Today is Harvey Milk Day

Jacob Miller — May 22, 2013 – 12:53 pm | Comments (0) Add a comment

Today the NJDC is honored to recognize Harvey Milk’s great accomplishments in paving the way for equal rights. Milk’s courageous step onto the public stage paved the way for the LGBT community to become involved in politics. NJDC supports the efforts of Harvey Milk, and we are proud to celebrate all his accomplishments and contributions in the fight for equal rights.

83 years ago, Harvey was born to Lithuanian-Jewish immigrants in New York City. In 1973, Harvey moved to San Francisco and, in one of the gutsiest moves in American political history, ran for public office. Although, his bid for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors was unsuccessful, it would not be the last time Milk sought public office. In 1975 Milk supported California State Senator George Moscone in his successful run for Mayor of San Francisco. Because of his loyalty to Moscone, Milk was appointed to the city’s Board of Permit Appeals. While on that board Milk not only advocated for gay rights, but also seniors. After a failed attempt to run for State Assembly, in 1978 Milk once again ran for the San Francisco Board of Supervisor and become the first openly gay man ever elected to a major public office in the United States. Milk used his position to vocally advocate for equal rights and fight against discrimination.

Milk tragically died on November 27, 1978 when Dan White shot and killed Mayor Moscone and Milk.

As the Anti-Defamation League notes:

”[Even though] Milk served less than a year in public office before he was brutally assassinated by another city supervisor…his life profoundly changed a city, state, nation and a global community. 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.”

 

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