Sofia Mendoza facts for kids

Sofia Mendoza (born December 22, 1934 – died March 14, 2015) was a brave community leader and organizer. She worked mostly in San Jose, California. Sofia helped start two important groups: United People Arriba with her husband, and the Community Alert Patrol (CAP). She cared deeply about making things better for people, especially in East San Jose. Her work focused on issues like getting a good education, stopping police brutality, improving healthcare, and ensuring fair housing.

Sofia Mendoza's Early Life and Education

Sofia Mendoza was born on December 22, 1934, in Fillmore, California. Her parents, Tiburcio and Margarita Magdalena, came from Mexico. They had to leave their family farm there. Sofia was the oldest of five children. She had two younger brothers and two younger sisters.

When Sofia was born, her father worked as a labor organizer. He helped farm workers at the Sespe Ranch. He helped people who picked citrus fruits and avocados. Her father encouraged workers to go on strike to ask for better pay and working conditions.

Moving and School Years

After a short time, Sofia's family moved to Arizona. Her father continued his work, helping copper miners organize. He even became an officer in their union. Later, the family moved back to California. They settled in Campbell, California, which was near San Jose.

Sofia went to Campbell Grammar School and then Campbell High School. During high school, she started her own organizing efforts. She had seen her father do it for many years. As a freshman, Sofia successfully asked her classmates and teachers to start a Spanish club at school.

After high school, Sofia went to San Jose State University. She studied there for three years. She left before finishing her last year when she got married and had her first child. She never went back to finish college.

Sofia Mendoza's Activism

In the 1960s and 1970s, Sofia lived in San Jose. She saw growing problems between white residents and Mexican American residents. In 1967, she started working to help Mexican American students. These students were facing unfair treatment at Roosevelt Junior High School. Her own children went to this school.

Roosevelt Junior High School Walkout

There were reports that white teachers and students were using mean names for African American and Mexican American students. Parents also said that students were being singled out. They claimed students were sometimes physically punished by teachers. Some were even expelled for small rule breaks. Other Mexican American students said they were not given proper textbooks. Teachers claimed they wouldn't take care of them.

Sofia Mendoza began talking to many parents of Mexican American students. She wrote down what they said about how their children were treated. Sofia took these complaints to the school's Parent Teacher Association (PTA). She felt the PTA wasn't doing enough. So, Sofia helped organize a school walkout. Teachers Jose Carrasco and Consuelo Rodriguez also helped.

On April 29, 1968, students from Roosevelt Junior High School walked out of their classes. They marched through the streets of San Jose. This was one of the first recorded walkouts by Mexican American students. Soon after the walkout, students held a rally at the school. As a result, the principal, vice-principal, and several other teachers were fired.

Founding United People Arriba

The Roosevelt Junior High School walkout was the start of Sofia's work. She wanted to improve Mexican American communities in San Jose. In 1968, Sofia and her husband, Gilbert Mendoza, started United People Arriba (UPA). Gilbert had gone to a segregated school before it was made illegal.

UPA's goal was to help all communities in the city. They didn't just focus on Mexican American issues. UPA worked on many different problems. These included education, healthcare, housing, police unfairness, and immigration. UPA was an independent group. It got most of its money from fundraising and donations.

Fighting Police Unfairness

There were growing problems between the San Jose Police Department and Mexican American residents. Sofia and other UPA members created the Community Alert Patrol (CAP). CAP's main goal was to stop violence against Mexican Americans by police officers.

When CAP first started, it was based at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in East San Jose. Many people who joined were from the affected communities. CAP members worked on Friday and Saturday nights. They tried to prevent and record incidents of police unfairness. They used a radio system to listen to police calls. They would try to get to the scene before the police. This way, they could record what happened. They wanted evidence of any violence against Mexican American residents.

Sofia also helped lead a large march of 2,000 people to City Hall. They were protesting police unfairness against the Mexican-American community. Sofia herself saw some of these events. She said, "I saw cops kicking down doors in the East Side. I saw it with my own two eyes. I saw policemen stopping people for traffic problems at gunpoint."

Improving Healthcare Access

After moving to San Jose permanently, Sofia noticed something important. Many Chicano children in her community were missing their immunizations (shots to prevent diseases). So, Sofia and UPA asked San Jose city leaders to create a large immunization program. The city agreed. Many Mexican American families came to get their immunizations.

Because so many people showed up, Sofia asked for a neighborhood clinic in East San Jose. The city leaders didn't agree to a full clinic at first. Instead, they offered bus rides for families in East San Jose. These buses would take them to the closest clinic in the northern part of the city.

Sofia was not happy with this answer. She and UPA members convinced families to refuse the city buses as a protest. UPA promised to give free rides to families who needed to go to the clinic if they protested. Finally, the city agreed to open a neighborhood clinic in East San Jose. This led to the opening of the East Valley Medical Center.

Sofia Mendoza's Personal Life

Sofia Mendoza married Gilbert Mendoza while she was in her third year at San Jose State University. They had four children together: two sons and two daughters.

Sofia Mendoza passed away on March 14, 2015, at the age of 80. She had been sick with kidney failure for several years. She died in San Jose, California, just one day before she was scheduled for surgery at Kaiser Permanente Hospital.