Martinez, Graciela
Graciela Martinez
Graciela Martinez collaborated with various organizations throughout her lifetime, including the American Friends Service Committee’s Farm Labor Committee, Proyecto Campesino, Cesar Chavez and the United Farmworkers, and Self Help Enterprises, which focused on constructing residences for farmworker families. Martinez was a dedicated champion for the most marginalized in our society, particularly farmworkers, a significant portion of whom were undocumented immigrants. With immense empathy and unwavering resolve, she endeavored to address their pressing survival requirements while actively working to reform the structural systems responsible for their dire circumstances.
“The issues that affect us are important. We need water, and it’s polluted. We’re losing agricultural lands because farmers can’t afford the insurance… We’ve got to let people know about these things. We’re going to have to change it for the future, for our kids, for our grandkids. I want to be a part of that.” Graciela Martinez, 2005.
Graciela Martinez, a first-generation American, was born on January 29, 1945, in Harlingen, Texas. She was the youngest of four siblings born to her parents, Jose and Paula Martinez. Jose made a living as a stonemason, while Paula managed the household and worked as a farm laborer.
When Martinez was just ten, her family relocated from Harlingen to Farmersville, California, a pivotal moment in her life. During this time, she began her early education about the environment. These lessons were informal, devoid of classroom setting, yet profoundly enlightening. Martinez’s mother would take her to work in the gladiola fields. Even though the weather was often sweltering and uncomfortable, Martinez’s mother took great care to ensure they were adequately covered. Martinez initially did not understand why her mother insisted on immediately removing and washing their outer clothing upon returning home. Over time, her mother explained that it was to prevent the pesticides used in the fields and in the air from coming into contact with their skin.
Martinez recalls how, in her neighborhood, children would chase after trucks that released billows of yellow smoke, which turned out to be pesticides aimed at eradicating mosquitoes. These chemicals, however, posed a significant threat to the local community’s health. Even at a young age, Martinez became acutely aware of the potential harm posed by environmental exposures.
Martinez graduated high school in 1964.
In 1964, after graduating from high school, Martinez joined the Farm Labor Committee (FLC) in Visalia, a project under the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). Her motivation to join the AFSC stemmed from the organization’s distinction of winning the 1947 Nobel Peace Prize.
The Farm Labor Committee, established in 1955, played a significant role in creating SCICON, Tulare County Office of Education’s outdoor school of science and conservation, in 1958. As part of the AFSC’s mission to build affordable homes through self-help initiatives, the FLC promoted such efforts in Tulare County, leading to constructing the initial batch of homes in Goshen. Due to the scale of this endeavor and expansion plans, the housing project evolved into a separate organization known as Self-Help Enterprises in 1965. Self-Help Enterprises has since built over 6,000 homes across the San Joaquin Valley, and Graciela Martinez played a key role in this transformation. Martinez’s dedication to Self-Help Enterprises remained steadfast, even after she left the organization, as she continued to serve as a board member.
Recognizing the pressing need for affordable housing among farmworkers, Martinez emphasized, “There was a big need for people to have a home, but farmworkers couldn’t afford one; they couldn’t even get credit” (Stanley, 2020). Graciela served as a bridge to bring self-help home-building expertise to the region, making a lasting impact.
Following Self-Help’s independence, the FLC, later known as Projecto Campesino, continued supporting farmworkers. In 1965, funding for Martinez’s position ran out, and she started working as a secretary for Cesar Chavez in Delano. Martinez’s farmworker background helped her easily understand and empathize with the issues, and Martinez spent several years working for the newly formed United Farm Workers (UFW).
Despite minimal resources, Martinez’s positive spirit proved invaluable during the summer of 1965 when hundreds of student volunteers supported the UFW and its strike against grape growers. She highlighted the formation of the UFW’s legal department, which was crucial in securing rights and improving working conditions for farmworkers.
In the following years, while raising her family, Martinez worked independently as a notary and income tax specialist. She spoke Spanish and English fluently, which proved invaluable in helping immigrants who sought her services. She would assist individuals needing interpreters in court, which led to her recognition within the community.
In 1997, after seeing a job ad in the newspaper, Martinez started working as the program assistant for Projecto Campesino. Only a few months into the job, the Valley experienced a freeze that put thousands of farmworkers out of work. Projecto Campesino was able to provide hundreds of undocumented workers with support.
