He was born in St. Kitts, British West Indies to parents Joseph and Adriana Martin.
In 1917, for the NAACP's historic Negro Silent Protest Parade, he worked with the Reverend Hutchens C. Bishop as Secretary and President, respectively.
Martin penned the call to action encouraging "people of African descent" to join for the parade.
[6] In the wake of recent atrocities such as occurred in Waco, Memphis, East St. Louis and with the U.S. occupation in Haiti in mind, he wrote in part, describing "Why We March":[5] "We march because we are thoroughly opposed to Jim-crow Cars, etc., Segregation, Discrimination, Disfranchisement, LYNCHING, and the host of evils that are forced on us.
We march because the growing consciousness and solidarity of race coupled with sorrow and discrimination have made us one: a union that may never be dissolved in spite of shallow-brained agitators, scheming pundits and political tricksters who secure a fleeting popularity and uncertain financial support by promoting the disunion of a people who ought to consider themselves as one."