Antonio Soberanis Gómez and His Fierce Activism in the Belizean Labor Movement

October 1, 2023
by Larry Waight +

Antonio Soberanis Gómez was an influential member of the Belizean labor movement and in many ways was responsible for shaping the destiny of the country as a whole.

His Early Life and Background

Antonio Soberanis Gómez was born on January 17, 1897 in San Antonio Rio Hondo, Belize. His parents were Mexican and had only come to Belize in 1894.

He attended an all-boys school in Belize City and afterward become a barber, going on to own The Panama Barbershop there. He was affectionately known as Tony by his friends.

Involvement in the Labor Movement

Antonio Soberanis Gómez is most well-known for his involvement in the Belizean labor movement.

In 1934, many factors had strained the working class of Belize. The mahogany trade was in decline, which was one of Belize’s biggest industries. The Great Depression was raging worldwide. On top of that, the 1931 British Honduras hurricane had devastated the region. It was the deadliest hurricane to ever strike British Honduras (which Belize was known as at the time) and caused massive destruction in Belize City.

This resulted in even worse living conditions for most working-class Belizeans and employment rates were very high. An organization called the Unemployed Brigade was founded to lobby for more jobs and better wages in response. When they were offered basically nothing by the colonial governor at the time, most of the organization’s leaders gave up and resigned. They were clearly convinced nothing was going to change and there was little any of them could do about it.

Antonio Soberanis Gómez, however, did not want to accept this. He famously said that he’d “rather be a dead hero than a living coward” and refused to stop fighting for the cause, even at the risk of his own life. He had seen the suffering of his fellow working-class Belizeans firsthand and felt conditions needed to improve. He became convinced that the best way to better the lives of his people was for Belize to become independent and the British’s colonization of the country to end.

Time In the Labor and Unemployed Association

In 1934, Antonio Soberanis Gómez formed the Labor and Unemployed Association (LUA) with other like-minded individuals. He and others in the organization proved to be more effective at seeing to the needs of the people than the colonial government was, as they once fed 3,000 people in the Yarborough area. The organization also provided medical care.

The group organized labor strikes, boycotts, and demonstrations in the face of government crackdowns. Antonio Soberanis Gómez was arrested and charged for his activism on multiple occasions. In spite of this, he continued to openly criticize colonial officials, people in the merchant class, and other elites regarding the injustices faced by laborers.

The group caused some positive changes to occur. They succeeded in raising wages for some workers, getting more people employed through government public initiative programs, and receiving greater political representation.

The LUA was unfortunately short-lived because of infighting and disagreements among the leadership. Antonio Soberanis Gómez, however, would continue to fight for the rights of laborers and for Belizean independence.

Later Developments

In 1942, Antonio Soberanis Gómez left Belize to serve in the British military in Panama during the height of World War II. As the 1950s dawned, the followers of the Labor and Unemployed Association formed the People’s Committee political party. Antonio Soberanis Gómez would go on to be a councilor in that party. He remained engaged as an activist for the rest of his life as well as continued his work as a barber.

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His Personal Life

He was married to a woman named Violet Garbutt and would go on to father ten children. He died on April 14, 1975, at the age of 78. He was buried at his Santana Village farm.

Legacy

For decades now, Antonio Soberanis Gómez has been hailed as a national hero of Belize. He continues to be remembered even today, though he has been a tragically overlooked figure by many labor movement historians outside of Belize.

In 1991, a bust of his likeness was unveiled as part of the inauguration of Battlefield Park to honor his contributions to the fight to make Belize an independent nation. The People’s Committee party is now known as the People’s United Party and is one of the two major political parties in modern Belize.