You've seen the movie. Here's some of 1978 original...

[Bluenorthwest]

So much of this speech by Democrat Harvey Milk strikes me as applicable to our current times so I thought I'd post an excerpt and a link to the complete address. They call it 'the hope speech' and it is like many other famous speeches, virtually unknown beyond the famous phrases. I think everyone should read it, it's not that long....and when he mentions 'the CDC' he means California Democratic Council, not the Centers for Disease control...Briggs refers to an attempt to fire gay teachers, Jarvis-Gann means Prop 13, the tax reform initiative that still plagues California.
This was my first year as a voter.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Why are we here? Why are gay people here? And what's happening? What's happening to me is the antithesis of what you read about in the papers and what you hear about on the radio. You hear about and read about this movement to the right. That we must band together and fight back this movement to the right. And I'm here to go ahead and say that what you hear and read is what they want you to think because it's not happening. The major media in this country has talked about the movement to the right so the legislators think that there is indeed a movement to the right and that the Congress and the legislators and the city councils will start to move to the right the way the major media want them. So they keep on talking about this move to the right......What we must do is make sure that 1978 continues the movement that is really happening that the media don't want you to know about. That is the movement to the left.
It's up to CDC to put the pressures on Sacramento--but to break down the walls and the barriers so the movement to the left continues and progress continues in the nation. We have before us coming up several issues we must speak out on. Probably the most important issue outside the Briggs--which we will come to--but we do know what will take place this June. We know there's an issue on the ballot called Jarvis-Gann. We hear the taxpayers talk about it on both sides. But what you don't hear is that it's probably the most racist issue on the ballot in a long time. In the city and county of San Francisco, if it passes and we indeed have to lay off people, who will they be? The last in, and the first in, and who are the last in but the minorities? Jarvis-Gann is a racist issue."
http://www.danaroc.com/guests_harveymilk_122208.html

[JustAnotherGen]

1. Thank you for posting this - will go in depth later

I'm fascinated by Milk. I didn't realize as a five year old why my parents (a mixed race couple married in 1969) were sooooooooooooo hopped up on this guy on the other side of the country when we first moved back to the states from Germany. Having seen the movie a few years ago . . . NOW I really get it.

Look forward to reading this. Thanks again!

[Bluenorthwest]

2. That whole thing about the media, it just sounded so very current....

it is exactly what we are still seeing today. I looked the speech up because of all that negative material campaigners are using, and posters saying negative works. I thought of Obama and Hope and then of Harvey and looked up the speech. Got to give them hope. Got to.


Hope is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -

I’ve heard it in the chillest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.
Emily Dickenson