[1] Elected in 1969, she served the City Council for four years[2] and continues to promote Hispanic pride and knowledge in youth throughout the United States, most notably through the Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico.
Anita Martinez was born on December 8, 1925, in a poor area of Dallas, populated heavily enough with Mexican nationals to earn the sobriquet "Little Mexico".
[3] After completing high school, Anita married Alfred Martinez and raised four children, while volunteering for organizations such as the Dallas Metropolis YWCA and the Jesuit Parents' Club.
[3] She also assisted in the opening of the Anita Martinez Recreation Center in 1976 as a haven for children in West Dallas, an establishment she advocated for while on the City Council.
[7] After her service as councilwoman ended, she successfully established institutions whose stated aim was to "remove adolescents from the influences of corruption on the streets", including the Ballet Folklorico and her Recreation Center.