Summary
When she was a kid living in public housing in the Bronx, Sonia Sotomayor dreamed big. She wanted to be a girl sleuth, or a lawyer, or even a judge. The odds were against her: Her widowed mom didn’t have much money, and at the time, the legal profession didn’t include many women or people of color. But Sotomayor’s brains, drive, and willingness to work hard paved the way. She won scholarships to college and law school, and built a distinguished legal career that led President George H.W. Bush to make her a federal judge. But when, years later, she was nominated to join the Supreme Court—the highest court in the land—controversy erupted over her views on diversity. Overcoming that would lead her to become the first Latina to ever sit on the Supreme Court, where she’d become a vocal member—and a role model.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
A few questions to talk through after watching Sonia Sotomayor:
- What is one new thing you learned about sonia sotomayor?
- Can you explain it to a partner in your own words?
- Where might you see this in the real world?
- What is one question you still have?
Quick work-a-long
Try it:
- Write one sentence explaining sonia sotomayor.
- Draw or give one example of your own.