El Congreso, a student-led activist organization, hosted a vigil on Nov. 16 in remembrance of Oscar Gomez, also known as “El Bandido” or “The Bandit,” at El Centro. Gomez, a student and Chicano activist at UC Davis from 1990 to 1994, was known for his college radio show “La Onda Xicana” or “The Xicana Wave,” which featured Chicanx discussions, Latin music and interviews.
Photographs of Oscar Enrique Gomez with his loved ones. Salma Maytorena / Daily Nexu
Gomez’s immediate relatives were present, including his father Oscar Gomez Sr., mother, sisters and one of his close friends, Juan Gonzalez. The event featured Mexican food, Latin music and pictures and mementos of Gomez from the height of his activism in the 1990s. The remembrance event highlighted his work from his time at UC Davis and beyond, as well as his push toward change in the UC school system and at large.
The vigil marked the 30th anniversary of Gomez’s death, which occurred in 1994 at UC Santa Barbara when he came in support of students protesting in a hunger strike to get the campus to address the needs of Chicanx students and establish a Chicana/o studies department. On Nov. 17, 1994, after the protest, Gomez’s body was found on the eastern coast of UCSB. Investigators say no evidence was found, and no witnesses testified, leaving his case unsolved.
The Latino United Community and Higher Education Association (LUCHA) Foundation was established in Baldwin Park, California after Gomez’s passing to create opportunities in higher education for motivated youth. Long-serving organization Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA), or Chicanx Student Movement of Aztlan, promotes Chicanx unity and empowerment, both also perpetuating Oscar Gomez’s message. The Oscar E. Gomez Scholarship, established by LUCHA, is awarded every year to underrepresented high school seniors pursuing higher education.
Organizers of the event included Yvonne Gonzalez Martinez, a third-year zoology major, who remembers Gomez through her involvement in El Congreso, which has been deeply impacted by Gomez’s work.
“Remembering Oscar and who he was, and kind of reminding the general body of how much of an activist he was, the fact that he was not only a student, but he was also a son and a brother to siblings, and [someone] that we like to honor,” Gonzalez Martinez said.
Gomez’s message and background were shown through a presentation given by the head organizers, including his history and activism for the Chicanx community that started at UCD but spread across the UC campuses.
“I think it’s really important to learn about your history, your community, so you can stay tied down to that. And I think that activism has kept that alive,” third-year environmental studies major and event co-organizer Gabriela Muñoz said.
Gomez’s father reflected on his son’s message, essence and memories with him. Gomez Sr. came to UCSB for the first time since his son’s death for the vigil and thanked El Congreso for remembering his son.
“El Congreso has always done something for him in the past 30 years — it makes us stronger to not forget what we lost,” Gomez Sr. said. “He would come from all over the place to support — he would use the radio base to communicate what was going on.”
Throughout the event, Gomez Sr. shared anecdotes on his son’s life and said that Gomez’s message isn’t going anywhere.
“I think that it’s incredible, a young kid who grew up in Baldwin Park, that 30 years later people are still remembering him,” Gomez Sr. said. “He would be a leader and he did that in a lot of ways — he always felt like he could do things and change things.”
Students spoke about Gomez’s message on fighting for representation and student activism in higher education.
“As his dad said, he was very fond of getting higher education, and he thought that was so important, especially for us people of color because that means we can mobilize our communities. We can do something better for ourselves,” third-year geology major Nayeli Estrada said.
The activism of Chicanx students in the ‘90s has connected with new generations that are still working toward more equitable higher education.
“I think, for especially people of color and being a student in a system where our voices are continuously silenced, the University doesn’t want to acknowledge his impact, and it’s just creating more of that distance between our space of belonging here in this academic institution,” El Congreso member and fourth-year linguistics major Jocelyn Fernandez said.
Gonzalez spoke on Gomez’s effect on UC campuses and how his activism affects students, specifically Chicanx students today.
“They could look at someone like Oscar, who gave his life for his gente [people] — all the Chicanos, Chicanas that are here, they look for inspiration. They look for someone who was kind of rattling the feathers back, what, 30 years ago now. They need that kind of inspiration because that inspiration in a student [Gomez] was driving all that, that just perpetuates activism now,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said that the sacrifices that Gomez made during his life allowed for much change.
“As a young man, to make change — and he did it in a way where it’s a call to action, like open your eyes because what you see is bigger systemic issues and problems — by giving his life, we could do that for example, he’s doing it now because we’ve given over hundreds of scholarships now to those students who aspire to be Oscar,” Gonzalez said.
The final message provided by his father was that Gomez wanted people to remember to treat everyone equally and not take advantage of others.
“Especially people who don’t have a lot of strength — he felt like he was a voice for the poor, the voice of the people who had no voice, and that made him stronger,” Gomez Sr. said.
A version of this article appeared on p.1 of the Nov. 21, 2024 edition of the Daily Nexus.
