Sylvia’s father, Gonzalo Mendez, immigrated to Westminster, California, from Chihuahua, Mexico, in 1919. His family started a farm when Gonzalo was seven years old. While he originally attended Hoover School, he later transferred to Westminster School due to his academic excellence—an exception, not the rule (“Unveiling Justice: The Mendez Family’s Fight for Education Equality and Lasting Legacy.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 2023). However, he later dropped out due to economic straits. Gonzalo’s sister, Soledad, married a Mexican-French man named Frank Vidaurri and had two daughters, Sylvia’s cousins.

Sylvia’s mother, Felicitas Gomez Martinez, came with her family to Arizona from Puerto Rico in 1926 as cotton-pickers (she was 10 years old at the time). They were discriminated against because of their darker skin tone and suffered “harsh working conditions” (“Unveiling Justice”), resulting in their move to California. She married Gonzalo in 1935.

Afterward, the couple moved to Santa Ana, California, opened a restaurant, and had three children: Sylvia, Gonzalo, Jr., and Jerome. Gonzalo, Sr. was also naturalized as a US citizen. The family would later have two more children after the Mendez, et al.