Hello community!
My name is Amy Andrea Martinez, and I am creating this GoFundMe with the full permission of Sebastian Ortega to support him and his family during an incredibly painful and destabilizing moment.
Sebastian is a PhD student in Sociology at the University of Chicago, a first-generation, formerly incarcerated, working-class scholar whose life and research have been deeply rooted in care for our communities — particularly those most impacted by state violence, criminalization, and structural exclusion. He entered his doctoral program with purpose, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to using scholarship as a tool for collective liberation.
I am currently an Assistant professor of Justice Studies at San José State University, and since the day I met Sebastian and his family, I have witnessed firsthand his intellectual brilliance, discipline, and immense potential. I fully and unequivocally support Sebastian in his fight to be reinstated and to have the opportunity to finish the PhD he has worked so hard to earn. No one who has invested years of labor, sacrifice, and care into their scholarship should be pushed out without transparency, accountability, or due process.
As a result of this sudden and harmful decision, Sebastian and his family are now facing serious financial instability, including loss of income, rising expenses, and uncertainty around housing and healthcare. This campaign exists to provide immediate material support so they can navigate this moment with dignity while Sebastian continues to advocate for his reinstatement.
It must also be said: it is deeply disheartening when this kind of harm comes not only from institutions, but from people within them — including members of our own raza — who participate in systems that silence, discard, or attempt to quietly push out our students. Especially those who are working-class, formerly incarcerated, or who challenge the status quo. This lack of transparency and care in our institutions cannot go unchecked.
In addition to donating, I ask that you read, sign, and share Sebastian’s open letter, which outlines what has happened and calls for accountability and reinstatement:
Open Letter in Support of Sebastian Ortega:
Your support will help:
- Cover basic living expenses, healthcare, and family needs
- Provide stability during Sebastian’s fight for reinstatement
- Amplify a collective call for transparency, accountability, and justice
If you are able to donate, please do. If you cannot, sharing this campaign and signing the open letter are also powerful acts of solidarity. Let’s show Sebastian and his family that they are not alone — and that we believe in his right to complete the PhD he has rightfully earned.
Con mucho amor y con rabia justa,
Amy Andrea Martinez, Ph.D.
Professor of Justice Studies, San José State University
Organizer and beneficiary
sebastian ortega
Beneficiary