Sonia Sotomayor By: Patryk Zagula Sotomayor’s “World” In the South Bronx ● Sonia Sotomayor resided in the “microcosm” of Hispanic New York City aka. the South Bronx. ● Sotomayor’s mother and father were of Puerto-Rican descent. They left everything behind in Puerto-Rico in hopes of starting a new life in NYC, however, they soon realized that the lifestyle in America would be very expensive to maintain. *father was always in search of a job/family struggled ● The family had no financial support, and was forced to settle into the Bronxdale houses where it was a “safer, cleaner, brighter alternative” according to Sonia’s mother. (Sotomayor, 79). ● Living in the projects kept the Sotomayor's in constant fear because the presence of gangs caused danger and violence. ● These groups were mainly of Dominican and Hispanic descent, and would plague the communities with drugs and violence (Sotomayor, 79) ● Sotomayor would be responsible in investigating criminal activities that would involve these people later in life. Preservation of the Sotomayor’s Culture Heritage ● Tradition and culture was preserved even after the family had assimilated into the American culture. ● Sotomayor’s father would recreate standard Puerto-Rican dishes from memory. These dishes were at par level with abuelita’s kitchen because of the similarities they shared in their food crafts. ● With abuelita’s support, Sonia’s father would make sofrito, “ the Puerto Rican vegetable and spice base that enhances the flavors of any dish” (Sotomayor, 25). Sonia enjoyed these flavours because she would inherit these “adventurous tastes” from them (Sotomayor, 25). ● On occasion, abuelita would encourage the family to sing Spanish poetry while they enjoyed their meals. This would allow Sotomayor to understand that the poems like “En Mi Viejo San Juan” were keys of nostalgia for her parents because they experienced “poverty, diseases, and natural disasters that they left behind [in Puerto Rico]” (Sotomayor, 29). ● Sotomayor became aware of what each and every one of her relatives lived through. Despite the hardships, they continued to persevere and live their liberty in America. Moreover, Sotomayor would not have experienced these hardships because unlike her parents she lived in better circumstances. Educational Opportunities For Sotomayor and Her Hispanics (1/2) ● Celina insisted that Sotomayor take advantage of the public education offered by her Catholic school because Celina had no education until after she enrolled in a bilingual college, and she could not allow her daughter to be in the same position (Sotomayor, 145). ● The guilt, poverty, and distress suffered by her own mother influenced, pressured, and provided reasons for Sotomayor to be the best student regardless of the grades she would receive. Achieving good grades was never a complication for Sonia because she was always self-disciplined to study and learn on her own. ● Eventually, her mother had enroll in Hostos College where she was determined to graduate with a major in nursing. ● Celina’s enrollment in Hostos Community College, an institution that was created for the South Bronx Latino Community, brought the attention to Hispanics with Sotomayor’s support later in life. ● “Sonia would give it (referring to Hostos College) the name it deserves” when she would deliver her speech here. (Foderaro, 2018). Educational Opportunities For Sotomayor and Her Hispanics (2/2) ● The commencement speech delivered by Sotomayor was an acknowledgement to both her mother Celina who was encouraged to pursue nursing and to her brother who graduated from City College in 1979 (Foderaro, 2018). ● The Sotomayor’s Puerto Rican roots brought interest to her entire Hispanic audience. With a powerful figure like Sotomayor , who helped inspire her audience through hers and Celina’s achievements, the communities in the Bronx were given hope and determination to succeed whilst being minority. ● Being a minority was and still is a financial difficulty for some who lack education, priority, and many opportunities. However, much has been done such as with the Affirmative Action programs and Sotomayor’s involvement to bolster the community in spite of discrimination, racism, and poverty. ● Hostos College was, in fact, known for its poor scores because students were failing statewide exams. Latinos demonstrated their illiteracy in the English language. ● With Sonia’s support, many educators were able to bring in a Hispanic student body of 60% of people to Hostos College. ● Sotomayor helped redefine and strengthen the school’s curriculum, and when more momentum brought leadership and students together, there was an overall improvement in test scores. Puerto-Rico v.s South Bronx ● As a Puerto-Rican, she had little knowledge about her