People of the Mercado

In the pantheon of extraordinary women is Marta Sánchez, a mother, survivor, activist, community organizer, and perpetual student of life who has left an indelible impression in South Central Los Angeles and beyond. Born in Tepatitlán de Morelos in Jalisco, México, Marta learned the values of missionary work, caring for others, and spirituality while attending a Catholic institution. Although this helped establish a positive framework for how she approached life, she dealt with the effects of transgenerational trauma from rape, abuse, alcoholism, and poverty at home. Determined to improve the family’s living situation, Marta’s mother, María Josefina Peña Alcalá, a visionary, bravely moved to Los Angeles, while Marta stayed behind raising her six siblings.

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After several years, in 1995, the political arena in México was on the cusp of change, and on a personal level, Marta’s financial situation and health were in jeopardy. Marta’s husband lost his job while she was pregnant and anemic, on the verge of developing leukemia. The dire situation was the catalyst for her migration, but Marta and her family fell prey to human trafficking in the process. Consequently, she and her family were detained by immigration, and after cooperating with authorities to put the perpetrator in prison, Marta and her family were released. However, nobody informed them of their rights to gain legal status as survivors of human trafficking; instead, two decades would pass before they could regularize their status.

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As for many immigrants living in a foreign country without legal status, the strategy is always to stay below the radar; however, this would prove impossible for Marta, who quickly found her voice as a community organizer. In 2003, Marta noticed her children, who were attending Twenty-Eighth Street Elementary, were experiencing nosebleeds and vomiting; there was also a peculiar smell permeating the air surrounding their school. Concern catapulted Marta into action, and she began her search for answers, later discovering the odors were emanating from a plating company across the street from the school. Marta urged school officials to take action, but instead, they offered to transfer her children to another school. Candidly, Marta told them she would gladly take the offer if they offered the same opportunity to the other 2000 children attending the school. Unfortunately, the school board and health department ignored the request and concerns, fueling Marta who then enrolled in English language classes to effectively represent herself in community meetings and at the state level. Finally, after an eight-year battle, the community was heard, the plating company was permanently closed, and after contamination remediation, it will be replaced with affordable housing.

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Today, Marta, who came to the U.S. with degrees in pathology and bookkeeping, including an insatiable quest for knowledge, holds an Associate of Arts degree in Community Planning and Community Development, a Bachelor's degree in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, as well as a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. Marta divides her time working at Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment Action on various social justice causes and as a Marriage and Family Therapist at Casa de la Familia.