Emily Martinez was born in the border town of La Feria,
Texas. She spent the early years of her life traveling back and forth with her
family between Texas and the Midwest, following the harvest. Her family ended
up settling in the area of Blissfield, Michigan in 1948, due mainly to the fact
that her mother was heavily pregnant and could not travel back to Texas. They
ended up staying permanently. As migrant farm workers, Emily’s family did not
have a car, so they went everywhere on foot, even walking 5 miles to go to
church!
Emily graduated high school in 1959, and she said
it was those years of her education that exposed her to the racial divides in
Michigan. The farmer’s children she grew up playing with began to ignore her
and her friends of Mexican descent. When her family attempted to buy a home in
town in 1962, the owner would not sell to them because of their ethnicity
(Eventually, Emily did buy a home in that area, and said it was done with
satisfaction.) Those experiences in her younger years prompted her involvement
in politics and education; she felt it was her duty to stand up for those who
could not stand up for themselves because it was the right thing to do. In 1994
she was named Michigan Hispanic Teacher of the Year by the Michigan Educational
Opportunity Fun, Inc. In 1995 she received the Athena Award in Lenawee County
from the Chamber of Commerce and the American Flag was flown in her name by
Senator Levin in Washington D.C. She’s been appointed to and chaired numerous
committees including the State of Michigan Commission on Spanish Speaking
Affairs (1990), Chairperson of the Migrant/Agricultural Reporting for
Commission of Spanish Speaking Affairs for the State of Michigan (1994) and
Telamon Corp. Board President (1997 & 2001).
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