A Night with Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor

There was excitement and energy swerving, like some invisible presence, throughout the Winter Garden before the arrival of Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor on the early eve of Friday, October 12, 2018. All library staff who had volunteered stood calm and ready in that vast windowed hall, waiting for the groups of people, who had lined up outside the building, to come in and then up nine floors to hear the lawyer speak. The Justice arrived just as the sky turned velvet black outside turning the air even crisper with the Chicago cold.

Just as high anticipation filled that room a couple hours before, the moments right before the event were, without a doubt, full of energy of a different kind. There was, indeed, a presence in the room. Sotomayor's presence was radiant, strong, gentle, and supportive; to say this more clearly, if possible: it felt as if the fragile foundations which define our relationships with one another, whether stranger, friend, family, or foe, would never break, were made more sturdy. It was, truly, an aura of hope.

She sat on a large, elegant, and soft chair on a little stage along with her interviewer. A group of children sat directly in front of this stage, on the floor, with their curious and critical eyes staring upward at the lawyer they had heard so much about. The press stood on smaller tiers farther back, their cameras in front and the the olive trees, lit up by florescence, behind.

Justice Sotomayor began with a welcoming smile. She looked around at the crowd, careful to take her surroundings and every person in. There was something unusually warm and personal about her, something sincere hard to find in anyone these days, but especially in anyone involved with politics.

After a few initial questions from the interviewer, Sotomayor told the crowd that she couldn't just sit down. She intended to walk while talking. That is, walk through the crowd, looking at everyone, every single person, and occasionally stop to hug or offer her hand to anyone willing. And that's exactly what she did as she answered questions and told us about her experiences. 

There are a few things that stood out prominently. 

She told a story about how, when she was young, she was doing poorly in school. She kept doing poorly, and it made her feel worse when her teacher decided to start giving out gold stars to those who did well. There was one girl in her class who received many gold stars. She wanted one, too. So one day, she went up to that girl and asked, "How do you get all those stars?" And that girl told her how studied, how she read, and how she took notes. And following her, Sonya began to receive gold stars. That girl and Sonya are still friends to this day. In fact, a few months ago, she was the person who married that girl and her now husband. During her wedding speech, her friend said jokingly, my biggest regret is teaching Sonya how to study, because now she has more gold stars than me! The lesson Sonya wanted to illuminate was that many people forget that the easiest way to achieve something is just to ask. Go up, and ask. We do this when we are young, but forget to once we reach a certain age. We should continue to ask, she urged. 

Transitioning from this story, she told another anecdote. She was at a restaurant once, and she pulled out her needle to go ahead and give herself the medication prescribed to her for diabetes. She heard a person, at another table just next to her, say, "She must be addicted to drugs." And Sonya turned around and explained the situation. But she was so upset that someone would just assume something like that. In comparison to this, an at event where there were children, she pulled out her medication needle, and a child saw. He was curious and watched from a distance, then became so interested and went up to her and simply asked, "What are you doing?" And she explained to him what she was doing. The simple act of asking can change the world. 

When asked why she became a lawyer, her answer was simple. Sometimes, people have problems with their relationships with other people. They have problems with their family members, or they have problems with their neighbor, or they have problems with their friends, or their co-workers. And a lawyers' job is to help people and try to solve those problems. It's essentially about helping people, she said. And that's why she is a lawyer. 

She smiled and hugged the child who asked, and moved on.

Another question was along the lines of, what was your proudest moment? Her answer was a poignant one. She was being sworn in as Supreme Court Justice. She looked across the room and she saw the then President Obama, the First Lady Michelle Obama, and Vice President Joe Biden. And she felt so happy and proud. But then she looked right in front of her. And she saw her entire family and all her friends, a lot who came from Puerto Rico, a lot from all over the United States, and some from all over the world. And she would not have felt as proud if they had not been there. If her friends and family had not been there, the moment would not have meant as much to her. And she said that she worked hard and got to the top, but the most important thing that she did was bring her family and friends with her. She did not forget about them. That, plus being with some of the most powerful people in the country, was her proudest moment. 

What do you like to do when you are not working? was another. Cook with friends, go shopping with friends, go to the movies, etc. etc. Because friends are the people who are supposed to make you happy she said. She also said her favorite books are fantasy books, with monsters and witches and trolls. She also told the crowd that she has to read about 300 pages of work each day and sometimes she falls asleep while reading. 

Sotomayor said something else too that may have been hard for a lot of the older people in the room to swallow. She said, I get scared sometimes, about the political situation, about the world. But I turn that fear into work, and I work so I don't have to be scared anymore. One thing that scares her is that many Americans do not know the three branches of government. She added this - that the older generation failed the children - that the older generation failed to provide a good, safe foundation for the young ones in this world, and that we have to make sure that this doesn't happen again. 

She went to a cafe in Puerto Rico once and had a coffee and enjoyed the smells and sights and sounds, especially the sound of the coo-coo-ca-roo which is made by some bug or animal there. She stayed awhile, and when she got up to leave, she looked for the owner so he could bless her before she left. In Puerto Rico, it's part of their culture and tradition to have the oldest person bless the person leaving the room. But as she asked the old man to do this, he refused, saying that she didn't need a blessing, because sometimes you can see that there are angels following that person. I think this touched her very deeply.

As Sonya Sotomayor was answering these questions and telling these stories, she continued to walk within the crowd, shaking hands and hugging children and adults alike, making sure everyone got a chance to look her straight in the eye. And finally she came around to me. And she approached me and shook my hand. And in that moment I realized there are plenty of things you can say without opening your mouth once. Because eyes can speak, too. 

When I met her again after waiting in line to get my books signed I told her this: "Thank you so much for this sincerely supportive and inspiring night. I know it was mostly for the children, but I got so much out it even as an adult in my 30s. I'll carry that experience with me forever." And she replied, "Thank you so much for saying that. When hard times come, it is the good memories we look back on to keep us going."

- F