Wise Latinas Embrace Their New Label

GOP senators may have pooh-poohed Sonia Sotomayor’s “wise Latina” comment, but wise Latinas everywhere are wearing the phrase like a badge of honor, the New York Times reports. From t-shirts to blogs, women of Hispanic heritage have warmed to the phrase much like other minority groups appropriate slurs, a linguist says. “‘Wise Latina’ is not just sticking your chin up. It’s a fist in the air.”

A Mexican-American state senator from Texas who had t-shirts made up reading “Another wise Latina woman” says the phrase is empowering, and reminds her of nurturing female elders and “our matriarchal culture.” A younger supporter finds a lesson for today: “You have to be really wise to wake up in the morning and go to school and work and come home and not get involved in the negative things." (More Sonia Sotomayor stories.)