Texas Border Business
Rosie loves being able to share her passion to end domestic violence and violence against women with her children – Rene (27), Ryne (25), Samantha (21), Miguel (17) and Manuel (13). They grew up in the movement and all of them have taken an active role to do prevention work alongside their mother.
At the age of 14, Rosie first heard the term “domestic violence” after her childhood best friend was murdered at the hands of her own father, who also killed her friend’s mother and then himself. She witnessed how her big sisters struggled to leave abusive relationships.
After majoring in Criminal Justice and Sociology, Rosie started her career in the Juvenile Probation Department working with first-time offenders. She saw firsthand that more than 80 percent of the kids assigned to her had been victims of abuse or witnessed family violence at home. She dedicated her career to help victims break the silence of abuse and seek help, and she has been educating victims of their options for the last 20 years. Rosie says this service to domestic violence victims is a way of life for her that has been engraved in her heart.
As a mom to four sons and a daughter, Rosie wants her boys to understand that violence against women is a men’s issue, they have a responsibility to talk to other men about ways that males can prevent violence against women, and that they will teach the same to their children.
Rosie wants her daughter to know she is valuable as a woman and can achieve anything her heart desires. She wants her to understand that women are not objects and love should never hurt. She has taught her that there is always a way out of an abusive relationship, and she will always be there for her. And again, Rosie wants her daughter to teach these lessons to her granddaughter because mothers set the example.
Rosie has great hopes that her granddaughter’s generation will be able to break the silence and the cycle of abuse once her generation has done all in their power to educate them on healthy relationships. On this Mother’s Day, we honor Rosie Martinez and offer our appreciation for her decades of work with domestic violence victims and for raising her sons and daughters to continue on with her passion. Thank you for your nurturing spirit, laser-focused determination and example of loving motherhood for us all!
