Vilma Socorro Martínez
| Vilma Socorro Martínez | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| United States Ambassador to Argentina | |
|
In office September 18, 2009 – July 4, 2013 |
|
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Earl Anthony Wayne |
| Succeeded by | Noah Bryson Mamet |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 17, 1943 San Antonio, Texas |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Profession | Lawyer, Diplomat |
Vilma Socorro Martínez (born October 17, 1943) is an American lawyer, civil rights activist and diplomat who formerly served as the U.S. Ambassador to Argentina. She was the first woman to hold this position.
Vilma Socorro Martínez was born to Marina and Salvador Martínez, a Mexican American couple living in San Antonio, Texas. She was raised in a climate of certain racial hostility; as an honor student in high school, for example, she found herself steered away from academics by a counselor who tried to convince her that someone of her background would be better off attending a trade school than a major university. Martínez ignored that advice and instead enrolled in the University of Texas at Austin.
While working her way through college in the biochemistry lab, Martínez met a professor who recognized her potential. In marked contrast to her high-school counselor, the professor insisted she pursue further education; after receiving her bachelor's degree, Martínez went on to Columbia Law School, and graduated in 1967.
She then joined the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF). At LDF, she defended a number of poor and minority clients. She also served as the attorney for the petitioner in the case of Griggs v. Duke Power Company, a landmark action that ultimately went before the U.S. Supreme Court and helped establish the doctrine of affirmative action.
After spending several years at LDF, Martínez left in 1970 to serve as an equal opportunity counselor for the New York State Division of Human Rights. In this role, she created new rules and procedures governing the rights of employees. She then married a fellow attorney, Stuart Singer, and had two sons, Carlos and Ricardo. In 1971 she joined the firm of Cahill, Gordon & Reindel in New York City, where she worked as a labor lawyer. Martínez and one of her colleagues at Cahill, Grace Olivarez, became the first women to join the board of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), which was patterned after its counterpart at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Soon afterward, in 1973, Martínez was hired as the advocacy organization's general counsel and president.
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