Latino Civil Rights Leader and Native Texan Benny Martinez Dies at 85

Benny Martinez [photo courtesy Russell Contreras Twitter]

GOLIAD, Texas (AP) – Benny Martinez, a Mexican American civil rights leader who helped organize the historic Latino gala with President John F. Kennedy, has died at 85.

His daughter Loretta Martinez Williams said Martinez died Sunday of natural causes.

Born in Goliad, Martinez served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

He returned to Houston and organized boycotts against businesses that refused to hire Mexican Americans.

Martinez joined the League of United Latin American Citizens and helped organize a gala for Kennedy the night before the president’s assassination.

Historians said the meeting was the first time a sitting president met with a Latino civil rights group.