Dr. Martín Alberto Gonzalez is a first-generation Xicano raised in Oxnard, California. He completed his undergraduate studies at California State University, Northridge, then earned his doctorate from the Cultural Foundations of Education Department at Syracuse University, where he became the first Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellow in the university’s history. Aside from being a university professor at Portland State University in Chicanx/Latinx Studies, he is regularly invited to K-12 schools as a guest speaker, and even has a TEDx talk titled, “Boxnard,” which is available on YouTube. As an educator-scholar-activist, he takes pride in telling stories in all shapes and forms that challenge stereotypes and empower his community and communities alike. He is the author of 21 Miles of Scenic Beauty... and then Oxnard: Counterstories and Testimonies and The Key to the City | La Llave de la Ciudad. His newest book, Why You Always So Political? The Experiences and Resiliencies of Mexican/Mexican American/Xicanx Students in Higher Education, was published April 2023 and documents the various ways Mexican students navigate and challenge racism and white supremacy in higher education. Why You Always So Political? was recently awarded the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education Book of the Year Award in the Early Career Category.