Wise Latinas Have Got Sotomayor’s Back

Several wisdom-rich Latinas are quite vocal about their belief that Sotomayor should not apologize for her now infamous “wise Latina” comments. They made the point that the experience of white men are more often than not considered the norm or status quo, so their backgrounds are never questioned or considered. Also: White men’s inherent simmering rage never comes out in the form of a chancleta to the face, and rather in super random ways like mass genocide and war. 

Explained Wise Latina Lisa Garcia Bedolla, professor of social and cultural studies at the University of California-Berkeley:

There is a presumption that if you’re white and if you’re male, neither of these things inform your life, but if you are of color or a woman, somehow that is your defining trait.

Our color is “translucent, with a hint of vampire,” but we get what you’re saying, yes. Indeed! The idea of the white, heteronormative male experience being 1) homogenous and 2) neutral has always been very apparent to us. 

However, in discussions revolving around Sotomayor’s ability to be an impartial and lawful Justice, we often notice that her Latinaness (that is, both her ethnicity and her gender) is brought up by Latinos in a way that has nothing to do with her capacity to judge. For example:

Judges aren’t machines. Sonia Sotomayor is wearing pink under her black jacket. She wears hoops as well as well as pearls.

She’s quite elegant in saying that we bring all that, but in the moment, ‘I will do what the law will demand.’

- Rossana Rosado, publisher and CEO of El Diario La Prensa.

There’s something very compelling about Sonia Sotomayor. When she was hobbling around on crutches, her (toenails) were painted bright orange red. That’s not Judge Ginsburg. You know no Latina worth her salt would be caught dead with unpedicured feet.

- Ana Navarro, senior adviser to John McCain’s presidential campaign.

In trying to shield or speak out against having Sotomayor painted by her white, male counterparts as little more than a walking label or activist agenda, are we also reducing her stereotypes that fit our own agenda or projections of what we’d like to see in a Latina Justice?

‘Wise Latinas’ say Sotomayor need not apologize [ANC News]