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  • © 2024 Marta V. Martínez Contact Me 0

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Education:
  • B.A. in English from Providence College/minor in Communications from the U. of Texas at El Paso
  • M.A. in Journalism (Publications Specialist) from George Washington University
  • Ph.D. in Fine Arts from Providence College
  • Coursework towards a certificate in Translation/Interpretation Program from Georgetown University
  • Coursework in Sign Language & Interpretation from Gallaudet University

Employment History:
  • Executive Director of Rhode Island Latino Arts
  • Adjunct Professor at Providence College, Department of Global Studies
  • Director of Communications at Progreso Latino
  • Partnership Specialist, U.S. Bureau of Census Boston Region • Rhode Island statewide specialist.
  • Assistant Director and Communications Director at the Rhode Island Indian Council
  • Director of Publications at the Rhode Island Historical Society
  • Teacher of Spanish and Hispanic culture at St. Peter School, Warwick, RI
  • Writer/contributor (freelance) to The Providence Journal.
  • Executive Director of the Center for Hispanic Policy & Advocacy (CHisPA) (formerly known as the Hispanic Social Services Association [HSSA] of RI)
  • Director of International Publications at Gallaudet University, Washington, DC
  • Production and film crew, WPRI TV-12, East Providence.

Special Skills:
  • Publications management, writing, editing, graphic design, web design
  • Teaching about oral history, including interviewing, writing, ethics and best practices
  • Fluent in Spanish, English and Sign Language
  • Communications and marketing, including writing press releases and speaking with the media

Founder:
  • Hispanic Heritage Committee of Rhode Island
  • Nuestras Raíces: The Latino Oral History Project of Rhode Island
  • César Chávez Scholarship Fund || Tam Tran Scholarship
  • Coalition of Advocates for Student Opportunities (CASO)
  • Friends of Pawtuxet Village
➤ A Conversation
This interview was featured in Folk Notes, March 2009.
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WHAT PROJECT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON?

The Latino Oral History Project of Rhode Island

The Latino Oral History Project of Rhode Island began in 1991 when I met and recorded the memories of Josefina Rosario who had been co-owner (with her husband, Tony) of Fefa’s Market, the first Hispanic bodega (market) in Rhode Island. In subsequent years, I met with and recorded the voices of many other Latino pioneers, among them community activists, social service providers, artists, health care providers, elected officials, educators and others. Other projects: The Hispanic Heritage Committee of RI (now Rhode Island Latino Arts) and the César Chávez Scholarship Fund of RI. [NOTE: In 2014, the oral history project became a book, and Marta’s hope is that its contents will eventually become part of the 4th grade Rhode Island social studies school curriculum.]

DESCRIBE YOUR WORK
My work with my oral history project involves meeting and listening to individuals who feel they have a personal story to tell. In my Latino culture, we transmit knowledge and expressions of culture from one generation to the next by word of mouth or by example.

Traditional historians spend a lot of time trying to collect history by looking into the archives of scholarly organizations and libraries. But not all of us have an archive at home, instead what we have is living history. The people whom we love have stories that we need to hear. This, I believe, is an important way for a community to participate in the making of history: by sharing first-person accounts about a particular event in local or national history, or especially within our own families that can mean something to future generations. It’s a way of personalizing history, and I like that. By listening, carefully gathering, documenting and sharing these memories, I feel I am making a difference and making history available to future generations to come.

I also enjoy working with young people. They are so full of energy, have great ideas and are very eager to be involved. My work with oral histories also focuses on the idea of connecting young people with the past so that they can learn from their elders, and in turn they can continue the process of education and preservation of their culture and history into the future.

WITH WHOM DO YOU MOST OFTEN COLLABORATE?
I try to collaborate with people who share my interests and passion for making a difference in the lives of young people. I also enjoy working with innovative and creative individuals who don’t have big egos, those who I consider to be "quiet leaders."

Through my writing and publication work, I like to bring people to the forefront who are making things happen; those quiet, unsung heroes who have a lot to give, take the time to do it, yet don’t feel a need to shout from the highest mountain.

WHY DO YOU THINK COLLABORATIONS ARE SO IMPORTANT?
Many people don’t see that collaborations have potential benefits. I strongly believe that people must work together and learn from each other, share knowledge, and pool resources. We as adults must learn that what we leave behind for our children can only happen if we collaborate in everything we do. After all, we are their role models and teachers, and our children are our future. We teach our children that teamwork is important in the classroom, sports and at play because no one can do it alone.

