To the editor : This column ( “In Orange County, Black Catholic men have a club of their own,” Aug. 22) gave me both courage and incentive to continue the work I have pursued for more than 30 years — helping young people of color gain equal opportunities.

Though I appear white, my Creole and Latino heritage has long motivated me to “even the playing field” for others. In January 2022, I was honored to represent my Martinet family at the pardon ceremony of Homer Plessy in New Orleans, invited by the governor of Louisiana. My great-great-uncle, Louis A. Martinet, was Plessy’s lawyer and confidant. That moment reminded me how closely our family’s story is tied to the ongoing fight for justice.

Still, being a person of color by heritage but not by appearance can be complicated. At times

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