Xiuhtezcatl Martinez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Xiuhtezcatl Martinez
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Martinez in 2016
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Xiuhtezcatl Martinez
May 9, 2000 Colorado, U.S.
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Xiuhtezcatl Roske-Martinez (pronounced shoo-TEZ-kawt; born May 9, 2000) is an American environmental activist and hip hop artist. He is also known by his initial, X. Until 2019, Martinez was the Youth Director of Earth Guardians, a group focused on environmental action.
Martinez has often spoken about the harmful effects of fossil fuels. He has given speeches at the United Nations many times. He became well-known after a 2015 speech at the United Nations General Assembly. He gave this speech in English, Spanish, and Nahuatl, an Indigenous language.
Martinez was one of 21 young people who sued the U.S. government. This lawsuit, called Juliana v. United States, was filed in 2015. It argued that the government was not doing enough to stop climate change. In May 2024, the case was dismissed by the U.S. Court of Appeals. Martinez was also part of a similar lawsuit in Colorado in 2013. This case, Martinez v. Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, was against the state. In January 2019, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled against the young plaintiffs.
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His Family and Roots
Martinez was born in Colorado. He moved to Mexico when he was a baby. His family lived in Boulder, Colorado until 2019, then moved to Portland, Oregon. His mother, Tamara Roske, helped start the Earth Guardian Community Resource Center. This was a high school in Maui, Hawaii. She was the Executive Director of Earth Guardians until May 2021.
Xiuhtezcatl has two younger siblings, a sister named Tonantzin and a brother named Itzcuauhtli. His father, Siri Martinez, taught him about the traditions of the Mexica people. The Mexica are one of the historic Indigenous peoples of Mexico, also known as Nahua. Because of this heritage, Martinez believes that people are part of nature. He sees harming nature as "tearing apart a fragile and respected system."
Standing Up for the Planet
When he was a child, Martinez started his activism. In 2009, he asked a city council in Colorado to ban pesticides in city parks. He said, "I was like, yo, like let’s do something about this. So I called up my mom. I was like, yo, Mom, help me get a bunch of kids together to do something about this...And, like, we changed the law."
As a teenager, Martinez gave TED talks. He was also asked to speak at the United Nations about environmental policy. In June 2015, at age 15, he spoke to the UN General Assembly about climate change. He spoke in English, Spanish, and Nahuatl. Martinez urged everyone to take action right away. He said, "What's at stake right now is the existence of my generation."
That same year, he joined a competition for young musicians. They created music to inspire talks at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Martinez's song, "Speak for the Trees," won the Jury Award.
Martinez believes that education and young people are key to big changes. He says, "The change that we need is not going to come from a politician...it's going to come from something that's always been the driver of change – people power, power of young people." He also thinks technology can be a good tool. He told Bill Maher in 2016 that technology helps people connect. It can bring them together to focus on shared concerns.
Martinez grew up as a vegetarian and is now a vegan. He cares deeply about the meat industry. He believes that understanding our food helps us heal our relationship with the planet. He also thinks it helps us break free from a "corrupt, broken food system."
Earth Guardians: A Youth Movement
Earth Guardians is an environmental group started by Martinez's family in 1992. Martinez was the Youth Director until 2019. Then, he became co-Youth Director with Marlow Baines. Earth Guardians wants to "inspire and train diverse youth." They help young people become leaders in environmental and social justice movements. They use art, music, stories, and legal action to find solutions. They organize climate strikes and encourage voting.
Supporting Political Leaders
In April 2019, Martinez wrote an article in Teen Vogue. In it, he supported Bernie Sanders for president. He wrote, "I believe Bernie Sanders has our back on climate change." In December 2018, Martinez spoke with Sanders at an event. It was called "Solving the Climate Crisis."
Awards and Recognition
Martinez has received several important awards:
- In 2013, he received the U.S. Volunteer Service Award from President Barack Obama.
- In 2017, Rolling Stone magazine put him on their "25 under 25" list. This list features young people who are expected to change the world.
- In 2018, he won a Generation Change Award at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
- In December 2018, Remezcla named Martinez to their list of "30 Latinxs Who Made an Impact in Their Communities in 2018."
Books He Has Written
- Imaginary Borders (Penguin Workshop Pocket Change Collective 2020)
- We Rise: The Earth Guardians Guide to Building a Movement That Restores the Planet (Rodale Books 2017)
Films He Has Appeared In
- In 2020, he was in the Netflix documentary Youth v Gov. This film was about the Juliana court case.
- In 2021, he appeared as an activist in the French documentary film Bigger Than Us.
See also
In Spanish: Xiuhtezcatl Martínez para niños
