Nov 19, 2024 - Politics & Policy

Late Latino civil rights leader gets post office named after him

Russell Contreras

In this March 11, 2013 photo, Benny Martinez, a Mexican American civil rights leader who helped organize the historic Latino gala with President John F. Kennedy, stands in front of a gun collection at his Goliad, Texas, home. — Benny Martinez, a Mexican American civil rights leader who helped organize the historic Latino gala with President Kennedy, stands in front of a gun collection at his Goliad, Texas, home on March 11, 2013. Photo: Axios/Russell Contreras

The late Benny Martinez, a Mexican American civil rights leader who helped organize a historic meeting between LULAC and President John F. Kennedy, now has a post office named after him.

The big picture: The move comes as Latino elected officials push for more buildings and parks to be renamed in honor of important Hispanic figures.

Catch up quick: In 2022, President Biden signed into law H.R.203, designating the Houston facility as the "Benny C. Martinez Post Office."

Earlier this month, Rep. Sylvia R. Garcia (D-TX), who pushed for the renaming of the post office, led a dedication ceremony.
"Naming this post office after Benny Martinez holds special significance, especially as we continue to see more landmarks honor Latino leaders," Garcia said at the ceremony.

Background: Born in Goliad, Texas, Martinez went to segregated schools before his father moved the family to Houston so his sons "wouldn't have to pick cotton for a living," he told Axios' Russell Contreras in 2013.

After serving 18 months as a medic in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, Martinez returned to Houston and organized boycotts against businesses that refused to hire Mexican Americans.
Martinez later joined LULAC, then the nation's largest Latino civil rights organization, and raised money for Mexican Americans to pay their Texas "poll taxes" so they could vote.
He helped organize the Little School of 400, which helped lay the groundwork for the federal Head Start program.

The intrigue: A registered nurse, Martinez joined civil rights attorney John J. Herrera to organize a special LULAC gala for Kennedy during his 1963 trip to Texas.

The Houston gala took place the night before the president's assassination in Dallas.
"I didn't get to shake his hand, but I was able to reach out and touch his shoulder," Martinez told Russell. "The next day, I was in tears."

What they're saying: "Benny didn't come here with a duty. Benny had an obligation to his family to build Houston, to build Harris County, to build the state of Texas, and to build the United States of America," historian Andrés Tijerina said at the ceremony.

"Benny had an obligation and he complied with his obligation."

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Late Latino civil rights leader gets post office named after him

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