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| Title | Mona Mendoza papers |
| Finding Aid Identifier | MS 89 |
| Finding Aid Title | Finding aid for Mona Mendoza papers |
| Subject | Mona Mendoza; finding aid; Hands Off Washington; Washington Citizens for Fairness; gay and lesbian rights; civil rights; Washington State politics |
| Abstract | Mona Mendoza's was involved with the Hands Off Washington (HOW) campaign (1993-1994), a program of Washington Citizens for Fairness (WCF). HOW was formed to defeat proposed state legislation that would deny civil rights to individuals based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation. |
| Biography | Mona Mendoza, during the time of the HOW campaign, was a physical education specialist and diversity expert in the Spokane, Washington, school system. An effective advocate for human rights in general, and especially for gay/lesbian rights, Mendoza joined the board of WCF/HOW in 1993. She was named to the Executive Committee of WCF/HOW in September, 1993. In addition to being a representative from the Spokane Coalition, she was also the board member responsible for responding to WCF personnel issues.
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Sometime after the successful 1994 campaign against Initiative 608, which opposed the establishment of sexual orientation as a protected category similar to age or race, Mendoza moved to Seattle to continue her work in physical education and diversity awareness at Meany Middle School. As an educator working with youth, Mendoza has taken an active role in the state of Washington's Policy on Equity in Education. She also was involved in the Community Access Project Coordinating Committee of the Safe Schools Coalition in support of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth and educators. A November 2006 NEA webpage article featured Mendoza's work at Meany Middle School with culturally responsive teaching, a method of connecting with students' personal backgrounds such as race and poverty as a key to closing achievement gaps among economically poor and minority students. |
| Scope and Content | Mendoza, as a board member of WCF/HOW and the Spokane Coalition, kept a good portion of her correspondence, board materials and handouts, WCF/HOW organizational materials, clippings, articles, and other materials relating to early HOW campaign efforts (1993-1994). Of particular interest are the minutes of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors meetings. Mendoza's correspondence files primarily consist of emails and mailings from the WCH/HOW main office in Seattle. The organizational materials, such as the By-Laws, Mission and Goals, policies and procedures, fundraising plan, and strategy report help to understand the intent and internal structure of the WCF/HOW.
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The collection contains many of the legal filings in the law suit (Superior Court of the State of Washington for King County No. 94 2-04173 8) brought against Ralph Munro, in his capacity as Secretary of State of the State of Washington by Washington Citizens for Fairness/Hands Off Washington, along with the Washington Association of Churches, La Raza Coalition for Political Action of Spokane, The Privacy Fund, the mayor of Seattle, the King County executive, and several other individuals. The legal action was initiated in an attempt to head off placing Initiatives 608 and 610 on the ballot. Many of the declarations of the plaintiffs are included in the collection, including Mona Mendoza's on behalf of La Raza Coalition for Political Action of Spokane.
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Although WCF/HOW was successful in defeating the initiatives that would have denied certain civil rights to Washington residents based on real or perceived sexual orientation, the organization sometimes suffered from the west side/east side issues of representation and equity in travel and time to attend meetings, often held with short notice on the west side of the Cascades. Portions of the collection, such as the Tri-Cities Coalition file, serve as an interesting overview of a statewide organization trying to maintain a true statewide identity and connection with regional interest groups.
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Of general interest are the articles and files relating to Mendoza's involvement in issues surrounding public education and awareness about homosexuality and gender issues, human rights, and multicultural education. |
| Keywords | Mona Mendoza; finding aid; Hands Off Washington; Washington Citizens for Fairness; gay and lesbian rights; civil rights; Washington State politics |
| Inclusive Dates | 1993 - 1994 |
| Restrictions | None |
| Volume | 2.0 linear feet |
| Accession number | 1998.102 |
| Electronic Publisher | Washington State Historical Society |
| Contributors | WSHS ; Ed Nolan |
| Object Type | finding aid |
| Format | text / pdf |
| Rights | Property of the Washington State Historical Society - All Rights Reserved |
| Data Entry | kam |
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