own identity until after she decided to revive a Puerto-Rican course in Princeton and study the culture, political and/or economic circumstances in Puerto-Rico. ● On her adult trip, Sotomayor identified with the Puerto-Ricans self-righteous acts of voting and learning. She learned “85 percent of the island’s population had gone to the polls in the recent elections” whereas Puerto-Ricans back in NY who did or did not vote felt their votes were not balloted and reviewed (Sotomayor,195). ● On the trip to Tio Mayo’s family, Sotomayor realized the many distinct features of the workers from the Bronx compared to that of the Puerto Ricans on the island. ● She recognized that her relatives were affiliated with jobs that were more exclusive than to that of the Puerto-Ricans in the Bronx. For instance, Charo possessed a job as a school teacher while Evita worked in a governmental position (Foderaro, 2018). ● *Her father worked as a professional designer in Puerto-Rico while traveling to New York to gather ideas for projects (Foderaro, 2018). It was clear for Sotomayor to realize that “the people [she] knew of on the island had better jobs than the Puerto Ricans she knew in the Bronx” (Sotomayor, 44). ● She may have seen only one Puerto Rican doctor in her mother’s hospital but never a Puerto-Rican worker who was in a better position then the rest.(Foderaro, 2018). Sonia’s Occupation ● At the university she continued to study law and after school she took the position of “an assistant director under New York County District Attorney Robert Morgenthau” (Alonso). There at his office, she was declared to work fifteen hours a day, which contributed in her handling explicit and challenging cases involving “robberies, assault, child pornography, and murders” (Alonso). ● As an assistant, Sotomayor was able to take control of a variety of cases. These cases had dealt with criminal activities that had been circulating all around the five boroughs. For instance, she dealt with “Dealers [who] would set up shops on the top floors of tenements on the Lower East Side for addicts who would snake down the steps and outside onto the street” (Weiser). ● These neighborhoods threatened the safety of many locals, which called for immediate attention and action. For the most part, Sotomayor’s task was prosecuting many of these criminals responsible for the damage they have done in the communities. Contributions To NYC ● She participated in the Tarzan case, which involved Richard Maddicks who would terrorize neighbors and kill anyone in his way.(Washingtonpost.com, 2018). This case was taken in the hands of Sotomayor who gave him a life sentence of 137 years in prison (Washingtonpost.com, 2018). ● Sotomayor helped rescue the neighbors and the victims that were hurt by Richard’s bad treatment. If not for Sotomayor’s appropriate judgement, Richard would have continued to do more harm in the city of New York. ● Sotomayor was also involved in the Times Square child pornography case. In 1983, Sotomayor initiated the first childhood prosecution in NY that dealt with the New York’s child pornograpahy laws of the People v. Ferber case from 1982. Sotomayor took appropriate action to prevent the charged members convicted of multiple felonies from doing any more harm. Sotomayor knew how to empathize with each each victim who was hurt in the process and was able to determine fair charges.(Washingtonpost.com, 2018). Sotomayor's Discovery ● With her parents circumstances and a fluent understanding of her Puerto-Rican background, Sonia Sotomayor discovers the nature of her identity and the Hispanic communities in both NYC and Puerto-Rico. That is to say, as a minority herself, she uncovers the truth of Hispanics who are of the same advantage or position but not necessarily privilege. Throughout her life she has been challenged in many ways, but she was still able to persevere through racial, social and economic injustices. As a justice of the Supreme court of the United States, she helped inspire and redefine the cultural and political movement for many Hispanics communities throughout NYC. Citations ● Alonso, Bogar. “Hispanic Heritage Month: Sonia Sotomayor.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television,15 Sept. 2017 ● Foderaro, L. (2018). Justice Sotomayor Will Address Hostos Graduates. [online] Nytimes.com.Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/04/nyregion/04hostos.html [Accessed 6 Apr. 2018]. ● Sotomayor, Sonia, 1954-. My Beloved World. New York :Knopf, 2013. Print ● Washingtonpost.com. (2018). District Attorney of New York County Robert Morgenthau Testifies at Judge Sotomayor's Confirmation Hearings. [online] Available at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/16/AR2009071602990. html [Accessed 4 Mar. 2018]..