Most of you by now have heard about this story, but I can’t tell you how excited and happy that a woman of color has been nominated for the supreme court. I am intentional with saying woman of color and not just Latina. I think Liza Sabater from Culture Kitchen said it best:

Sonia Sotomayor considers herself a woman of color, not just a “Hispanic”. She’s a proud puertorriqueña and a Latina, not some form of white-washed eurocentric spanish-speaking acceptable version of a WASP.

As a Black American woman, I’m happy and proud of Obama’s choice for the supreme court. When I was younger I thought I could only really relate to and act on behalf of Black women. As I get older, though, I have become an advocate for all women of color, as in some ways we all share a collective experience.

Most of the racist and sexist attacks on Sotomayor aren’t surprising to me. I knew people would claim she was loud, “ghetto”, and unfit for the Supreme Court. I knew conservatives would say she is a token. None of it surprises me.

The truth is that in Sonia Sotomayor we have a wise, intelligent, powerful woman of color who understands the plight of working class people. We have someone who I believe will bring a new level of experience and also dignity to the Supreme Court.