Congresswoman Linda Sánchez - Dream in Color: How the Sánchez Sisters Are Making History in Congress

Copyright 2008 by Linda Snchez and Loretta Snchez

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Grand Central Publishing

Hachette Book Group USA

237 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10017

Visit our Web site at www.HachetteBookGroupUSA.com

First eBook Edition: September 2008

ISBN: 978-0-446-54277-7

THE SNCHEZ SISTERS HAVE THEIR SAY...

On Determination: When I first came to the Hill, I immediately began lobbying members of Congress. I desperately wanted to be on the Judiciary Committee... there were also senior members vying for it and no openings. Then I heard that Barney Frank had just vacated his position... On January 28, 2003, I received a call that Id landed the slot! So, once again I learned: never say never.

Linda

On Commitment: I never complain anymore about having to fly, not getting enough sleep... If people want to speak to me, its because they need something solved; they dont think that government listens to them, and they want answers. Thats all part of the job.

Loretta

On Giving 110 Percent: I frequently underestimate myself and what Im capable of. However, throw me into a situation where Im forced to produce out of my comfort zone and I can do it. You just have to believe you can rise to the occasion.

Linda

On the Woman Who Inspired Them the Most: If Mom saw kids in the neighborhood who didnt have a jacket kids who were much poorer than ourselves she would go door-to-door, sell tamales, and raise the money to ensure these kids had galoshes and jackets. We were one of the poorest families in the area of Anaheim where we grew up, yet Mom always thought that others had far larger needs than we did.

Loretta

... NOW LET THEM EMPOWER YOU!

To the strong women in our lives

who made us the women we are,

especially our grandmother, Amalia,

and our mother, Maria

To the girls who are developing their strength,

And the women who are still discovering theirs...

T he story of Loretta and Linda Snchez is one of perseverance and achievement. It renews my optimism in Americas future.

The Congress I entered in 1987 was a different place from the one that serves the nation today. There were only eighteen women in both the House and Senate, compared to ninety today. There were fourteen members of Hispanic descent in the Congress, but not a single Hispanic woman. Congress looked little like the nation that it was elected to represent.

We have made great progress since then, thanks to the tenacity and determination of women and minorities who have fought to bring our nation closer to the ideal of equality which is both our heritage and our hope.

Loretta and Linda Snchez are two of those tenacious fighters. Their story is one of many firsts. They are the first sisters indeed the first women of any relation to serve in Congress together. Loretta is the first woman and minority person to represent a district in Orange County, California; the first Head Start child to be elected to Congress; and the first woman to reach the highest positions on the Armed Services and Homeland Security committees in the House. Linda is the first Latina to serve on the House Judiciary Committee and the first woman ever to chair its Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law.

Their story, however, is about more than electoral success and titles. Their story, and their familys story, is a quintessential American story. Their parents, who came to this country speaking almost no English, and without much money in their pockets, worked hard and eventually raised a family of seven. Their seven children went on to earn not only college degrees, but advanced degrees in business, finance, and law. This is essentially the same story as that of my Italian predecessors; it is the same story as that of the German, Irish, Polish, and other immigrants who came to our shores and enriched and strengthened our nation.

Ignorance, generalizations, and bigotry are sometimes allowed to obscure the tremendous contributions of immigrants. Instead, I choose to think of the story of a young Mexican immigrant, Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, who grew up picking fruit in California, eventually made his way to Harvard Medical School, and today works as a surgeon in my native Baltimore, dedicated to finding a cure for brain cancer. He is just one success story among so many.

Though Loretta and Linda each met resistance from those who said their dreams werent rightfully theirs to dream, they defied the naysayers and blazed their own paths. Just as their parents enriched our nation, they are enriching the work of Congress Loretta as a leader on issues of defense and homeland security, and Linda as a leader for social justice and civil rights.

Read on and enjoy getting to know Loretta and Linda, just as I have during my years working with them. They are two of the most dynamic women in Congress today. Their stories are candid, funny, and motivating. With this book, they have given us a great gift.

NANCY PELOSI

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

Mi Casa Es Su Casa

I n 1851, Israel Washburn was elected to Congress. Two years later, Elihu Washburne joined him in the House of Representatives. Perhaps the extra e at the end of Elihus last name prevented people from realizing it at the time, but these were the first brothers ever to serve in Congress.

About a century later, a young Mexican woman made the decision to head north in pursuit of a better life. If she had been informed during that exhausting journey, when her future was just a giant question mark, that two of her seven yet-to-be-born children would become the first sisters in the American Congress, she would have been incredulous. And yet, thats exactly what happened.

In January 2003, precisely 150 years after the aforementioned brothers names were written into the history books, Loretta and Linda Snchez, daughters of immigrants Maria Macias and Ignacio Snchez, became the first sisters in Congress. Before this, 1,881 relatives had served in the House, but never sisters. Why did it take so long? And what enabled us to finally break through this most resilient of barriers?

Of course, were delighted to be the first and, so far, only sisters on Capitol Hill, but were also disheartened. As we stride down the halls of the Longworth Building, racing to the next vote, why dont we see more faces like our own, female or Latino? Anyone whos glanced at recent U.S. population statistics knows that the word minority is rapidly becoming a misnomer, as 35 million Hispanics certainly dont sound all that minor to us. Okay, so were the exception. But we shouldnt be. And thats why we want to tell our story to inspire others to pursue a career in public service, and to ultimately speed up the sluggish transition to a more representative government.

Step into our world, both political and personal, and take a behind-the-scenes look at our joint and individual experiences. After all, despite sharing the same background and many similar views, were also two very distinct individuals: Loretta the businesswoman, Linda the lawyer; Loretta the neat freak, Linda the leave-it-where-it-drops specialist; Loretta the exercise-conscious early riser, Linda the late stop-out whos returning home just as her big sister is getting up. It would make for some engaging interaction if we shared a home together in Washington, D.C.