the family sitting in the courtroom, in their nice clothes, showing outrage at the lies being spewed by the superintendent. (Pages 26-27)

(image screen captured from https://www.getepic.com/app/read/39980)

This image represents not only the wording talking about the family's disbelief, heartache, and outrage, but shows their pain in the illustration of their faces and their body language. The crossed arms, open mouths, and wide eyes allow the reader to see the humanity in these characters. In this image, the family is not merely sitting at home wishing for better lives for their children, they are being active in the courtroom in order to achieve justice for their children, for their family. This family is taking a stand by sitting in the courtroom where the action is finally able to happen in order for justice to be served.

The Mendez family rises to meet their challenges throughout this story, over and over, without ceasing. This family went out and searched for help from their community members, neighbors, and eventually settled on a lawyer to take legal action for them. The main characters (the Mendez family) have been positioned in this story to be seen as human beings fighting for their right to simply live in a fair and just way. They seek good education and resources for their children. They go out and fight for their rights to participate in the same funded schools as the white children. They deem that it is wrong, above all else, for them to be treated with such utter disrespect and blatant racism.

The other scene in this story that absolutely gets me, is when the members of other races rally together by actively writing letters to the judge of this case in order to help the Mendez family receive the proper justice they deserve. These other groups of individuals understand what it feels like to be discriminated against and acknowledge that these children deserve to be treated with the same human decency that they once fought for themselves.

When the members of the Mendez family are powerlessly discriminated against by the superintendent in this story, my blood began to boil. Talking about how "collectively" the family dealt with problems of "dirtiness" and "lice" is something of utter disgrace and shame. I felt sad for this superintendent as there was no reason for him to be so ugly to the members of this family and had absolutely no right to generalize an entire race of human beings.

The author/illustrator of this story is Duncan Tonatiuh. I have discussed about this illustrator in one of my previous blog posts, Dear Primo and Stella Diaz Never Gives up. For this story in particular, Tonatiuh interviewed Sylvia Mendez to receive some of the most accurate information possible in order to create this biography. He has received multiple awards including the Américas Award, FOCAL Award, Bluebonnet Masterlist, Pura Belpré Illustration Honor, and many others.

The characters in this story are representative of Sylvia Mendez and her family, including her aunt and two cousins who are white. The other members of the story represent the lawyer who successfully aided the Mendez family in fighting for their right to attend the all white children's school, the white families and characters who fought and discriminated against the Mendez family and other Mexican families, and other groups of POC who had previously fought for their own rights to be treated fairly and equally. This story takes place in Westminster, California, after the family had moved from the "crowded city" of Santa Ana. In this new home, Sylvia's father (Gonzalo) was leasing a farm in order to be his own boss for the time being.

I could say nothing more than that this book is culturally authentic. Tonatiuh himself being one who studies and practices ancient Aztec art styles assists him in being able to complete his work authentically. The interviews with Mendez herself allows for a richness in detail that someone who did not know the story would not have been able to portray accurately. The quotes directly taken from the court cases also allow for a sense of authenticity that it would not have if research had not been done prior to creating this book.

In order to teach this book to my students and actively engage them in learning, I would want my students to understand the historical background from which this biography is set (Ch. 5 in Reading to Make a Difference, Lester Laminack & Katie Kelly). It is important for students to understand what major historical events took place if they are going to understand the context of the story. After reading the story, I would ask my students to engage in an activity that involves them thinking about what they see and experience in the world around them every day. I would want students to think about their own personal life, then compare with their classmates, noting the differences that they may not have even thought about their peers having to deal with on a daily basis. **I would only have students share if they are comfortable to share their stories. I think this activity would work well for upper elementary grades as they are learning to think and act more outside of their own wants and desires.