The long-term effects of 'wise Latina'

After Sen. Sessions and Judge Sotomayor battled over her "wise Latina" comment this morning, we asked Jesse Washington, AP’s race and ethnicity writer, about the long-term effects of the controversy.

Q: Will the criticism of Sotomayor serve to silence some minority professionals from talking about how their culture influences them in their career?

A: In corporate America, probably not. Many of the nation’s biggest companies believe that increased diversity helps them understand their customers, develop new approaches and do better business. What this controversy could do is advance the concept that race or ethnicity should never be a factor in the government’s actions or decisions -- something that many minorities believe is unfair due to continuing inequities that are “baked into”  today’s society. That concept also is percolating in recent Supreme Court decisions, like the New Haven firefighters case, and will inevitably be confronted at some point.

Q: After the euphoria surrounding Obama’s election, is the furor over these comments a step backward for race relations?

A: It’s more a sign of how race relations are evolving. Sotomayor’s opponents are essentially saying she would be unfair to white men. When in American history has a Hispanic woman been in a position to oppress the most powerful group in the nation?

Q: How does this relate to the concept of a colorblind society?

A: America has yet to agree on whether we want a colorblind society or a color-inclusive society. Should there just be one homogenous “American culture”? Or do the different traditions, beliefs and experiences that Americans have brought here from around the world create something valuable?

Q: Is it unfair to expect Sotomayor and other minority pioneers in certain fields to be silent about how their culture influences them?

A: Yes -- although the problem is that white people, men in particular, are not allowed that same opportunity. Until we can figure out if “American culture” means “white culture” or something new, this problem will remain.

-Michael Giarrusso, AP regional news director