Record Turnout for Harvey Milk MarchPaul Hogarthbyline‚ Dec. 01‚ 2008“You can kill the messenger, but you can’t kill the message,” shouted Tom Ammiano at a November 28 rally to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Harvey Milk’s assassination. “Harvey Milk’s message was hope,” said nephew Stuart Milk, “and its expression was courage.” For thirty years, activists have marched each year to Harvey Milk’s camera store in the Castro – although it’s usually been a brief low-key affair, with a handful of people marching just two blocks. This year, over 500 people marched all the way from City Hall to 19th and Castro – with a stream of candles down Market Street as far as the eye can see. Harvey’s message of hope could not be more appropriate today – with the election of an African-American President, and a new movement to protest Proposition 8. And with the release of the Milk movie (which I saw at the Castro Theatre after the march), more will learn about the history – and what lessons apply today. |