Harvey Milk—charismatic, eloquent, and a smart-aleck—was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, but he had only served for less than a year when he was shot by a homophobic fellow supervisor. Milk’s assassination made him the most famous gay man in modern history, and countless tributes, including a posthumous Medal of Freedom, honor his legacy. This compelling biography explores the complexities of Harvey Milk’s life, from his Jewish childhood on Long Island to his final years as a progressive politician committed to social justice.
About Harvey Milk Day: Many public schools and educational institutions in California and across the nation observe Harvey Milk Day on May 22. This observance celebrates and commemorates the achievements of Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist who was assassinated in 1978.
The Mechanics’ Institute is pleased to cosponsor this program with the GLBT Historical Society. The GLBT History Museum will offer free admission to all visitors on this day. Located at 4127 18th Street in San Francisco, the museum will be open 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. http://www.glbthistory.org/ Check out the museum and then attend the program at Mechanics’ Institute!
Lillian Faderman is a distinguished scholar of LGBT and ethnic history and literature. She has received numerous awards for her previous eleven books, three of which, Surpassing the Love of Men, Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers, and The Gay Revolution, have been named by the New York Times as Notable Books of the Year.
Cleve Jones began his career as an activist in San Francisco in 1970s when he was befriended by pioneer gay rights leader Harvey Milk. After Milk’s death, Jones co-founded the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and conceived the idea of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which memorializes over 85,000 Americans who have died from AIDS. He lives in San Francisco and works as a labor activist. He is the author of When We Rise: My Life in the Movement, which won the 2017 Lambda Literary Award.
Meet the Author(s)
Future Meet the Author(s)
Jan 9 - 6:00 pm
Feeding Body, Mind, and Soul: Caring for Our Communities Through Food
with Toriano Gordon, Dr. Daphne Miller, and Leslie Wiser, moderated by Jessica Yadegaran
Jan 23 - 6:00 pm
Tell Me Something, Anything, Even If It's a Lie
with author Steve Wasserman and Gary Kamiya
Jan 31 - 6:30 pm
Celebrating Lunar New Year
with Maxine Hong Kingston, Mina Kim, Kathryn Ma, and Aimee Phan
