Planned Parenthood and Award-Winning Poets Announce “Dear Sonia Sotomayor,” a Collection of Love Letters to the First Latina Supreme Court Justice
 

New York, NY — Today, Planned Parenthood announced "Dear Sonia Sotomayor," a collaboration between five nationally recognized, award-winning poets on a series of love letters to Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina to sit on the Supreme Court of the United States. This timely collaboration comes while all eyes are on the Supreme Court and the constitutional right to abortion hangs by a thread. "Dear Sonia Sotomayor" is a nod to hope and a reminder that it’s important to celebrate victories, even in the most challenging times by uplifting voices that too often go unheard.

The collaboration features five original poems written by a diverse group of poets — Mayda Del Valle, Melania Luisa Marte, Kim Guerra, Yesika Salgado, and Danyeli Rodriguez Del Orbe. Dear Sonia Sotomayor features a video of each poet performing their love letter. In the letters, the poets embrace their cultures, their abortion stories, and Sotomayor’s unwavering defense of reproductive rights throughout the years. Planned Parenthood invites people from Black, Latino and Indigenous communities to celebrate the power of art and storytelling by sharing their own poetry or abortion stories in the comment section of the videos or by sharing them on social media with the hashtag #DearSoniaSotomayor.

Statement from Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America:

Justice Sonia Sotomayor is an icon who symbolizes conscience on the court and offers a reminder that even in the darkest times, there is power in dissent. Inspired by Audre Lorde, who said ‘poetry is...a vital necessity of our existence,’ Dear Sonia Sotomayor uses the cultural influence of this art form to celebrate Justice Sotomayor. The words of each featured poet express our dream, not only to survive, but to drive social change and celebrate the first Latina to sit on the highest court in the nation. These poems will  empower others who may recognize themselves in her resilience and success.

Dear Sonia Sotomayor by Melania Luisa Marte

Dear Sonia Sotomayor by Mayda Del Valle

On Dec. 1, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which could determine the future of Roe v. Wade and abortion rights in America. While no one can predict the outcome, one fact remains true: A Nuyorican woman from the Bronx sits at this table — and from that seat — continues to impact the lives of Black, Latino, and Indigenous people across the country. 

This year alone, over 100 abortion restrictions have been enacted nationwide, making 2021 the worst year for abortion rights since 1973, the year Roe v. Wade was decided. For over a month, Texas’s S.B. 8 law, which bans abortion after around six weeks, has denied Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities access to abortion in disproportionate numbers. 

Yet, in spite of these attacks on their bodies, women of color like Sotomayor continue to shape democracy. They make decisions in spaces that are historically and intentionally designed to exclude Black, Latino, and Indigenous people — inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.

The first video in the series, titled “Dear Sonia Sotomayor by Melania Luisa Marte'' was released on Friday by Poderistas, an online platform that aims to empower Latinas through inspiration and community building. Marte’s poem speaks to Justice Sotomayor’s bravery and how she serves as a beacon of hope in the fight for bodily autonomy and health equity. The remaining videos in the series will be featured on Planned Parenthood’s social media channels.

"Dear Sonia Sotomayor" includes poems by:

• Mayda Del Valle, born and raised on the Southside of Chicago, is the author of A South Side Girl’s Guide to Love and Sex and winner of the 2016 Drinking Gourd Chapbook Poetry Prize from Northwestern University Press. She has appeared on the HBO series Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry, and was a contributing writer and original cast member of the Tony Award-winning Def Poetry Jam on Broadway. Del Valle began her artistic career at the Nuyorican Poets Café, where she was the 2001 Grand Slam Champion, and went on to become the National Poetry Slam Champion in the same year, becoming the youngest poet and the first Latinx person to do so. She has appeared in Urban Latino, Latina magazine, Mass Appeal, The Source, The New York Times, and was named by Smithsonian Magazine as one of America’s Young Innovators in the Arts and Sciences. O, The Oprah Magazine,  selected Del Valle as one of 20 women for the first ever “O Power List,” a group of visionary women making a mark in business, politics, and the arts.

• Melania Luisa Marte, is a Black writer, poet, and speaker from New York who lives in the Dominican Republic. Marte's poetry explores many subjects including her Caribbean roots, Black feminism, and self-love. Marte is currently working on her debut collection of poetry, Plantains & Our Becoming, that will be published by Tiny Reparations, an imprint of Plume and Penguin Random House, in Summer 2023. 

• Kim Guerra, is a queer woman of color and butterfly woman who has given herself wings. She is a writer, advocate, and entrepreneur. Guerra is the creator of Brown Badass Bonita, a brand and movement that she considers to be a work of self-love and an offering of love for her community. She is the author of Mariposa and Mija, collections of bilingual poems, affirmations, and revolutionary love letters. Brown Badass Bonita is for all humans who are giving themselves and their community wings through revolutionary love. Guerra continues to use her voice and platform to advocate for the immigrant, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, survivors, mujeres and oppressed communities. She’s currently based in Los Angeles and Coyoacan with her partner and dog.

• Yesika Salgado, is a Los Angeles-based Salvadoran poet who writes about her family, her culture, her city, and her fat, brown body. She has shared her work in venues and campuses throughout the country. Salgado is a two-time National Poetry Slam finalist and the recipient of the 2020 International Latino Book Award in Poetry. Her work has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Teen Vogue, Univision, CNN, NPR, TEDx, and many digital platforms. Salgado is an internationally recognized body-positive activist and the writer of the column “Suelta” for Remezcla. Yesika is the author of the bestsellers Corazón, Tesoro, and Hermosa, published with Not a Cult.

• Danyeli Rodriguez Del Orbe, is a Dominican, Bronx-raised community organizer, writer, and spoken-word performer. She has been featured by Bronx Museum of Arts, San Francisco's Museum of African Diaspora, and People en Español magazine to name a few. In December 2019, she self-published her first collection of poetry, periódicos de ayer, a lover’s archive. Del Orbe is also the co-founder and co-host of “loose accents,” a Latinx podcast that highlights the immigrant experiences of the east and west coasts. In addition to performing, Del Orbe has been an avid advocate for immigrant rights, receiving the New York State Dream Activist Award and becoming a recipient of the Immigrant Justice Corps Fellowship and New York Immigration Coalition's DREAM Fellowship. Currently, her community and artistic work centers the nuances of being both Black and both undocumented and formerly undocumented.

###

Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable sexual and reproductive health care for all people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With more than 600 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect, and without judgment, striving to create equitable access to health care. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable education and information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives. Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that supports the independently incorporated Planned Parenthood affiliates operating health centers across the U.S.