Rueben Martinez (born April 26, 1940 in
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
,
Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
) is an American
activist
Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...
and businessman. He is active in Democratic party politics and runs a barbershop and a
Latino-focused bookstore in Santa Ana, California.
Early life
Seeing no future for himself in the small mining town where he grew up, at the age of seventeen Martinez left Arizona for
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
.
He found a job at the massive Bethlehem Steel plant in Maywood, East Los Angeles, attended night school at Santa Ana College, married and began raising a family. By the standards of his community he was a success, but as the years went by Martinez began to feel that he hadn't yet found an occupation which was 'the right fit.' He quit Bethlehem Steel to explore a series of other jobs in Southern California until finally in the late 1970s he used his savings to open a barbershop in downtown Santa Ana and proceeded to cut hair full-time for over twenty years.
Professional life
His barber shop in downtown
Santa Ana,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
was a gathering place in
Orange County. His interest in the community and in the needs of small businessmen led him to be active in California
Democratic politics, especially among
Latinos
Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans who have a Spanish or Latin American background, culture, or family origin. This demographic group includes all Americans who identify as Hispanic or Latino, regardless of race. According to th ...
. He has been a
delegate to several nominating conventions.
In 1993, Martinez got an idea that grew from a customer novelty to a national business. Martinez realized that the Latino community in California did not have bookshops that focused on their culture. His small collection of books featuring imported books and Latino and
Chicano
Chicano (masculine form) or Chicana (feminine form) is an ethnic identity for Mexican Americans that emerged from the Chicano Movement.
In the 1960s, ''Chicano'' was widely reclaimed among Hispanics in the building of a movement toward politic ...
artists soon outgrew his barbershop. He moved his business around the corner to an empty storefront and turned his attention to the books.
''Librería Martinez Books & Art Gallery'' and ''Libros Para Niños'', a children’s bookstore, are recognized nationwide for showcasing Latino authors and artists. He seeks to make Latino books available to children, and has promoted reading among children of all ages.
MacArthur Fellows Program
In 2004, Martinez was the recipient of a
MacArthur Fellowship
The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and colloquially called the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the MacArthur Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to typically between 20 and ...
. The selection committee cited Martinez for "fusing the roles of marketplace and community center to inspire appreciation of literature and preserve Latino literary heritage."
See also
*
Mexican American writers
External links
*
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez, Rueben
Living people
1940 births
Activists for Hispanic and Latino American civil rights
American civil rights activists
MacArthur Fellows
American people of Mexican descent
People from Santa Ana, California
People from Miami, Arizona
Activists from California