Why Schools Should Commemorate Harvey Milk Day

May 22, 2010 would be Harvey Milk's 80th birthday, if the late civil rights leader were still fighting for equality with us today. Instead, Milk was gunned down inside City Hall, after waging a historic campaign to become San Francisco's first openly gay City Supervisor.

Years later, Milk's legacy lives on via books, movies, and the creation of Harvey Milk Day, a special day set aside by the state of California to commemorate the life and legacy of Milk. This year will mark the first Harvey Milk Day, scheduled to commence on May 22, Milk's birthday. On that day and during that week, thousands of schools around California will make an extra special effort to work some lessons on the work of Harvey Milk into their curriculum. It won't be hard, given the pioneering work that Milk did fighting the Briggs Initiative (which would have banned openly LGBT people from serving as public school teachers), and working to enact anti-discrimination measures in the city of San Francisco.

But there's one anti-gay activist in Bakersfield, California trying to persuade his school district to "ban" Harvey Milk Day altogether. That man? Ken Mettler, the anti-gay activist who became somewhat famous during the campaign over California's Proposition 8, the statewide ballot measure that rescinded the rights of gay and lesbian couples to marry. Back then, Mettler made it part of his daily ritual to steal "No on 8" campaign signs, and even once punched a "No on 8" supporter. Classy.

Not to be outdone by his previous work, Mettler is now pressuring his school district, otherwise known as the Kern High School District, to pass a resolution nixing any sort of commemoration for Harvey Milk this year. In Mettler's words, "Harvey Milk does not rise to the level of a special day of recognition."

Tell that to the millions of people inspired by Milk's story and courage, particularly LGBT youth who take nothing but hope away from the life and legacy of Milk. The Kern High School District is scheduled to vote on May 19 whether to pass Mettler's resolution, or turn it down. Now's our chance to let them know how important Harvey Milk was, and why administrators would be wise to teach their children about the life of one of the most prominent civil rights activists of the last fifty years.

Among the many reasons why schools should commemorate Harvey Milk Day, here are three that are pretty darn important.

1. "He gave kids hope."

But don't just take our word for it. That right there is the testimony that a Centennial High School senior, Tyler Lozano, gave before the Kern High School District last night. Lozano knows the story of Milk, and knows the power it can have if made accessible to his peers. Lozano said that the hope Milk inspires isn't "something that a lot of lesbian and gay kids ... have in my school." All the more reason to make sure these students have heroes and sheroes they can look up to.

2. There's no separating Harvey Milk from California History.

When you look at 20th century California history, there's no escaping that the story of Harvey Milk was one of the defining moments of the state, if not the country. Here was one of the first openly gay politicians in the country, leading the charge for equality in the biggest state in the union. That he was assassinated along with San Francisco's mayor (George Moscone), by a former City Supervisor (Dan White) is political history in no uncertain terms. Shouldn't students have the benefit of learning about what may have been one of California's biggest stories in the last half of the 20th century?

3. Never giving up on the Us'es.

The "Us'es" was Harvey Milk's term for anyone who might be different than the majority. These were people who routinely had their rights violated, and people who were denied the protections afforded them under the founding documents of this country. In addition to giving people hope, Milk also gave voice to the "Us'es" in society who needed someone to speak up for them in the halls of power. On Harvey Milk Day, it's another chance for us to remember who the "us'es" are today, beyond just the LGBT community, so that we can build the bridges necessary for social change that Harvey Milk was so good at creating. (Witness his attempt to bring together union workers, the LGBT movement, and people together under the same political umbrella.) As Harvey Milk said during one of his more famous speeches, "Hope for a better world, hope for a better tomorrow, hope for a better place to come to if the pressures at home are too great. Hope that all will be all right. Without hope, not only gays, but the blacks, the seniors, the handicapped, the us'es, the us'es will give up."

Don't let the Kern High School District give up on the legacy and life of Harvey Milk. Urge them to vote down Mettler's resolution on May 19, and allow schools within their district to commemorate one of the most important social justice leaders in U.S. history.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons