By Linda Jiminez
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
This message from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has stayed with me throughout the years. While there have been many people who have influenced me in my life—and my career—I have been very lucky to have one mentor in particular who helped me along the way, inspiring me to live my life according to Dr. King’s motto.
This Latina mentor made a very strong impression on me early in my career when I was struggling to make some important career decisions. While working on a big case, I was introduced to Vilma Martinez, a legal consultant and a remarkable woman.
Growing up as a Mexican American in Texas during the 1940s, Vilma Martinez experienced the effects of racial prejudice firsthand. She was discouraged from trying to obtain a college education because of her ethnicity. However, she persevered and earned a BA from the University of Texas at Austin, and an LLB from Columbia Law School. Vilma served for nearly a decade as head of one of the most prominent advocacy organizations in our country—the Legal Defense and Educational Fund of the NAACP. Later, Vilma became General Counsel and President of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). Since 2009 she has served as the U.S. Ambassador to Argentina, as well as a partner in a private law firm.
Back then, Vilma Martinez saw my potential and encouraged me to pursue my career aspirations without forgetting my humble beginnings. With her guidance I learned to play to my strengths as a Latina, creating a strong network and using it to connect with others and gain personal and professional success. She taught me to embrace change and take risks, and she showed me that I was already a respected leader at that time. But the most valuable lesson I learned from Vilma was that no matter what path I choose in life I have a responsibility to help others—just as she helped me.
Linda Jimenez is a native of San Antonio, Texas, and attended the University of Texas at Austin where she received her BA with honors. She is also a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law and has spent 20 years specializing in labor and employment law.
At the time, I was a young Latina mother with three small children and a thriving career as an employment law attorney for a large grocery retailer, but I was finding it difficult to balance these two competing roles. Vilma’s message to me was to seek out ways to make a difference in the lives of others—and to empower them to create their own destiny. I eventually chose a path outside the corporate world and for many years I balanced a part-time virtual job with my company while raising my three children.
Vilma’s advice—and Dr. King’s words—continue to resonate with me today, and even now I use them to guide my decisions. No matter what I do for a living, or how I do it, I know that at the core of my being it is my duty to help others. My own true purpose is to serve the needs of someone else.
I am grateful for Vilma and for all the special people who have shaped my life and helped me achieve success. Whenever my thinking gets chaotic or my motives seem to be a little off, I reflect on Vilma and I ask myself: “What are you doing for others?” Then I put aside my fears and mental chatter and remember my purpose. The more I give, it seems, the more I get.
I encourage you to pause to reflect on those who have influenced you and to find opportunities to serve others in whatever way moves you—whether it’s to be a mentor or coach, to volunteer for a worthy cause, or to give back to others who need help in their life’s journey. This year, think about Dr. King’s question as it applies to your life, and ask yourself, “What are you doing for others?”
Linda Jimenez is a native of San Antonio, Texas, and attended the University of Texas at Austin where she received her BA with honors. She is also a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law and has spent 20 years specializing in labor and employment law.
