Probably the most impacting workshop I have gone to is the community one on Sonia Sotomayor. Not only did it inform me of current events and how life has changed from before, but it opened my eyes to be problems in our society today. Sotomayor broke through many barriers put up for women and Hispanics in these days. She is the first Hispanic Supreme court judge and the third woman. Although there was a brief biography the important part of the workshop was when they explained the role of minorities in America today. As a Hispanic woman, I could relate to Sonia Sotomayor’s story and she gave me hope for the future. I never really believed I needed hope because I thought that the society had changed but by attending this workshop it was apparent that there are many people with old views and ideals. Hopefully people like Sonia Sotomayor will help society view women and Hispanics differently and accept them as prominent people in the world.
One of the speakers said that Mexicans were the new Negroes of the twenty-first century. This was [probably a quote that will stay with me for a while. I had always known that Mexicans had not been given the same opportunities as citizens but to think of my people as slaves really hurt. Another part of the lecture that I remember very clearly is how the women were suppose to act while being watched by society as they worked in “male jobs.” They had to keep their feminism in fear of society thinking that they were stepping out of their role. To think that things as still like that is disturbing because we live in a new time with new views. Sotomayor gives hope to women and Hispanics everywhere.