Erik Martinez is the Manager, LGBTQ Support Services at San Francisco Unified School District.
“Leadership for people of color must be centered in community and relationships. It is the idea that if we are all to create the greatest impact in our communities and in ourselves, this must be done in relationship and solidarity with others. I want to be part of Surge because I work in an educational system that has historically marginalized peoples from which I come from – Mexican-descent and queer. Identities that are in constant conflict in the public education system. Now as an adult and in a leadership position, I often feel the same isolation I experienced when I was a student. Being part of Surge will help invigorate how I show up and help me feel connected to a larger movement toward justice.”