Virginia & William Guzman

This article is the testimonio of Beverly Guzman Gallegos, whose family was one of the named plaintiffs in the Mendez v. Westminster case that led to the desegregation of Mexican children in the California schools. Although the Mendez story has been well documented, the contributions of the other named plaintiffs—the Guzman, Ramírez, Palomino, and Estrada families—have yet to be heard. The following testimonio provides a fuller picture of the discrimination pervasive at the time and the heroism of the Guzmans and other Mexican American families of the day. While Gallegos gives a brief testimonio, much can be drawn from it. She reveals the importance of women in the fight against educational segregation, parental agency and resistance, and the pivotal role of community organizing. We also garner similarities between her family’s story and that of the other plaintiffs, which restores the parallel version of events to the narrative rather than keeping it focused on one family’s story. The testimonio also allows us to consider whose stories we tell and whose are left out; it leads us to ask how our understanding of the case differs once we hear the Guzman story and that of the other plaintiffs. Click here to view the full testimonio.