By Felix Alvarado
Henry R. Martinez Sr. has proud Mexican roots. He is the son of one of the original colonists of Cement City. His father made it to Dallas working on the railroad. When he got to Dallas he found out that they were hiring workers at the cement plant and stayed. He then got his family to come to Dallas. Cement City had the highest concentration of Mexicans in Dallas in the 1910 time period.
Henry graduated from Dallas Tech HS (Crozier Tech HS) school where most children of Mexican immigrants were sent. Children of Mexican immigrants were not permitted to attend Adamson HS or Sunset HS even though they were nearby. He attended Eagle Ford District 49 School more famous because one of its students was Bonnie Parker. Leadership is a trait he learned from his father who made it a point that his three sons have a high school education. This was during a time that few children of Mexican immigrants went beyond the third grade.
Henry Martinez began his public service in the military. He is a Korean War veteran. Henry Martinez is a consummate community organizer. His activism can be seen by a Texas historical marker at the Campo Santo de Cemento Grande; a stone monument at the Wal-Mart parking lot at Cockrell Hills Road and I30 that pays tribute to those Mexicans that arrived in 1912; and a stone monument on Singleton Blvd at the entrance to the old Eagle Ford. Cementerios Mexicanos are a testament to the disparate treatment and social isolation of the Mexicano where even after death he could not be equal to Whites.
Henry Martinez was successful in getting the Dallas ISD to change the bus routes to go into the neighborhoods and pick up the students. Prior to that children had to walk to the main street to be picked up. He also succeeded in having a school in West Dallas named after his brother Eladio Martinez. His brother was killed in action in WWII in the Philippines. Eladio Martinez Learning Center is named in honor of his brother Eladio Martinez. Eladio was the last person buried at the Campo Santo de Cemento Grande.
As President of Ledbetter Neighborhood Association Henry Martinez' biggest accomplishment was being part of the vanguard that was successful in changing Dallas city council elections from at large elections to single member districts. Minorities did not stand a chance of being elected to office in city-wide elections. His biggest detriment he had to overcome was a prevalent “no se puede” attitude.
Next issue we will learn the roots of the migration of Mexicans to North Texas.
