The daughter of a migrant farmworker, Graciela Martinez has spent her adult life advocating on behalf of low-income families and immigrants. After graduating from high school, Martinez went to work for American Friends (Quaker) Service Committee (AFSC) and helped establish Self-Help Enterprises. During the civil rights movement, Martinez traveled with a group to Selma, Alabama, and participated in the march with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. For the past 10 years, Martinez has worked as program director for AFSC’s farm labor program, Proyecto Campesino. This program educates farmworkers throughout the San Joaquin Valley about their rights and supports them in their quest for humane working conditions, safer housing, and affordable health care. Her successes have been documented by various newspapers throughout Visalia, California. In addition to many other leadership roles, Martinez hosts Radio Grito, a successful radio show that educates San Joaquin farmworkers.

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