Martin Retires from Action for Equity After Two Decades of Advocacy

Tarshia Green-Williams has been named the interim executive director of Action for Equity, stepping into the role vacated by Marvin Martin. Martin is retiring after more than twenty years of leading the organization, which operates out of 420 Washington St. near the Four Corners neighborhood. The group works to secure fairness in transportation and housing for Boston residents.

Martin’s career in organizing began in his childhood. He attended his first rally at age ten and later described the motivation behind his work. “I don’t know. Being Black in America, I guess. You know, there’s always so many injustices,” he said. That early exposure led him to organizations such as Mass Fair Share, the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, and the Greater Four Corners Action Coalition before he joined Action for Equity.

Under Martin’s leadership, the group focused on two primary goals. The first was the campaign to bring new stations and improvements to the Fairmount/Indigo Line. The second was the establishment of Special Protection Zones, or SPZ. These zones are designed to protect longtime residents and businesses from displacement as neighborhoods undergo development and transit upgrades.

Martin considered the SPZ effort his top priority. He stated that the zones were more important to him than the Indigo Line itself. “I’m hoping that the Special Protection Zones will become real, because to me, that’s more important even than the Indigo Line,” he said. The organization has advocated for these protections for several years to stabilize communities during periods of rapid change.

Martin’s departure is part of a recent shift in the organization’s staff. Weezy Waldstein retired last month after serving for more than twenty years in workforce development at Action for Equity. The organization will continue its work under the interim leadership of Green-Williams, who previously served as deputy director.