Cisneros vs Corpus Christi Independent School District (1970) Commemorative Stamp Project

We are writing to request that the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee consider celebrating the Jose Cisneros vs. Corpus Christi Independent School District (1970) court decision with a commemorative stamp. The year 2020 will be the fiftieth anniversary of this event of historical significance. This Supreme Court decision has made an extraordinary and enduring contribution to American society, history and culture .

The Declaration of Independence outlines the highest ideals under which people may live, and the 14th Amendment affirms the role of the state to protect people’s rights to life and liberty. While each of these documents is more than 150 years old, the rights and protections outlined in these documents have not been extended to all people, particularly to Mexican Americans, throughout this great nation’s history. A review of court decisions dating back to the 19th century demonstrates that marginalized populations have turned to the courts to secure their rights and privileges. In 1954, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that dual education systems, which separated the races, were inherently unequal. The opinion noted that education was one of the most important functions of state and local government and was absolutely critical to “our democratic society.” Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote, “In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education.” While Brown v. Board (1954) is seen as a landmark case for African Americans, it did not address Mexican Americans’ reality. In fact, Mexican Americans’ whiteness was used to perpetuate a dual education system in local communities. This is why the Cisneros (1970) case is so important.

In places like Corpus Christi, Texas, Mexican American children were placed into schools that were inherently unequal to the schools of their white counterparts. Moreover, these Mexican American children often attended schools with African American children thus complicating the mandate that schools integrate. Some resisted the spirit integration by using Mexican American children’s enrollment in schools with African Americans as evidence that schools were integrated. They also claimed that dual education systems did not exist where children of Mexican descent were enrolled, as such children were racially classified as white. Thus, for 16 years following the Brown v. Board (1954) decision, Mexican American children invisibly continued to attend dual education systems. The constitutionality of this practice ended with the 1970 Cisneros v. CCISD decision. Judge Woodrow Seals ruled that Mexican Americans were a minority group that regularly experienced discrimination. Further, his decision extended the U.S Supreme Court’s Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas to Mexican Americans. The Cisneros (1970) decision is monumental; it ended any debate about the legitimacy of racially/ethnically based dual education systems.

This court decision transformed what was possible in Mexican American children’s lives, and by extension, what is possible for all our citizens. When barriers to quality education are lifted, not only do the children who have access to that education benefit, the whole nation benefits. The Cisneros (1970) decision has had a positive, transformative, lasting, and often-unrecognized impact.
Prior to 1970, the Census does not have data on the educational attainment of Hispanics. In 1970, only 31% of Mexican Americans ages 25 and over completed four years of high school or more, and only 2.5% of Mexican Americans completed four years of college or more. In 2014, 80% of Mexican Americans, ages 25 and older and born in the U.S., completed high school; that is a 250% increase in high school completion rates, compared to 1970. What is even more amazing is that, in 2014, 15% of native born Mexican Americans ages 25 and older have at least a Bachelor’s degree ; that is a 600% increase from the year the Cisneros v. CCISD (1970) Court decision was rendered.

These data are evidence of the Cisneros v Corpus Christi Independent School District (1970)’s enduring, positive contributions to American life, history and culture. We, as a nation, have come a long way in making quality education accessible to minority populations. The Cisneros v. Corpus Christi Independent School District (1970) played an integral role in our history. Millions of people have directly benefited from this decision, as has the entire nation. We recognize that Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee wishes to celebrate and recognize those historical events that move our nation toward “a more perfect union;” it is for these reasons that we humbly request the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee approve a commemorative stamp in the honor of the Cisneros v. Corpus Christi Independent School District (1970) decision.