Martin Luther King Jr. Spirit Award: Latino judge practices principles preached by MLK

It was in the fields of the Yakima Valley where a young Sal Mendoza Jr. learned the meaning of a hard day’s work.

On some days, Mendoza, the son of migrant farm workers, picked crops tirelessly from the predawn hours until lunchtime neared.

He would then head home to change clothes before racing to school by noon so he could get credit for a full day of classwork.

“That’s how we grew up. That was part of our reality,” Mendoza, 44, said. “It was something we needed to do in order to survive.”

It was the values — hard work, respect and dedication to education — that Mendoza learned from his parents and those long work days that propelled him to become the first Latino to be appointed federal court judge for the Eastern District of Washington.

Overcoming obstacles has been a constant theme throughout Mendoza’s life, and it’s one of the many reasons he was chosen as the 2016 Martin Luther King Jr. Spirit Award winner.

The award, given annually by Columbia Basin College, honors those who influence positive social change and display characteristics of King’s vision.

Mendoza was taking his three children to lunch when he learned he was named this year’s winner.

“Immediately you are extremely humbled, asking what have you done to deserve this incredible honor?” Mendoza said. “It’s pretty emotional.”

The college will honor King and Mendoza with a bell-ringing ceremony at noon today near the statue of King on the Pasco campus. A crowd of several hundred is expected to attend the ceremony and an on-campus event that will follow.

Mendoza, a former trustee at CBC, was selected by a committee at the college for the example he has set for other Latinos in the state and his willingness to be a positive role model for the underprivileged, said Richard Cummins, CBC president.

“Along the way, (Mendoza) has always made sure he is someone who is aware of his stature in the community as a role model, and he is someone who is always trying to help others,” Cummins said.

Mendoza’s parents migrated to Washington from California in the early 1970s. He credits his parents’ drive and values as the main reasons for his success.

Mendoza, who told the Herald that he always viewed education as the way to a better future, earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and graduated from law school at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The Prosser High graduate practiced law for about 15 years, spending time in private practice, as an assistant attorney general and Franklin County deputy prosecutor. He also helped start a Juvenile Drug Court program in the area.

The judge has been involved in the annual Tri-Cities Youth and Justice Forum at CBC, which aims to showcase careers in the legal system to students. That work has been an inspiration to many in the state and is in line with the vision of King, Cummins said.

“The underprivileged and the nondominant culture in America need voices and representation,” Cummins said. “The Latino community is growing in Washington state and Sal is at the forefront of that leadership.”

Mendoza said it has been a goal of his during his career to ensure youth in underrepresented populations get inspired to work in the legal system.

“You understand you are the first, but you are not going to be the last,” he said.

This story was originally published January 17, 2016 at 10:00 PM with the headline "Martin Luther King Jr. Spirit Award: Latino judge practices principles preached by MLK."