Justice Sonia Sotomayor promotes children's book at Barnum

On Thursday, Sept. 5, United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor appeared at Samo’s Barnum Hall for a moderated conversation with award-winning artist Rafael López regarding her new children’s book Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You, which López illustrated. Although many Samo students attended, the event was open to the public and not sponsored by the school, attracting audience members of all ages and backgrounds.  The three-part event began with Sotomayor discussing her motivations behind the release, followed by an audience Q & A during which Sotomayor and López interacted with the audience, even stopping to hug and speak with children. Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You is an illustrated picture book telling the stories of many differently abled children and the unique ways in which they live their lives. Sotomayor was inspired by her own childhood diagnosis of diabetes and the social and emotional challenges she faced as a result. The need for such a book was illuminated to her when she realized that she was not alone in having a medical condition that was often misunderstood by others. Sotomayor stressed that one of the key goals she had for the book was for every child to be able to see themselves in it. This translated into creating a diverse group of characters with a range of abilities. The evening concluded with a signing line that gave every interested individual the opportunity to meet Sotomayor and López and spend a few moments conversing and taking photos. Although her newest release is targeted to children, Sotomayor has written several other books targeted to various ages, all of which were on sale in Barnum Hall and were allowed to be brought up for her to sign.  “I was extremely excited because of how important a figure she is… It was such an incredible experience because she not only shared her compassion for children, but also her ability to connect people through their differences,” Parker Lauer (’20) said.  The moral of the book, Sotomayor explained, is to always assume the best in people and never make instant judgements about their lives. When asked why she writes children’s books, Sotomayor explained that she strongly believes that kids are the future, capable of fixing the innumerable mistakes adults have made. “Have faith that the world will change, and by doing what you love, being different and being brave, you will help make that change,” Sotomayor said.