Justice Sonia Sotomayor Speaks Out on Latino Identity and Civic Engagement

*Why you should read this: Because Justice Sotomayor call us out, but does it in an encouraging way. Because she preaches truth: “None of us can afford to be bystanders in life.” Because it’s a good read (and I don’t use those words lightly). VL


By Abigail Golden-Vazquez, Aspen Institute (6.5 minute read)  

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, joined the Aspen Institute Latinos and Society Program in March for a conversation about the crucial role that civic engagement plays in our society and ways to inspire civic action by all Americans. Alongside Latinos and Society Executive Director Abigail Golden-Vazquez, the Justice discussed Latino identity, youth empowerment, and more — you can read her answers below and watch the entire event.

Read more stories about Sonia Sotomayor in NewsTaco. >> 

Abigail Golden-Vazquez: Civically engaged citizens reach higher levels of education, make more money, and have better health outcomes. But who has access to civic opportunity? What would you say about the state of America’s civic culture, and what can we do to reignite civic spirit?

Sonia Sotomayor: We are never going to reach equality in America until we achieve equality in education. That’s why we’re unequal in this society, and it’s what we need to change if we want all people equal – not just under law – but in participation in society.

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None of us can afford to be bystanders in life. We create our community, and we create it by being active participants in our community. Since I joined the board of iCivics, I’ve been an active participant in three new initiatives: moving into high schools, creating models for how teachers can create programs to do civic problems, and making things accessible to ESL students.

There’s no single Latino identity. But there are some characteristics Latinos are known for – hard work, family values, belief in the value of education, or an entrepreneurial spirit. Latinos start businesses at four times the rest of the nation – but we lag behind in civic participation. Why?

Let’s be honest. If you’re working 14 hours a day at your job, it is hard to make time for civic participation. And for many Latinos, that’s the quality of their life. We have to engage with that reality. It’s very hard to motivate people who barely have time to sit and think about involving themselves in other people’s problems. That’s why I think teaching civic involvement as a bettering not of the world, but of your community, becomes more powerful and easier to sell.

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