Dear Friends,
For the last four years I’ve been working with folks here in San Francisco to place a memorial sculpture of Supervisor Harvey Milk in San Francisco City Hall. It has taken that long to raise the funds, choose the artists and haggle with City Hall about where to place it. But all will come to fruition this May 22 when, on what would have been Harvey’s 78th birthday, the memorial will be unveiled in a free public event at San Francisco City Hall. There is only one remaining problem; our group is still about $10,000 short of the cost for the event and we have until April 30th to raise it.
I am asking for your assistance with a proposal that will help the Milk Memorial project and also pay tribute to Harry Hay. I want to raise enough money from Harry’s friends and admirers so that we can collectively be a sponsor of the unveiling under the name In Memory of Harry Hay. Harvey Milk’s dogged insistence that LGBT people represent and speak for themselves as a People who are a valued part of the larger society is the same spirit that drove Harry to start both Mattachine and the Radical Faeries. Harvey and Harry are part of the same historical narrative of radical change and social justice that is at the heart of the LGBT movement. It’s a narrative that can be easily forgotten in the rush to “normalize” the queer agenda. For me, Harvey’s statue in City Hall is one of a string of projects over the next decade that I hope will help to preserve and pass on to future generations that story and vision.
There are several levels of sponsorship, each with its own form of public acknowledgement and recognition. I’d like to raise $5000, which would make In Memory of Harry Hay one of the largest donors to the project. That would make an important statement. One thing I’ve learned working on this is that Harvey still scares off the traditional sources of big money donations. We have had great success with lots of $1 - $500 donors and raised a significant amount from their incredible generosity. But only one large donor stepped up to help us, The Bob Ross Foundation, which two years ago pledged to pay the remaining costs for the sculpture itself. All of those people, foundations and companies about whom you are probably thinking, “Did they ask…?” we have asked. The silence has been deafening, the responses paltry, but Harvey and the grassroots people power movement he symbolizes still makes a lot of those folks jittery.
If you have already donated to the Memorial project I want to thank you. If have not or would like to make an additional contribution to the In Memory of Harry Hay effort, there are several ways to do so. You can go to our website, www.milkmemorial.org and click on the Donate Now link. Checks can be sent to: Harvey Milk City Hall Memorial Committee, 1800 Market Street Ste. 42, San Francisco, CA 94102. Checks should be made out to SF Pride/Milk Memorial. We also have incentives for donations over $1000 which you can see at our website. One is a signed and matted print of the Dan Nicolleta photo of Harvey which the design of the statue is based on. All funds collected in excess of costs will be put into a project to create an educational curriculum about Harvey for use in schools.
Whichever way you donate please indicate that it is for the In Memory of Harry Hay sponsorship. If you have any questions or want to find out more about the project and event, please email me at joeycain1@yahoo.com or call me at 415.861-7609.
Thanks for taking the time to read this appeal. Please pass it on to anyone whom you think would be interested.
Joey Cain
For the last four years I’ve been working with folks here in San Francisco to place a memorial sculpture of Supervisor Harvey Milk in San Francisco City Hall. It has taken that long to raise the funds, choose the artists and haggle with City Hall about where to place it. But all will come to fruition this May 22 when, on what would have been Harvey’s 78th birthday, the memorial will be unveiled in a free public event at San Francisco City Hall. There is only one remaining problem; our group is still about $10,000 short of the cost for the event and we have until April 30th to raise it.
I am asking for your assistance with a proposal that will help the Milk Memorial project and also pay tribute to Harry Hay. I want to raise enough money from Harry’s friends and admirers so that we can collectively be a sponsor of the unveiling under the name In Memory of Harry Hay. Harvey Milk’s dogged insistence that LGBT people represent and speak for themselves as a People who are a valued part of the larger society is the same spirit that drove Harry to start both Mattachine and the Radical Faeries. Harvey and Harry are part of the same historical narrative of radical change and social justice that is at the heart of the LGBT movement. It’s a narrative that can be easily forgotten in the rush to “normalize” the queer agenda. For me, Harvey’s statue in City Hall is one of a string of projects over the next decade that I hope will help to preserve and pass on to future generations that story and vision.
There are several levels of sponsorship, each with its own form of public acknowledgement and recognition. I’d like to raise $5000, which would make In Memory of Harry Hay one of the largest donors to the project. That would make an important statement. One thing I’ve learned working on this is that Harvey still scares off the traditional sources of big money donations. We have had great success with lots of $1 - $500 donors and raised a significant amount from their incredible generosity. But only one large donor stepped up to help us, The Bob Ross Foundation, which two years ago pledged to pay the remaining costs for the sculpture itself. All of those people, foundations and companies about whom you are probably thinking, “Did they ask…?” we have asked. The silence has been deafening, the responses paltry, but Harvey and the grassroots people power movement he symbolizes still makes a lot of those folks jittery.
If you have already donated to the Memorial project I want to thank you. If have not or would like to make an additional contribution to the In Memory of Harry Hay effort, there are several ways to do so. You can go to our website, www.milkmemorial.org and click on the Donate Now link. Checks can be sent to: Harvey Milk City Hall Memorial Committee, 1800 Market Street Ste. 42, San Francisco, CA 94102. Checks should be made out to SF Pride/Milk Memorial. We also have incentives for donations over $1000 which you can see at our website. One is a signed and matted print of the Dan Nicolleta photo of Harvey which the design of the statue is based on. All funds collected in excess of costs will be put into a project to create an educational curriculum about Harvey for use in schools.
Whichever way you donate please indicate that it is for the In Memory of Harry Hay sponsorship. If you have any questions or want to find out more about the project and event, please email me at joeycain1@yahoo.com or call me at 415.861-7609.
Thanks for taking the time to read this appeal. Please pass it on to anyone whom you think would be interested.
Joey Cain
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