WHAT IS YOUR PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENT?
I am especially proud of my accomplishments during my tenure as the Executive Director of CHisPA because it was during that time, the 1990s, when great social change happened in R.I. and also across the country. There was a great deal of energy in the Latino community and it was very exciting to be part of that movement. People were looking to work together to make change. Government agencies, the private sector, communities of color, and key elected officials collaborated in wonderful ways, and everyone benefited. The Latino community was growing, people were waking up and seeing the value of political power, community involvement and social change. It was an exciting time, and after being part of that movement, I am proud at the thought that young people today have benefitted from what was accomplished during that time.

What Else?

Listen to this podcast about Marta, recorded in 2023 about her oral history work.
Founder and Executive Director of Rhode Island Latino Arts, the oldest Latino non-profit arts organization advocating for Latin American arts, cultural heritage and history in Rhode Island. She is also an oral historian and the founder of the Nuestras Raíces: The Latino Oral History Project of RI.

Awards | Honors | Recognitions:
24 People to Watch in 2024 The Providence Journal.

June 2023 | Rhode Island Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts by Trinity Repertory Company. The Pell Award honors artists whose artistic careers exemplify the values of Senator Claiborne Pell, one of the principal founders of the National Endowment for the Arts. They also recognize artistic excellence in Rhode Island, the New England region and nationally.

April 2023 | Rhode Island Monthly magazine, One of 45 Powerful People in Rhode Island.

2022-2023 | Oral History Association & National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow | Diversifying Oral History Practice: A Fellowship Program for Under/Unemployed Oral Historians.

Community Fellow in the NEH/Co-Lab Curriculum Development Fellowship Program at Roger Williams University. 2023

Artist-in-Residence at Trinity Repertory Company, a partnership for the creation of the first Bilingual Theater Initiative in Rhode Island.

Executive Committee of the Latinos in Heritage Conservation (LHC). Hosted and co-organized LHC's national conference Encuentro 2018 in Providence, RI on April 26-28, 2018.

Fellow in Public Humanities at the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage. 2019-2022

State Society of Rhode Island Leadership Award award for documenting Latino history and culture of Rhode Island. 2018

Creative Economy Award for Excellence in Cultural Community Development in New England at the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) 2017CCX, held in New London, CT and that same year recognized as the YWCA 2017 Woman of Achievement.

Public Humanities Award from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities (RICH), 2016.

Other: 2015 -2016 Rhode Island Foundation INE Fellow; 2015 and 2016 Diversity Scholar for the National Trust of Historic Preservation (NTHP); 2014 National Association of Latino Arts & Cultures (NALAC) Leadership Institute (NLI) Fellow and also 2015 NALAC Advocacy Leadership Institute (ALI) Fellow.

2015 | New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) Creative Communities Exchange (CCX) Regional Conference in New Hampshire. In November 2016, presented a Power Session at the 2016 Annual PastForward Conference of the National Trust (NTHP) in Houston and also at the convening of the Latinos in Heritage Conservation (LHC), where I spoke about my work on the Latino History in Rhode Island project.

Teaching Experience: Teacher of Spanish and Hispanic Cultures, St. Peter’s Catholic School, Warwick, RI; Faculty, Providence College Department of Global Studies; Community Partner & Teaching Artist at Central Falls High School and the Calcutt Middle School

Boards and Commissions: Rhode Island Council for the Humanities and Community MusicWorks; Chair and Founder of Friends of Pawtuxet Village/Merchants Association; board member of the Southside Cultural Center; Chair of the Advisory Board of the Juanita Sanchez Community Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation; Member Community Advisory Board of Rhode Island PBS.

Congressman Langevin’s Arts and Culture Advisory Committee (2016-2022) and on the City of Providence Art, Culture + Tourism (AC+T) ArtPlace America Community Advisory Board (2015-2017). In 2015 elected as Trustee of the Providence Foundation; in 2017-2018 served on the Rhode Island College Presidents’ Committee on Inclusive Excellence.

Board of Trustees of Providence College (2021-present) and sit on PC's President’s Community Advisory Committee and on the College's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advisory Committee.

I am a former elementary school teacher, an educator and a community advocate. In January 2015, I was appointed by Governor Gina Raimondo to the Rhode Island State Board of Education | Council on Elementary & Secondary Education (K-12).

I am of Mexican heritage and raised in El Paso, Texas. Fluent in Spanish and Sign Language.