Carlos Alberto Martínez Way (Manhattan)
Present name:None
Location:At the intersection of 165th Street and Audubon Avenue
Honoree:  After moving to New York from his native Santo Domingo in 1961, Carlos Alberto Martínez (1932-2011) worked as a mechanic and as a taxi driver. He started a car repair business which by 1977 had become “La Estrella Auto Part.” After struggling with alcohol dependency for many years, he joined Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) in 1980. ,His faith, determination, and the AA community contributed to his success in reorganizing his life. In 1984, he helped found the “Association of Merchants and Professionals in Support of the Dominican Liberation Party.” He became close to Professor Juan Bosch, the leader of the Dominican Liberation Party, and participated avidly in the political arena in both DR and New York City. In 2002, together with a handful of people, he created the Committee for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Drug Addiction, with the mission of helping alcoholic patients and drug addicts who were afraid to seek help because of the stigma linked to mental health and substance abuse. Don Carlos, fought to change perceptions and systems that catalogued substance abuse patients as general psychiatry patients, persuading eight New York hospitals to create special facilities for them. He found appropriate homes for participants after discharge and helped them join AA. He founded several AA chapters, mentored countless members, and shared his personal testimony to help others. In addition to his work in caring for substance abuse sufferers, Carlos Martínez was active in development programs in the DR. He served as President of the famed Dominican “Club de Leones” chapter in Manhattan. He obtained a government grant to offer free prostate cancer early detection tests for those who could not afford it and he volunteered at Lincoln Hospital, where he campaigned to educate people about prostate cancer. In 1999, he created LUZ DIVINA, a magazine to disseminate information on the work carried out by the Committee for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Drug Addiction. (Rodriguez)
LL:2020/26