Sotomayor Selection Creates a Puff of Pride - NYTimes.com

Sotomayor Selection Creates a Puff of Pride - NYTimes.com: MIAMI — The lunch crowd at El Palacio de Los Jugos on Tuesday could not agree on the appropriate level of excitement. Cubans, Colombians, Dominicans — they all said they were pleased to hear Judge Sonia Sotomayor accept her selection for the United States Supreme Court with a speech that included the rolling “r’s” of her Puerto Rican roots.

But do not assume that Judge Sotomayor’s identity will define her, said Luis Home, 35, a Colombian-American technology recruiter. “It’s like saying if you’re Hispanic, you’re going to be a superhero for Hispanics. That’s not true.”

Mr. Home’s friend, Amaury Lendeborg, 30, disagreed, somewhat. “A cultural connection will always win,” said Mr. Lendeborg, a Dominican-American.

And so the debate begins.

In restaurants, homes and offices across the country, Hispanics responded to Judge Sotomayor’s selection with a puff of pride, some gratitude and considerable discussion. In interviews in Miami, Los Angeles and New York, many said this kind of recognition from Washington — Democratic or Republican — was long overdue given the growing size of the Hispanic voting bloc.

The hope, they said, is that her hardscrabble life and accomplishments will add prestige to the public image and self-image of Hispanics.