10/13/09 HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH: WNY ‘Wise Latinas’ Tackle Traditions and Revolutionary Roles in 2009

The Hon. Sonya Sotomayor made history as the country’s first Latina Supreme Court Justice. This Hispanic Heritage Month, The Buffalo Hispanic Woman’s League is focusing on this historical milestone and what it means for area Latinas.
“Wow we’ve come a long long way, especially in the last 10 years,” smiled Buffalo’s Felicia Cruz.
The Buffalo Hispanic Woman’s League member is still shocked and excited about Hon. Sonya Sotomayor becoming the country’s first Latina Supreme Court Justice.
Family stood beside Judge Sotomayor as the Bronx Puerto Rican native swore to serve the country’s best judicial interests. But looming questions surrounding Sotomayor’s “wise Latina” 2001 comments at UC Berkley threatened to derail her appointment.
“I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.” -Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor speaking to University of California Berkley students in 2001
The Buffalo Hispanic Women’s league is filled with many self-described ‘wise Latinas’ who say their experiences also shape how they combat challenges as a Hispanic and a woman living and working in Western New York.
“I think the fact that Sotomayor is where she is a great opportunity for us women to look at her and the younger generations to see that ‘yeah I can do that, it doesn’t matter where I come from or what nationality I am,'” said health insurance broker Natalia Land. The Nicaraguan native grew up in California before moving to Buffalo for work.
President Barack Obama appointed Judge Sotomayor the country’s first Latina Supreme Court Justice August 2009. Two years prior Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown tapped the Hon. Betty Calvo Torres to become the Queen City’s first Latina City Court Judge in June.
Members of Buffalo’s Hispanic Women’s League say, Latina’s are making power moves in Western New York.
“The doors have opened. You have Betty and other women in the field of law and in other professional fields that we didn’t see once upon a time,” said Eleanor Paterson with the Erie Community College’s English As A Second Language (ESL) Program. She says the ESL program has seen an influx of Cuban female students looking to train for office clerical and lab technician jobs.
“They want a degree too! So they are taking care of home and their school needs,” Paterson added.
According to US Census Bureau 62-percent of Hispanics 25 and up have at least a high school education. Thirteen percent have a college degree. More than 800,000 have an advanced degree.
*** Hispanic Higher Education ***
62% High School Diploma
13% (3.6 Million) Bachelor’s Degree
I Million Masters, Professional and Doctorate Degrees
18% Professional or Management Jobs
SOURCE: US Census 2009
Despite the wave of Latinas climbing the educational and corporate ladder, some women say there’s still a “glass ceiling” preventing progress beyond a certain level.
“It’s still there isn’t it. It’s everywhere. And it’s there for Latina women. I see the Latina woman as a very strong woman. Very motivated!” smiled Paterson.
WNY Health advocates say Latina’s need to be motivated to monitor their HIV status since Latina and African American women are the fastest growing groups for new AIDS cases.
Felicia Cruz grew up in South Buffalo and earned a scholarship from the Hispanic Woman’s League. The Puerto Rican American single mother of one served the US six years as a marine. Now she says she’s focusing on protecting WNY’s Latino community HIV and AIDS through the Alianza Latina Health and Prevention Program.
“We’re not getting tested regularly or we’re waiting to get tested or we don’t think we’re at risk for being tested because we’re in a monogamous relationship.”
Census data shows married couples head up 66-percent of Hispanic households, but some Latinas say women’s roles at home are shifting. Bennett High School Foreign Language teacher Alicia Granto has mentored young women since she arrived in Buffalo in the late 1980’s. The Cuban educator says domestic roles are changing for her Latina students graduating into the new millennium.
“They are teaming up with more realistic, pragmatic men that appreciate the fact that they are strong women and don’t simply want them to be a tool to wash and iron their clothes and cook their meals which used to be the case.” Granto says her Latina students show an early interests in balancing their home traditions and work responsibilities.
“I see similarities in the Black and Puerto Rican young women. They work hard and want to stand out. The Hispanic young men don’t always want to shine as much,” Granto added. Like Judge Sotomayor, the Buffalo Hispanic Women’s League members say they are working to raise the next generation of “wise Latinas”
“I just never met so many here in Western New York. Really with a positive attitudes you know ‘don’t give up’ and even mentoring,” smiled Paterson.