The Campaign for a Harvey Milk Day

by Michael Jones · 2009-03-02 19:38:00 UTC
Topics:

Harvey milk

If Sean Penn and several California legislators have any say, May 22 will be dubbed Harvey Milk Day in the Golden state.  Penn is joining California State Sen. Mark Leno to help make 5/22 a day of "special significance," a largely symbolic measure that would encourage communities to commemorate the historical impact of Harvey Milk.

In our opinion, Milk deserves this.  California already has days of "significance" to commemorate John Muir, and the California poppy.  There's no reason to not have a day commemorating one of the most important political figures of the 20th century.  (And that's not just us saying it.  It's TIME Magazine.)

California Gov. Arnold Schwartzenegger vetoed a similar measure last year, but that's not stopping Sen. Leno from moving forward with trying to pass the legislation this year.  As Sen. Leno told the San Jose Mercury News: "If there's anything Arnold Schwarzenegger understands, it's box office. And Harvey Milk now has box office. I say that with a smile on my face. But we now have good proof that Harvey Milk's work was of a universal nature in promoting respect and dignity."

It's true.  Milk's legacy goes beyond the state boundaries of California or the city limits of San Francisco.  Marking a special day of "significance" is the least the California legislature and Gov. Schwartzenegger could do to celebrate an American hero.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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