The Spartan Speakers Series welcomed Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, also known as X, to share his journey of environmental activism through music on Wednesday.
Martinez uses hip-hop as a vessel to deliver messages for environmental and climate justice to young listeners. He was formerly the youth director of the organization Earth Guardian, an organization that empowers youth voices to challenge politicians to do more for the environment.
Martinez grew up in a low-income Chicano and Indigenous household located in a wealthy area of Boulder, Colorado with predominantly white neighbors.
“So it was this interesting dichotomy of coming from less material, abundance and yet being surrounded by it,” Martinez said.
His family, local activists and his community urged him to learn more about his indigenous background.
“Navigating the environmental justice work that my mom really seated at our early age in the ceremony and in the cultural work that my father were presented and you know that
doesn't come without challenges,” Martinez said “I feel like a lot of the last couple of years I've been unpacking and learning a lot of what doesn't serve me anymore as I understand my vision of the future.”
Kimo Anderson, a senior graphic design major who attended the event remotely, said he was moved by Martinez’s story and inspiring words.
“To hear how connected he is to his culture really made me rethink how connected I am to mine. Hearing how he applied his knowledge to make a difference in the world is something I want to do for my community,” Anderson said.
Martinez said listening to Indigenous and ceremonial songs started a collective relationship between himself and music.
“It was this political consciousness that came through the music that I was like, ‘Whoa, they're having these same conversations that I'm hearing a lot of older white people have in these kinds of stuffy conferences,’” Martinez said.
Discovering hip-hop at a young age made Martinez's creative vision grow. He became a lover of rap and music that touched on morality, politics and racial injustices.
Some of his favorite artists include Bob Marley, Kendrick Lamar and Lauryn Hill who have inspired him to write his music.
“I just see more people being inspired to tap into fighting for the liberation of our community and our people through the lens of art, through the lens of doing what you love and what I love to do is make music,” Martinez said.
Aside from music, Martinez’s parents helped guide him through his journey to environmental activism. His father taught him more about their culture’s background, while his mother taught him how to come together and fight against environmental injustices.
“Coming into this country as an immigrant [his father] and seeing the impacts of this nation, this country here, who has played a role in colonizing and exploiting so many parts of the world to build the wealth that we see today, really help me understand the climate crisis,” Martinez said.
His mother, Tamara Rose, was one of the founders of Earth Guardian Community Resource Center, a high school in Maui, Hawai’i. Martinez learned about environmental justice through his mom’s work.
“It’s just beautiful to see the work that my mom did in the seeds that she planted. Then I was born and brought into the world. I was attending these events and you know the organizing that was continued after she left the islands that came back to the States, back to Colorado, back to the mainland,” He said.
Martinez said Earth Guardian allowed him to have conversations and open up spaces with other teenagers about healing from the deep wounds of colonialism, exploitation and mining.
He and other members formed indigenous youth leadership training to have these conversations that aren’t often taught in schools.
“Indigenous sciences have long been erased from a lot of academic spaces and a lot of organizing spaces," said Martinez. "I think we're starting to see a resurgence of that taking up a lot of space in a good way in the climate discourse."
Martinez believes we are one of the last capable generations who have the opportunity to transform things.
With four albums already out, Martinez is currently working on a new one. He said it is possible for his new album’s release party to be in the Bay Area.
