Anita Nanez Martinez (born December 8, 1925) is the first
Mexican-American
Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...
member of the City Council of
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...
.
["City Secretary's Office, Dallas Municipal Archives - City Firsts"](_blank)
Dallas City Secretary's Office, (accessed January 21, 2016). Elected in 1969, she served the City Council for four years
[U. S. Department of Transportation, Advisory Committee Candidate Biographical Information Request Form DOT F 1120.1, 2006. nita N. Martinez papers, A1195.2006Degolyer Library, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas.] and continues to promote Hispanic pride and knowledge in youth throughout the United States, most notably through the Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico.
Biography
Anita Martinez was born on December 8, 1925, in a poor area of Dallas, populated heavily enough with Mexican nationals to earn the sobriquet "Little Mexico".
["Anita Martinez Collection"](_blank)
Dallas Public Library, (accessed September 26, 2010). After completing high school, Anita married Alfred Martinez and raised four children, while volunteering for organizations such as the Dallas Metropolis YWCA and the Jesuit Parents' Club.
[“Women News-Shapers For 1968” The Dallas Times Harold, February 5, 1969. nita N. Martinez papers, A1195.2006xDegolyer Library, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas.] At the same time, she supported her husband's restaurant business,
El Fenix, by joining, and eventually becoming the program director of, the Dallas Restaurant Association Auxiliary.
[Maggie Kennedy, “Women Also Feed Mind” The Dallas Time Harold, June 11, 1967. nita N. Martinez papers, A1195.2006xDegolyer Library, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas.] From 1969–1973, Mrs. Martinez served as West Dallas' Republican City Council Woman.
In 1969 she ran for City Council as a candidate for the Citizen's Charter Association, a largely white male establishment that had strong influence over city government, and won 52 percent of the vote, making her the first Mexican-American to hold an elected government position in the city of Dallas.
In 1975, she began the Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico as a volunteer program aimed at connecting Hispanic youths to their native culture.
She also assisted in the opening of the Anita Martinez Recreation Center in 1976 as a haven for children in West Dallas, an establishment she advocated for while on the City Council.
[Irasema Coronado and Patricia A. Jaramillo and Patricia Madrid and Sonia R. Garcia and Valerie Martinez-Ebers, Politicas: Latina Public Officials in Texas, (Texas: University of Texas Press, 2008), 123.] The Recreation Center and the Ballet Folklorico are still around today.
Accomplishments
Martinez began her role as a councilwoman with the goal of using politics to correct faults and vices she saw within her community, namely "crime, narcotics, and misfit teenagers".
["Mrs. Martinez Earns Worthy Woman Award", Oak Cliff Tribune, July 23, 1969. nita N. Martinez papers, A1195.2006xDegolyer Library, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas.] However, her accomplishments in this area formed only a part of her agenda while serving as a member of the City Council. Other efforts included the implementation of streetlights, paved roads, and sidewalks in her constituents' neighborhoods.
After her service as councilwoman ended, she successfully established institutions whose stated aim was to "remove adolescents from the influences of corruption on the streets", including the Ballet Folklorico and her Recreation Center. In addition to employing youths in Dallas, the Ballet Folklorico has inspired more Folkloricos to form, spreading Hispanic pride and culture throughout the country.
[Becky Chavarria Chairez, "Ballet Folklorico", Hispanic Life, June 1992.
artinez papers, A1195.2006xDegolyer Library, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas.] Martinez has received numerous awards for her volunteer efforts, including the Zonta Award for Constructive Voluntary Contribution to Community and Civic Affairs and the J C Penney Golden Rule Award for Volunteer Service.
References
External links
Anita Martinez Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez, Anita
1925 births
Living people
Dallas City Council members
American politicians of Mexican descent
Women city councillors in Texas
Texas Republicans
Hispanic and Latino American city council members
21st-century American women