The Real Justice Sotomayor
By Liz Wing on 03/18/2011 @ 04:29 PM
Did you know? Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis is the first Latina appointed to the U.S. Cabinet and Justice Sotomayor is the first Latina appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. At a March 17th event, hosted by the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau, Sec. Solis interviewed Justice Sotomayor, who shared a very down-to-earth conversation about role models, family, obstacles and successes. It was one of the most fascinating conversations to watch. It is no secret that Justice Sotomayor is extraordinarily bright, but I hadn't realized how funny and down-to-earth she is as well.
Born to a Puerto Rican family in the Bronx, Sotomayor's journey is one of overcoming great obstacles and putting family first. She said her family gave her "her Latin soul, but also American spirit."
As the buzz was building that she might be nominated for the Supreme Court, she began to consider whether she would accept the nomination, if it were offered to her. She spoke about a factor that had her resistant to saying yes. Her mother was not well, and she wanted to have the time to care for her. When speaking to her mother about this, her mom said: "Sonia, I sacrificed my entire life for this day - don't take it away from me."
As a young child, she wanted to be a detective or astronaut, but was diagnosed with diabetes at age eight. So her interest turned to law. She drew inspiration from Nancy Drew books and Perry Mason television shows.
When she got to Princeton University on full scholarship she found it very challenging. When asked what her greatest barrier in life has been she responded, "learning how to write English correctly". It turned out she was using Spanish sentence structure with English words. She worked with a professor outside of class to improve her writing and she read the classics in the summer to gain a better understanding. A struggle for many people from low socio-economic backgrounds, learning to write well in English is a necessary skill to have. She said, "you can't get anywhere unless you can persuade people with your words."
Sotomayor left us with a quote that Vice President Joe Biden shared at her nomination announcement at the White House, "don't measure yourself by how many times you've been knocked down, measure yourself by how many times you stood up and tried again."
"Keep trying," she said, "don't let fear stop you. That is what helps dreams come true."
Justice Sotomayor is an example of an American who overcame obstacles and worked hard to pursue her dreams. Our community and country benefits most when all people are given a fair chance to succeed.
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