Luis “White Shoes” Martinez

Luis “White Shoes” Martinez was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico on August 23,
1936. He arrived in New York in 1954, and shortly thereafter he enlisted in
the United States Air Force, where he served our country honorably for 24
years. He obtained the rank of Master Sergeant and in December 1980, he was
awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for outstanding meritorious service to
the United States.

While Mr. Martinez was in the service, he played and participated in baseball
tournaments throughout Puerto Rico, including in San Juan, Aguadilla, Bayamon,
and Mayaguez. He also participated in All-Squad athletic competitions in Japan,
Guam, California, North Carolina, and New Jersey.

After leaving the service, Mr. Martinez focused many of his efforts in increasing
sports participation in the Latino community in New York City. He served
as Vice President for Community Affairs for the Hispanic American Sports
Coalition, where he organized tournaments for youth athletes in baseball,
basketball and soccer, including the Latino Little League World Series for 10-
12 year olds. He was a committee member of Latino Sports, Inc., as well as a
member of the Latino Sports Writers and Broadcasters Association.

In addition to his work making sports accessible to young people in New York
City, Mr. Martinez was civically involved in many other ways. He was one of the
founders of the Puerto Rican Day Parades of the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queenssome of the biggest, and most widely attended cultural events in New York City.

Mr. Martinez was most well known as an accomplished photojournalist. Through
his photography he documented the day-to-day life of Puerto Ricans and Latinos
in New York City, providing an unparalleled history of one of the most vibrant
and dynamic communities in New York. His photos regularly appeared in the
weekly newspaper La Voz Hispana. Mr. Martinez photographed every major
leader in New York City, including Mayor Koch, Mayor Dinkins, Governor
Cuomo, Governor Pataki, Hillary Clinton, and Mayor Bloomberg- many of whom
affectionately knew him as “White Shoes,” in honor of the white shoes that
became his signature footwear.

Luis “White Shoes” Martinez sadly passed away on November 7, 2019, leaving
behind an incredible legacy in East Harlem and all of New York City.