Human beings are not born racist. Implicit bias, racism and colorism are learned behavior. As an Afro-Latina immigrant from D.R. who moved to the U.S. I've witnessed colorism and systemic racism both in my home and adoptive lands. Do the work, get educated, challenge yourselves, it is really up to us to affect change. Ednin D. Martinez an Afro-Latina attorney and writer who at a young age discovered a strong desire to effect change through social justice, leading to a career in the law. In her career, she represented low-income and disenfranchised individuals as a non-profit and government attorney.
Simultaneously, Ednin pursued her passion for creative writing by participating in prestigious writing workshops like Kweli, VONA Voices and Writing Our Lives. Most recently, she published a non-fiction personal essay titled “When I Was Brave” in Harvard University’s Palabritas.
Through her writing, she aspires to shed light on the racial and economic disparities in the Dominican Republic as well as systemic racism in educational and legal institutions in the U.S. She is currently working on a memoir entitled “Every Little Girl From San Pedro,” highlighting these same themes. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx