Oral History of Karla Martinez, interviewed by Jonah Trimnal, 4 April 2021

Oral History of Karla Martinez, interviewed by Jonah Trimnal, 4 April 2021

Karla Martinez was born in 1981 in Zacatecoluca, El Salvador. Escaping civil war, her family went to Mexico, stayed there undocumented for several years, and then crossed the border into the US. Martinez grew up in Los Angeles, CA. She remembers her life in Mexico and Los Angeles and talks about her struggles as an undocumented student aspiring to attend college. Martinez attended UCLA and focused on economics and Latin American studies. Then, she attended law school at the University of Iowa. After graduation, she moved to Florida, where she practiced farmworker law. In 2016, Martinez relocated to Charleston, South Carolina, and joined South Carolina Legal Services and a few years later, the Charleston County Public Defender’s Office. Martinez talks about how she became involved with Charleston Immigrant Coalition (CIC). She reflects on the importance of ending the 287(g) program in Charleston County and the role the CIC had in the process. Finally, she reflects on the changes she would like to see including the law enforcement agencies providing appropriate cultural and linguistic services and South Carolina becoming more accepting of the Latino community.

The Citadel Archives and Museum

Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409.

application/pdf

English

Text

https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/1663

Charleston (S. C.)

57 minutes

Jonah Trimnal

Karla Martinez

Charleston, South Carolina via Zoom