Carlos Gomez To Appear At MLK, Jr. Celebration At Limestone College

Having himself endured being treated and regarded differently because of his Latino heritage, Carlos Gomez has committed his adult life to helping make dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. real for all people.

He grew up being referred to as “mixed,” and the “son of a drug dealer.” He is now using the arts of poetry, writing, acting, and speech to erase such stereotypes.

Gomez will bring his “Making The Dream Real” message and summit to Limestone College’s Fullerton Auditorium on Monday, January 21, at 11 a.m. as part of Cherokee County’s 16th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration. 

There is no admission charge and the public is invited to attend. The program is being produced through a partnership with Limestone College and the Cherokee County MLK Committee.

Gomez is a Colombian-American poet, speaker, actor, and author of the memoir “Man Up: Reimagining Modern Manhood,” released by Penguin Random House. He has appeared in HBO’s “Def Poetry Jam,” TV One’s “Verses and Flow,” and Spike Lee’s movie “Inside Man” that starred Denzel Washington. His viral poems, including “Where are you really from?” and “What Latino Looks Like,” have garnered millions of views online.

He recently partnered with well-known singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor John Legend for “Senior Orientation,” a program to counteract bullying and to champion inclusive masculinity among high school students.

“I am tired of men dying because they feel alone, feeling like they are destined for prison or monotony or gender role-playing or anything less than their most divine of dreams,” Gomez said in his memoir. “I am tired of men hurting women and each other and themselves. I know that I am not alone in this. The men in my life have told me so.

“There are so many dreams I have had in my life – foolish ones and shallow ones, profoundly stupid ones and seemingly ‘deep’ ones,” he continued. “And then there are those that I still cannot shake, some that I am afraid to say aloud. I have always been a daydreamer. But I will not rest until one dream is made real: that we might redefine what it is to be a man, that we redefine what it means to say, ‘man up.’”

Gomez was named 2016 Best Diversity Artist by “Campus Activities Magazine” and Artist of the Year at the 2009 Promoting Outstanding Writers Awards.

For more information on Gomez, visit his website: www.carloslive.com.