Wednesday, Jan. 20 marked many firsts for America’s marginalized communities.
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayer sworn-in Kamala Harris, the first Black and South Asian woman to become Vice President of the United States.
Sotomayor’s delivery of the Vice Presidential Oath to Harris cemented yet another monumental event in American history. Like Vice President Harris, Sotomayer made history when she became the first Latina to serve on the Supreme Court.
Harris has referred to Sotomayer as a source of inspiration. Like Harris, Sotomayor came from similar roots. Her parents moved from Puerto Rico during World War II to the Bronx. Sotomayer’s father was a factory worker who died when she was 9-years-old, leaving her mother alone to raise her and her brother in the housing projects.
“The progression of my life has been uniquely American,” Sotomayor told CNN.
It only makes sense that Harris would choose the trailblazing judge to help transition her into the nation’s second-highest office.
Justice Sotomayor is familiar with swearing-in vice presidents. In 2013, she swore in then-VP Joe Biden for his second term alongside President Barack Obama.
Shortly before taking the oath, Harris took the time to acknowledge the countless number of women of color who made the moment possible.
“I am here because of the women who came before me,” Harris wrote in a tweet posted early Wednesday morning.
I’m here today because of the women who came before me. pic.twitter.com/ctB9qGJqqp
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) January 20, 2021
During her inaugural speech, Harris included a quote she often heard during her upbringing, one that accurately reflects the critical moment she and Sotomayer shared, “I may be the first woman to hold this position, but I won’t be the last.”
The Cultural Impact
The historical transition of power was equally empowering in the Latino community.
Political reporter Grace Panetta praised the significance of the moment on her Twitter.
“A moment laden with symbolism as Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor,” Panetta tweeted, “the first Latina Justice, swears in VP Kamala Harris as the first female, Black, and South Asian VP on a Bible that belonged to legendary first Black Justice & civil rights icon Thurgood Marshall.”
Justice Sotomayer was selected to the high court by President Barack Obama in August 2009 and is only the third woman ever to become a Supreme Court Justice.
Her leadership follows the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Since her appointment, Sotomayer has used her position to advocate for criminal justice reform and dissent on issues of race, gender, and ethnic identity.
