As a co-editor of the Plan de Santa Bárbara, an educational manifesto for the implementation of Chicano studies programs in universities nationwide, he was an influential figure in the development of the field.
[2] Gómez-Quiñones was born in the city of Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico, and raised in East Los Angeles.
He subsequently attended the University of California, Los Angeles, earning his bachelor's degree in literature, his Master of Arts in Latin American studies, and his doctorate of philosophy in history.
He began teaching at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1969 and has held his post for over forty years.
He has served as the director of UCLA's Chicano Studies Research Center, as well as on the board of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund.