West Dallas has lost one of its defining voices. Anita N. Martinez, the community organizer who founded the Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico and broke barriers at Dallas City Hall, has died at 100, her organization announced. In a city that once largely shut out Hispanic representation, Martinez became the first Hispanic person elected to the Dallas City Council in 1969 and later helped establish a West Dallas recreation center that now carries her name. Her work tied politics to cultural education, opening doors to dance, mentorship and civic programs for generations of Dallas youth.
The Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico shared news of her passing in a Facebook post and described her as "more than a leader, she was a mentor, a trailblazer, and a fierce advocate who broke barriers," according to WFAA. The station reported that both family members and representatives of the organization confirmed her death.
Local Leader and Cultural Organizer
Born on the West Side in 1925, Martinez was described by her company as a fifth-generation Texan who moved from neighborhood activism into public office. She won a Dallas City Council seat in 1969, becoming the city's first Hispanic council member, and used the role to push for basics that many neighborhoods took for granted, including streetlights, paved roads and youth services.
After leaving the council, she turned her focus to preserving and teaching culture. She founded the Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico to teach Mexican dance and cultural history to young people, according to the Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico. The company grew into a cultural fixture and a training ground for young dancers who might not otherwise have found a stage.
A Center That Carries Her Name
The City of Dallas honored Martinez by naming a West Dallas recreation center after her. The Anita Martinez Recreation Center on Winnetka Avenue continues to host programs linked to her company and to neighborhood youth services. The City of Dallas Parks and Recreation Department lists the center at 3212 N. Winnetka Ave. and notes that the facility was built in 1974 and renovated in 2014, according to City of Dallas Parks and Recreation.
Her Work Lives On
The Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico says its dance academy and performing companies will continue teaching and performing, with registration and class information available on the group's website. Her decades of civic engagement and arts education have left a lasting imprint on West Dallas and on the broader cultural life of the city.
