Women & Children First hosted a reading and conversation with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor about her new children's book—Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You—Sept. 11 in Senn High School's auditorium.
Just Ask! tells the stories of a number of children with disabilities as they work together to build a community garden.
Sotomayor has been a Supreme Court justice for 10 years. She has also written The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor, Turning Pages: My Life Story and My Beloved World.
Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP Partner and Northwestern Pritzker School of Law faculty member Abby Mollen moderated the event. Mollen previously clerked for U.S. Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit Judge David S. Tatel, and Sotomayor at the Supreme Court.
Addressing a packed house of about 900 people, Women & Children First Co-owners Sarah Hollenbeck and Lynn Mooney spoke about Sotomayor's and Mollen's backgrounds ahead of the event.
"This is an exciting time in publishing when finally so many different kinds of kids are seeing themselves and their experiences mirrored in the pages of the books that they read," said Hollenbeck. "I was born with a disability but it took me a very long time to think of myself as disabled. One of the reasons for that was all the books I read only defined disability as one thing … being in a wheelchair and I knew I was not that.
"I first met the justice 10 years ago when she was interviewing me for a job in her chambers and the questions she posed to me were probing and a bit intimidating," said Mollen. "They did not get any easier over the course of the next year [working for the justice] or since for that matter. I am pleased tonight to be able to turn the tables and ask the questions."
"I had not thought about this," Sotomayor responded, as the audience laughed at both that remark and Mollen's last line.
Mollen asked Sotomayor why she writes children's books.
"If I could devote my position as a justice to helping inspire kids to really believe that they can change the world then I will leave behind a bigger and better legacy than any [judicial] decision I ever made," said Sotomayor. "For me children's books are a way to do that."
Mollen said the great thing about children's books is that parent's get exposed to them too and asked why Sotomayor wrote this specific book.
Sotomayor explained that children get the book's message pretty quickly; however it takes parent's a little longer. She said idea of "just ask" has been in her head for over 30 years. She spoke about being diagnosed with juvenile diabetes when she was 7 � years old and having to give herself injections every day for over 58 years. Sotomayor said for the first half of her life she hid her diagnosis from people.
"It was shameful back then to be different," said Sotomayor. "I was always afraid my friends would make fun of me."
Sotomayor explained that at restaurants she would go to the bathroom stall to give herself injections but one night at a fancy restaurant in New York City she decided to do it right at the table. A woman saw the needle and when Sotomayor was leaving the restaurant she overheard her saying to her friends that Sotomayor was a drug addict. Sotomayor said this caused her to feel shame and then controlled anger so she confronted the woman and told her about her diabetes and not to assume the worst in people.
Since then, Sotomayor has told how she came out as a diabetic in her other children's book. She said over time she began hearing stories about the children of people she loves who have life challenges and that was another reason why she wrote this book.
Sotomayor told some of the stories in the book and said these children have special powers because they have to do extra things every day that other children do not have to do.
"I hope to be the voice for all of us who are different and be proud of it," said Sotomayor.
Mollen said the message of the book is different from the one that is told to children when they are taught about having polite manners, which is do not stare or say anything.
Sotomayor explained that it is more important to teach children to ask sensitive questions to people with disabilities.
Mollen asked Sotomayor how she finally accepted and embraced her diabetes as something that makes her strong.
Sotomayor said it took her until she was a Supreme Court justice when she was at a juvenile diabetes conference and a little girl there asked if there was anything good about having diabetes and she said "Yes. It taught me how to take care of myself … to watch what [and when] I eat and be moderate in what I eat, including sweets. I do everything the rest of you do not do."
During the Q&A session, Sotomayor walked among the attendees because she said she does not like sitting for extended amounts of time.
Sotomayor told one 10 year old girl who wants to become a Supreme Court justice that she has to study, practice and work hard. She said the hardest thing is to have a job you do not like and do it well with a positive attitude because it is necessary to move up the professional ladder.
A young woman in her teens asked Sotomayor what her biggest flaw is—and the justice said it was fear of failure. She explained that this fear almost caused her not to accept the Supreme Court nomination; however, friends talked her out of that decision.
Another attendee asked Sotomayor's who her biggest influence is and she said her mother because of how she navigated her life as a child living in poverty and then as an adult who went back to school to become a registered nurse in her late 40s.
Following the event, Sotomayor ( who got a standing ovation ) signed copies of her books and took pictures with everyone under age 18 who stood in line to see her.
