Daughter of Mexican immigrants sticks to her values to support the most vulnerable families
Last January, Nury Martínez became the first Latina woman to assume the position of president of the Los Angeles City Council, a historic event that has made the Mexican American an emblem for the community..
In Hispanic Heritage Month, Martínez, originally from Pacoima, shares that she celebrates the National Holidays with a good plate of pozole, which her mother taught her to prepare, but also remembers that much of her achievements are due to the values and traditions of her culture that her parents instilled in her from a very young age.
“I grew up visiting the roots of my parents in Mexico, my parents are immigrants from the state of Zacatecas, so Mexican Independence for us all my life was very important, not only knowing where my parents come from, but they also instilled in me the beauty of learn Spanish and advocate for our community ”, said in an interview with La Opinion, the councilor for district 6.
Growing up in a humble and hardworking family is what has allowed this 47-year-old policy to have empathy and fight for the rights of Latino families.
Martínez recounted how his father woke up every day at four in the morning to be able to catch the bus that took him from Pacoima to Sherman Oaks to work long hours in order to support his family.
“Personally, it is about representing all the values that my parents instilled in me, but more than anything, to advocate for the working families of this city, there are people who get up very early, go to work, do everything possible to go ahead and remain poor “, assured the head of the Los Angeles chapter. “We have to keep advocating for them, because they are doing everything right, but the cost of living is very expensive in Los Angeles.”
The councilor recognizes that the love for her roots and the ethics that she was taught in her home is what keeps her without losing her flat and focused on working for her community.
“There are many temptations in this type of work, fortunately for me, the most important thing is to maintain my humility and maintain my roots in my community, the minute I begin to change my person or my values, then I am no longer the Nury that people from my district voted for this position, ”he said.
As a good Latina, she always carries the advice of her family in mind and proudly recognizes that it is through that education that she has managed to stay connected with her neighborhood.
“When I started to run for different positions, my parents told me not to stop being that Nury who grew up in Pacoima, in this neighborhood, because that is what people want, they want to see that a person like him is in that position , then for me it is the most important thing ”.
A day full of nostalgia
Not everything has been easy for this Mexican American, she remembers that the day she took the reins of the Los Angeles City Council, the absence of her father, who died four years ago, caused her mixed feelings on the most important day of her career.
“My father was very supportive of what women did, he was the first feminist I met, so for me not having him present in January when I was elected president was very emotional, because he was with me all the time, supporting me and celebrating my victories in each campaign, ”Martínez said.
The Mexican American remembers that she and her family were extremely proud of her career that day, but she also emphasizes the commitment she made at that time, especially with women.
“It is a privilege and the honor of my life to have been elected to the Los Angeles city council, for me the leadership of women is very important especially during these difficult times,” she explains.
Martínez’s objective is precisely to inspire and guide women to be leaders in their community and that they can continue working for the integral development of families.
Fight against machismo
Martínez said that she was just a fifth grade student when she surprised her teacher by telling her that she wanted to be governor of California, she recognizes that those dreams of work and perseverance are what have led her to become a reference woman, but that It has not prevented him from encountering obstacles in his career, one of them being machismo.
“When you are in these positions, men continue to question your leadership, they continue to question whether you have the intelligence to do the job, to be a leader, for me it is still a world with a lot of machismo, that continues to exist, especially with women in positions powerful, we have to continue fighting against that machismo, ”said Martínez.
“For this reason, it is why we cannot elect a woman president in the United States, we want to imagine that we are a country that can elect a woman, but there is still no woman mayor in the city of Los Angeles or a woman governor in California, ”he added.
The president of the municipal council took the opportunity to ask Latinos not to stop dreaming or working for those dreams, but above all for the community to come together to demonstrate its strength.
“The most important thing we can do as a Latino community this year seeing all the attacks on our community and seeing how this virus is, unfortunately, killing Latinos, is to go out and vote on November 3, because when we unite and recognize the power of the Latino vote, is how we are going to be able to change what is happening in this country ”.