In 2001, Martinez became the first female project director of Projecto Campesino, continuing her mission to assist farmworkers and low-income residents. Under her leadership, Projecto Campesino built a successful citizenship program, aiding numerous immigrants in their quest for US citizenship.
Martinez’s commitment extended to raising awareness about immigrant workers’ working and living conditions in the Valley. Projecto Campesino created “Radio Grito,” a radio show dedicated to informing farmworkers about their rights. The AFSC received significant assistance for the radio program from the Women in Broadcast Foundation. This foundation encouraged women to get involved in broadcasting, and its organizers helped bring young women to the AFSC radio show over the years. Martinez emphasized the importance of the radio program, stating, “The show could be used as a tool to disseminate information and organize the community” (Taylor, 2005).
Martinez dedicated herself to an environmental career, saying, “I was a victim, my family members were victims, and my neighbors were victims. So, I had to step out of my own community sometimes to make an impact. The issues that affected us were important. We needed clean water, and it was polluted. We were losing agricultural lands because farmers couldn’t afford insurance… We had to let people know about these things. We had to change it for the future, for our kids, for our grandkids. I wanted to be a part of that” (Taylor, 2005).
Martinez retired from Projecto Campesino in 2010 but continued her work for those in need. She was an active board member at Quaker Oaks Farm for many years, serving as Board Chair from 2014 to 2016 and supporting the annual Spring Youth Camp on the farm. She cherished the natural environment, spending her mornings on the porch, observing nature, and hosting friends and neighbors in the evenings. As a tireless advocate for marginalized communities and farmworkers, Martinez’s legacy will continue to inspire and uplift many.
Martinez’s career was not without its challenges. She vividly recalled a particular incident involving a Mexican immigrant who faced an unjust arrest and immediate deportation. Although he was eventually released after trial, the police refused to return his records and identification, substantiating his legal residency. Martinez and her colleagues at the AFSC invested significant effort into arranging a dignified retrieval of his documents, free from complications.
However, when the individual went to collect his papers, he was apprehended and sent to a detention center in New Mexico. His family held Martinez responsible for these unfortunate events, causing her considerable distress. Despite the ordeal, she persevered in assisting the man and liaising with the authorities. Eventually, his legal residency status was reinstated, and he reunited with his family. This challenging episode weighed heavily on Martinez, yet she regarded it as just one of the many hurdles accompanying her work. She firmly believes that the rewards of her advocacy far outweigh the difficulties.
Martinez, a lifelong community organizer with a rich history of involvement in organizations like Self-Help Enterprises and Projecto Campesino, and once serving as the secretary to the renowned Cesar Chavez, passed away in Visalia at the age of 75.
Martinez attributed her personal and professional growth to the guidance of four influential mentors who have left an indelible mark on her life. Her mother, her first mentor, instilled in her the values of spirituality, love, and perseverance. These foundational principles shaped her character and fortitude.
Mrs. Henninger, her grade school teacher and second mentor, provided more than just an education; she offered hugs and kind words that bolstered Martinez’s self-esteem and reassured her of her accomplishments as a student and an individual.
In high school, her business teacher became her third mentor. Her teacher recognized and nurtured Martinez’s potential. Despite her insecurities at the time, this teacher encouraged Martinez to join the journalism club. This transformative experience redirected her focus from the challenges around her to the brighter aspects of life.
Lastly, Martinez credited Bard and Olga McAllister, managers of the AFSC program, as her fourth mentors. They opened doors to new opportunities that altered the trajectory of her life. Exposing her to communities where the AFSC was actively engaged motivated her to delve into the intricacies of environmental contamination, farmworker conditions, and their consequences.
Quaker Oaks Farm. 2020. Tribute to Graciela Martinez. https://www.quakeroaksfarm.org/in-memoriam/
Taylor, Dorceta (Ed.). 2005. The Paths We Thread: Profiles of the Careers of Minority Environmental Professionals. Minority Environmental Leadership Development Initiative, University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment.
Stanley, Eduardo. (2020, August 10). A lifetime of service: Long time activist Graciela Martinez dead at 75. https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/life/2020/08/10/long-time-activi…