Sotomayor coverage in NJ: What happened? Que pasó?
August 21, 2009 by Ivette MendezI submitted the below letter to the Star-Ledger on Friday, Aug. 7. Since the letter hasn’t seen the light of day, I thought I’d publish it here.
It’s self-explanatory.
I consistently encourage Latinos to send letters to the editor as well as opinion pieces. We must have our voices heard! Drop me a line if you want some advice on how to go about it: imendez@latinosnj.com.
So here’s my two cents as expressed in the below letter to the editor:
The Star-Ledger’s front page headline “First Hispanic Justice” over a photo of a beaming Sonia Sotomayor was a sight to behold. Thursday’s confirmation vote was historical and Latinos throughout the country and New Jersey were bursting with emotions and pride.
But wait! When I went to read the coverage, I was stunned to see that the state’s largest newspaper chose to use newswires. You didn’t bother to assign a reporter to capture what Latinos in New Jersey were thinking and feeling on a day that will be emblazoned in our memories until our last breaths. And you couldn’t even be bothered to include any comments from our own Senator Bob Menendez, one of only two Latino senators in the country, who proudly cast a vote on her behalf.
I know you have all the relevant statistics regarding the Latino population in New Jersey, including the large number of Puerto Ricans. Indeed, your editorial that ran that same day (“A Supreme moment”) noted the nation’s combined “minority” population has reached 100 million but, alas, there was no mention of the more than 1.4 million Latinos in your own backyard.
The editorial succinctly notes that the Republicans who voted against Judge Sotomayor “seemed trapped in a disappearing past.” Well, I believe the same can be said about the Star-Ledger in this case. You missed the boat in a big way by ignoring what New Jersey Latinos were thinking and saying on what certainly was one of the greatest days in our country, in New Jersey, in our communities, and in our lifetime.
I know many of us had been planning to save a copy of the Aug. 7, 2009 edition of the Star-Ledger as a keepsake. But given the paper’s decision to ignore the voices of New Jersey Latinos who regard Judge Sotomayor as a family member, I wouldn’t be surprised if those copies land in the recycling bins.
August 21st, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Ms Mendez, with all due respect, the selection and approval of Ms Sotomayor for the Supreme Court should not be seen as a Latino thing. When someone with a Greek, German, Polish, et al, surname is selected for whatever high office, those othe people did not make a big thing about it. It is or was an American that was selected, not a foreigner. An American, not more nor less.
Now I can understand the Latino’s pride in that a woman with Spanish surname was chosen for that position, but it does dimish from the fact that she is first and foremost and American who happens to have a Spanish last name. Period. If it means anything, yo soy Puertoriqueño by birth, but an American nonetheless.
September 7th, 2009 at 7:31 am
Hi Ivette….
” seemed trapped in a disappearing past ” is the right phrase… thank you for the encouragement. I enjoyed reading ya…
Rod
September 7th, 2009 at 8:28 am
Ms. Mendez,
I wholeheartedly agree with you to a certain extent - if the newspaper wishes NOT to identify itself with the community it “covers” then so be it. A newspaper with that interest will come along from the community itself rather than a special interest group with political inclination.
I enjoyed reading you.. thank you for the encouragement.
Donald,
likewise, I’m inclined to agree with you to a certain point.
While it is true that “The beauty of being an American is that we originated from other cultures, thus we are not a homogeneous people”. Having said that, then it is also true that multiculturalism is the very definition of what it means to be an American, of the same of similar kind of nature but , however, at the same time proud of the identity we bring to the melting pot.
This identity is directly conveyed in the political arena by our chosen leaders which in turn represent “The People” (or population they represent) what elected them, in essence that is the political process , or is it not ?
We can see racial references all over the political spectrum. Take Atty. Gen Holden for example, when he said ” We are a nation of cowards ” or say Van Jones , who in my personal view does nothing but preach hate. These example are attributed and are a direct result of what it mean to be an ” American “. In the latter example you have 2 political leader who have a different perspective of that meaning, due to historical motivation or even personal experiences that might have rubbed them the wrong way.
As Americans we shared a common set of social values and respect for our fellow citizens (but not necessarily beliefs). The meaning of being an (hyphenated)American is generally subject to interpretation based on the “hyphenating” (or one’s ancestry) as you so well put it in your post to Mr. Menendez. That is to say, even those of Greek, German, Polish descent, who choose not to express their heritage so lively as we Latinos do, have their own culturally inclined view based on their upbringings, whether they elect to express those views in public is their choice. Case in point, NY Harlem Renaissance. Did you know that The Ottoman Empire was at one point the most dominant in the world? it accomplished that not because it excluded others but rather because it embraced them along with their culture.
In conclusion, diversity is the spice of democracy. From a political standpoint , aside from freedom of speech, there isn’t anything more beneficial to a democracy than diversity. It is a fact that the influence of the Latino community continues to grow and as educated voters we need to exercise caution when electing political leader, one must not elect simply on color/race/creed but rather on the political substance and attributes the candidate brings to the table. Latinos have does an exceptional job thus far in this regard.
I too am proud of being an American or multicultural emblazonment proportions
October 16th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Sr. Rod; Regarding the Ottoman Empire’s embracing other cultures, don’t tell that to the Armenians. I think they will take umbrage at that comment.