In celebration of Latinx Heritage Month, John Jay is hosting events recognizing the important contributions of the Latinx community. Among the most highly anticipated, was Associate Professor Isabel Martinez’s book talk on Becoming Transnational Youth Workers: Independent Mexican Teenage Migrants and Pathways of Survival and Social Mobility held on September 25. The evening, sponsored by the Department of Latin American and Latinx Studies (LLS) and student-run club La Voz, included music, food, Mexican chocolate, and pan dulce. Before introducing Martinez, Department Chair and Professor José Luis Morín took a moment to honor his colleague. “Today we’re going to hear about a special book written by someone who is very important to our department and the College,” said Morín as he recounted how he recruited Martinez. “From the moment I met Dr. Martinez, I wanted her to teach here. Her student-centered approach to teaching and learning was the kind of approach needed here at John Jay. And when she got to the College, she lived up to those expectations.”

Smiling as she stepped up to the podium, Martinez spoke candidly of the book’s genesis, citing her grandmother’s journey from Mexico to the U.S. “At the age of 16, my grandmother left Mexico with her husband, infant daughter, and 11-year-old brother in fear of the violence brought on by the Mexican revolution. In two months, she traveled 400 miles to the U.S.-Mexico border,” said Martinez. It was this story of escaping violence in Mexico, and the search for a better life that would resurface while Martinez pursued her doctorate. “I was tasked with writing a final paper about the life course, age norms, and the time of major life events. Most of the literature for this class drew from studies where the lives reflected were that of the white, upper-middle class,” said Martinez. Knowing life plays out differently for immigrants, she began to wonder what their life course looked like. “Independent immigrant minors left their home communities and parents behind in Mexico when they were 14, 15, 16, and 17 years old. They left to go work in New York and send money back to their families,” she said. “I was beginning to see more young Mexican immigrants—baby-faced, teenagers who came to the U.S. without their parents, riding the trains alone at night after a hard day’s work. I would see these youths working at restaurants, stocking shelves in the corner bodegas, making tacos in the local taqueria, and selling flowers in flower shops. So, when the opportunity came to write my final paper, I decided to write about them.”

Giving the audience a glimpse into her process, Martinez detailed how she went about her research, the evolution of the project, and stories of the youths she interviewed along the way. “I wanted to know why and how some Mexican immigrant youths challenge the mainstream western life course,” said Martinez. “I had to ask questions like, ‘What conditions and forces compel these youths to leave their schools, their families, and homes behind? And, when they arrived to New York, how did they find housing and who in their social networks helped them?’” In interviewing independent Mexican teenage migrants, Martinez learned the youths came from areas most negatively affected by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in southern Mexico. With poverty rates reaching as high as 69 percent, the regions found their industrial development stalled, jobs were lost, and farmers, who had relied on their corn crops to survive, were struggling. The need for money, coupled with the lack of high schools in the areas, led to early labor contributions. “Early labor contributions soon turned into wage contributions. The youths wanted to help and their wages went directly to their families,” said Martinez, who noted the youths traveled to the U.S. in search of jobs. “Upon arriving in New York, those ideas were reinforced, and the youths continued to stay out of school. Instead, they found work in restaurants, stores, and construction sites.” 

Helping to bring her book findings to life, Martinez introduced Julio Olmedo ’17, an alumnus of John Jay College and one of the youths she interviewed for Becoming Transnational Youth Workers. Vividly recounting his journey, Olmedo told the audience of his family’s financial struggle, his working from a young age, and his hopes of having a better life in the U.S. At age 15, Olmedo immigrated to New York from Mexico. “I wanted to make some money to help my family back home,” said Olmedo. “I didn’t know English, and knew no one here. The first day I got here, I arrived at six in the morning, and by three o’clock in the afternoon I was already working at a restaurant washing dishes.” He would go on to hold several low-paying jobs, but knew he wanted more for his family and himself. Olmedo eventually found English as a Second Language (ESL) classes that would help better his English. After receiving his Green Card, he enrolled at John Jay where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice in 2017.

While the evening was celebratory in nature, Morín and Martinez both paid tribute to the victims of the terrorist attack in El Paso, Texas. A touching moment in the evening included the unveiling of a large poster designed by LLS students in support of and in solidarity with the people of El Paso and the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). John Jay’s LLS department has a proud relationship with UTEP as students and faculty from both institutions collaborate with one another regularly through coursework and academic conferences. The poster is just one part of The El Paso Project developed by the LLS Department. The El Paso Project is a series of activities taking place this academic year, to remember the tragic loss of life in El Paso, to educate our community about the long history of hate that has devasted the Latinx and many other communities, and to empower our community to actively engage in efforts that advance justice. “We will also be putting together a syllabus and curriculum on anti-Latinx hate in the United States, both past and present,” said Morín. “This is how we show solidarity and how we begin to educate for justice. We’ve witnessed this tragic event and now it’s time to step up.”

The evening concluded with an engaging Q&A session and book signing with Martinez, followed by a raffle where two lucky students won a copy of Becoming Transnational Youth Workers.