(1010 WINS) — “My name is Harvey Milk and I’m here to recruit you.”
That was the first line of Milk’s famous “Hope” speech in San Francisco on the steps of City Hall during the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade.
Born in Woodmere, Long Island in 1930, Milk went to college in Albany, served in the Korean War, and lived in New York City until he moved to San Francisco in 1972.
He ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the city’s Board of Supervisors. He ran again in 1976 and lost again. But in 1977, he won, becoming the first openly gay elected official in California and one of the first in the country.
With these values in mind, the Harvey Milk Foundation was created. Its mission statement reads: “His courage, passion and sense of justice rocked a country and stirred the very core of a put down and pushed out community, bringing forward new hope and a new vision of freedom. As a not- for-profit global organization, our program goals – to empower local, regional, national and global organizations so that they may fully realize the power of Harvey Milk’s story, style, and collaborative relationship building – are as large and bold as Harvey taught us!”
He paved the way for others in the LGBTQ community who seek public office. Last year, 41 years after Milk’s assassination, Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, was the first openly gay man to run for President.
Thanks to leaders like Marsha P. Johnson and Harvey Milk, I have faith in the possibility of change and growth in this country. There is still more work to do, but let us take a moment and celebrate the gains we've made this #PrideMonth.
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) June 2, 2019
