A few years ago, when I flirted with the idea of going to law school, I was researching other high profile Latinas whom I could reach out as mentors. After some research, I found Judge Sotomayor to be the most impressive of the group I researched. Even back then she was rumored to be Supreme Court material. It seemed like a Hollywood story that it would actually happen; and viewing an episode of The West Wing recently on Bravo, I got teary eyed watching freshly-elected-President Bartlett selecting Judge Mendoza as the first Spanish nominee for the Supreme Court.
I have never considered myself a “flag-waving-hard-core Latina”, because despite my strong ties to my Latin American culture and family, there is also that other half of me, raised in America, with ties as strong to American values and lifestyle. I don’t believe in niching yourself, or taking so much pride in one aspect of your culture over the other, because whenever you do that, you alienate others. I do believe, however, in honoring the dual aspects of our cultural background, whenever the occasion arises.
So, there are times like these, when one can’t help but say, “Wow! One of us, a strong, successful Latina is in the spotlight!” and feel even more motivated to push forward.
“I should have written to her back then.” I kept thinking to myself yesterday, as I saw the woman who had impressed me a few years ago, be nominated for the highest court of this land.
As a Latina, am I proud she has been selected? Heck yeah! I love the fact that she has the native appreciation for a good bowl of rice and beans, as much as she’s a New Yorker now living in Connecticut. More importantly, I’m as proud that she’s a woman, and that by looking at the short list –all four being women–, Mr. Obama is looking to bring gender balance to the Supreme Court.
Deepak Chopra said over the weekend in Larry King’s show, that this is the era for women to run the world, a world currently run by men. Sadly, we’re such a far distance behind that vision. He expressed that there is a need for the wisdom of women. He said that up until now it has been “survival of the fittest”, but now, in these troubled times it was more of a “survival of the wisest”, and the many talents women offer fit that bill. Adding one more woman to the Supreme Court, is one step closer to that vision, however small it may be, it’s a great step towards that gender equality many of us seek.
So many out there have already spoken and discussed Sonia Sotomayor’s background and likely mindset behind her rulings. So, I won’t add to that. What I will add is my strong congratulations to Mr. Obama for his wisdom in selecting her, as well as to Ms. Sotomayor and her proud family, whose hard work and sacrifice has paid off. Her successful life validates the premise that so many hard working immigrants live by, sacrificing all to put the kids in a better school, recognizing the importance of education, diligence and discipline. The professional successes of the Obamas and Ms. Sotomayor show that it does pay off.
The conservatives and misguided Republicans will, –in their dim-witted Republican behavior—nitpick at Ms. Sotomayor, trying to find any little speck and magnify it to paint her as the object of their trademark witch hunts. I’m already smelling the fire and hearing the mob gathering around. They are oblivious to the fact that Sonia Sotomayor is not Clarence Thomas. And with such a major stain, they still managed to put him on the bench, back in 1991, the end of the Bush I era. Ms. Sotomayor has better experience and a spotless background, yet, their minds have been made up to burn her, long before looking at the facts and reality. And God knows I welcome their “noise”. It’s a fight they are certain to lose, in the short and long term. It will be amusing to watch the Party of Doom crash and burn, once again, over the wrong issues. So, in the good old New Yorker spirit I say to them, “Bring it on!”.
