Xiuhtezcatl Martinez

Delphine Demaisy

Xiuhtezcatl Martinez is a 20 years old American activist leader and hiphop artist that fights for a better planet by sharing his Aztek indigenous roots and culture to make the future a better place for the generations to come. This young advocate has been part of many movement and he is a real leader and idolized figure for those who know him. He is part of many organisation and he uses his voice in hip hop music and by talking to big crowds about the environment and the impact of climate change on Indigenous nation and other marginalized communities. He uses powerful messages of hope to inspire action and assure a future for the next generations.

EARTH GUARDIANS


Xiuhtezcalt is the youth director the Earth Guardians organisation that was first created by his mother, Tamara Roske, 28 years ago. This intergenerational organisation has a mission of reuniting youth leaders in the environmental, climate and social justice movement across the world to make their voices heard using art, music and story telling.

LAWSUIT AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT

In 2015, Martinez was one of the 21 young activists paired with One Children trust organisation that signed a lawsuits against the US Federal government for ignoring the urge for climate change and not listening to the voice of the youth. Their solution is for courts to declare the rights of young people work again climate destabilization and for government to implement plans based on science to reduce emission and make sure that the country is implementing and achieving those emission limits. These young people that Martinez was a part of fought for climate justice by suing the government and to aspire other young people to do the same in their country to their government all for the benefit of youth. This group of youth leaders were between the ages fo 9 to 20 and and 10 of them either had black or indigenous background.


In September 2018, Great Thunberg and Xiuhtezcatl (representing this group that sued the government) came together to address the nation and the world's leader in front of the U.S. Supreme Court after the U.S. government filled multiple motion to dismiss the case.

The Constitutional Climate Lawsuit

FRONT LINE ACTION

The climate crisis we are facing today is bigger than all of us, and climate strikes and frontline actions are a great way to bring awareness and attention to this issue. Xiuhtezcalt is one of those activist that continues to inspire the world by holding strikes to provoke and make his voice heard.

Beyond than that, Martinez as spoken multiple times at the United Nations, addressing the General Assembly and spoken on panels with the likes of Bernie Sanders, Van Jones, Shailene Woodley, Bill Mckibbens and Pharrell William. He has also been featured on Showtime, National Geographic, Rolling Stone, Upworthy, The Guardian, Vogue, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, CNN, MSNBC, HBO, VICE.


He is devoted and stand for our generation and the ones to come. He understood that we need to act now and lives so he can aspires other leaders to do like him and work trough the Earth Guardians organisation to extend the power and the voice of youth in front line actions on a worldwide scale.

MUSIC

My music is both a tool for resistance, and a medium to tell my story. My dad taught me that all life is sacred. When I was a little boy, we would always talk about our responsibility to protect our land, our culture, our earth as indigenous people. These teachings are the foundation of the music I write and the things I fight for.

— Xiuhtezcatl

Xiuhtezcalt has made many songs in Spanish and in English that all have a very powerful and meaningful message that comes from the bottom of his heart, his hope for a better future, his indigenous roots from his father and the social justice work of his mother all work together as he shares his cultural heritage and spreads a voice that talks about issues in a sound that is radio appealing.

Xiuhtezcatl music youtube channel