[4] Martinez was born and raised in Hagerstown, Maryland, where she attended local schools and grew up in the Washington County Foster Care system.

Martinez experienced difficulty with raising her child and sought help from social service agencies, who ignored her, prompting her to move to Baltimore, where she became interested in poetry.

[8] While serving out her Council term from 2020 to 2023, Martinez focused on helping the Jonathan Street community and addressing public safety.

[2] One project of focus was a proposed indoor sports complex aiming to draw in visitors for competitive regional athletic tournaments and promote recreation.

In December 2024, Martinez told The Baltimore Banner that she would never seek office in Hagerstown again after experiencing threats and attacks during her tenure as mayor.

Toward the end of her term, Republican officials in the county—including state senator Paul D. Corderman and county commissioner Derek Harvey—accused Martinez and the city council of "remaining silent" on public safety issues and underfunding local police departments following a fatal shooting in downtown Hagerstown in July 2024, which led to racist comments toward Martinez on her Facebook page.