Remembering Carlos Hernandez Gomez
While waiting to take the plane from Lima, Peru, back to Chicago I read online the terrible news that Chicago journalist
Carlos Hernandez Gomez lost his battle with cancer.
Carlos Hernandez Gomez
I became friends with Carlos more than 10 years ago when he was a young
reporter writing for
Extra Bilingual Newspaper and
La Opinion. I was a
Chicago Tribune reporter at the time and would run into Carlos on
assignments in Chicago's Latino neighborhoods.
We covered a lot of the same stories. But there was never any competition with Carlos. He was always friendly and generous.
One story that we both covered was in September 1999 when a group of Puerto Rican members of the
FALN were granted clemency by then President Bill Clinton.
I remember waiting with Carlos on Division Street to get an interview with one of the newly released prisoners. Contacts we had in the community snuck us into the back of the Boriken Bakery so we could interview one of the prisoners.
We were so proud because we got the first interviews that day. I'm
Mexican and Carlos Puerto Rican. We used to joke about a refrain
you hear sometimes during Latino protests. "
Boricua. Mexicano. Luchando
mano a mano," or "Puerto Rican. Mexican. Fighting side by side."
I always thought of him as
mi hermanito, my little brother.
Carlos loved to chase a story. I knew back then that he would go far in journalism. I remember when he applied and then got the job at
The Chicago Reporter. Then he went on to
WBEZ and later
CLTV.
When he first started on the radio, people would ask him why he pronounced his name Carrrlos Hernaandezzz Goomezzz. He always insisted on accenting the right syllables in Spanish.
Carlos was
boricua and proud of his Puerto Rican heritage.
I was so proud to see his success as a journalist as I followed his career. To me he will always be Carlitos.
I'm heartbroken that I did not get a chance to say goodbye and that someone so talented, warm and funny was taken from us too soon.
Adios mi amigo. Te vamos a querer siempre.
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4 Comments
Joe the Cop said:
I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. We always liked hearing Carlos' reporting on WBEZ. He will be missed.
Rey Lopez-Calderon said:
I, too, met Carlos back when he was at Extra. He covered my organization's fight to keep our comnmunity festival from being derailed by the local alderman. I truly liked his style and critical attitude toward power and politics. He was a rare talent. Too many journalists have convinced themselves that the world of "viewpoint-less" journalism actually exists. Carlos was a master of sifting through the spin and BS thrown at us by politicians, government, and Corporate America. He will be missed.
Tottart said:
I, too, am sorry for your loss. The world is a better place for having Carlos and he will live in our hearts forever.
Martha said:
Teresa:
It's because of you that I, too, met Carlos all those years ago -- when we were building our bonds between the various journalism groups. I thank you for that and am equally as heartbroken that he is gone. Watching Carlos grow and flourish from his days at La Opinion to his television career always brought a smile to my face. - Martha
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