Elizabeth Martinez
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth "Betita" Martínez (born 1925) is a Chicana feminist
and a long-time community organizer
, activist
, author
, and educator. She has written numerous books and articles on different topics relating to social movements in the Americas. Her best-known work is the bilingual 500 years of Chicano History in Pictures, which later formed the basis for the educational video ¡Viva la Causa! 500 Years of Chicano History. Her work has been hailed by Angela Y. Davis
as comprising "one of the most important living histories of progressive activism in the contemporary era ... [Martínez is] inimitable ... irrepressible ... indefatigable."
in 1946 with a degree in English. In May 2000, Swarthmore awarded Martínez with an honorary doctorate. Martínez has worked for Simon & Schuster
as an editor and for The Nation Magazine as Books and Arts Editor. Her daughter, Tessa, is an actress and co-founder of San Francisco’s Latina Theater Lab.
for the United Nations Secretariat
as a researcher on colonialism
and decolonization
in Africa
.
During the 1960s, Martínez served full-time in the Civil Rights Movement
with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in the South and as a coordinator of its New York office. In 1968, she moved to New Mexico
to start a newspaper to support the Alianza Federal de Mercedes
. Along with lawyer Beverly Axelrod, Martínez thus founded the bilingual movement newspaper El Grito del Norte
, which she worked on for five years. In 1973, she co-founded and directed the Chicano Communications Center, a barrio
-based organizing and education project.
Since moving to the Bay Area in 1976, Martínez has organized around Latino
community issues, taught Women’s studies part-time, conducted anti-racist training workshops, and worked with youth groups. She ran for governor
of California
on the Peace & Freedom Party ticket in 1982 and has received many awards from student, community, and academic organizations, including Scholar of the Year 2000 by the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies. In 1997, she and Phil Hutchings co-founded the Institute for MultiRacial Justice, which "aims to strengthen the struggle against white supremacy by serving as a resource center to help build alliances among peoples of color and combat divisions." In 2004, she served on the advisory board for the group 2004 Racism Watch. She is also an adviser to the Catalyst Project, an anti-racist political education organization that focuses on white communities.
Chicana feminism
Chicana feminism, also called Xicanisma, is a group of social theories that analyze the historical, social, political, and economic roles of Mexican American, Chicana, and Hispanic women in the United States.- Overview :...
and a long-time community organizer
Community organizing
Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. A core goal of community organizing is to generate durable power for an organization representing the community, allowing it to influence...
, activist
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, and educator. She has written numerous books and articles on different topics relating to social movements in the Americas. Her best-known work is the bilingual 500 years of Chicano History in Pictures, which later formed the basis for the educational video ¡Viva la Causa! 500 Years of Chicano History. Her work has been hailed by Angela Y. Davis
Angela Davis
Angela Davis is an American political activist, scholar, and author. Davis was most politically active during the late 1960s through the 1970s and was associated with the Communist Party USA, the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Panther Party...
as comprising "one of the most important living histories of progressive activism in the contemporary era ... [Martínez is] inimitable ... irrepressible ... indefatigable."
Life
Martínez graduated from Swarthmore CollegeSwarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
in 1946 with a degree in English. In May 2000, Swarthmore awarded Martínez with an honorary doctorate. Martínez has worked for Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
as an editor and for The Nation Magazine as Books and Arts Editor. Her daughter, Tessa, is an actress and co-founder of San Francisco’s Latina Theater Lab.
Activism
Martínez began her political work in the early 1950s. She worked in New YorkNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for the United Nations Secretariat
United Nations Secretariat
The United Nations Secretariat is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and it is headed by the United Nations Secretary-General, assisted by a staff of international civil servants worldwide. It provides studies, information, and facilities needed by United Nations bodies for...
as a researcher on colonialism
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
and decolonization
Decolonization
Decolonization refers to the undoing of colonialism, the unequal relation of polities whereby one people or nation establishes and maintains dependent Territory over another...
in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
During the 1960s, Martínez served full-time in the Civil Rights Movement
African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
The African-American Civil Rights Movement refers to the movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring voting rights to them. This article covers the phase of the movement between 1955 and 1968, particularly in the South...
with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in the South and as a coordinator of its New York office. In 1968, she moved to New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
to start a newspaper to support the Alianza Federal de Mercedes
Alianza Federal de Mercedes
Alianza Federal de Mercedes, which in English translates to Federal Land Grant Alliance, was a group led by Reies Tijerina based in New Mexico in the 1960s that fought for the land rights of Chicano New Mexicans....
. Along with lawyer Beverly Axelrod, Martínez thus founded the bilingual movement newspaper El Grito del Norte
El Grito del Norte
El Grito del Norte was a bilingual newspaper based in Española, New Mexico. Co-founded by activist Elizabeth "Betita" Martinez and attorney Beverly Axelrod in 1968, the paper was originally the publication of the Reies Tijerina's Alianza Federal de Mercedes, an organization dedicated to...
, which she worked on for five years. In 1973, she co-founded and directed the Chicano Communications Center, a barrio
Barrio
Barrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
-based organizing and education project.
Since moving to the Bay Area in 1976, Martínez has organized around Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
community issues, taught Women’s studies part-time, conducted anti-racist training workshops, and worked with youth groups. She ran for governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
on the Peace & Freedom Party ticket in 1982 and has received many awards from student, community, and academic organizations, including Scholar of the Year 2000 by the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies. In 1997, she and Phil Hutchings co-founded the Institute for MultiRacial Justice, which "aims to strengthen the struggle against white supremacy by serving as a resource center to help build alliances among peoples of color and combat divisions." In 2004, she served on the advisory board for the group 2004 Racism Watch. She is also an adviser to the Catalyst Project, an anti-racist political education organization that focuses on white communities.
Selected publications
- De Colores Means All of Us: Latina Views for a Multi-Colored Century (1998) ISBN 0-89608-583-x
- 500 years of Chicano History in Pictures (1976) ISBN 978-0963112309
- The Youngest Revolution: A Personal Report on Cuba (1969) ISBN 9780273314349
- Letters from Mississippi (1964) ISBN 9780939010714
Further reading
- Table of Contents from El Grito del Norte (1966–1972)
- Martinez, Elizabeth "Betita" What is White Supremacy? (1998)
- Martinez, Elizabeth "Betita" A view from New Mexico: recollections of the movimiento left Monthly Review (2002)
- Martinez, Elizabeth "Betita" Raza Protest A Day of Lies and Hate, (1998)
- Vidal, Mirta Women: New Voice of La Raza