Miami Beach to Unveil ‘Harvey Milk Way’

(Miami Beach, FL) Sep 17, 2021 -

The City of Miami Beach will honor slain human rights leader Harvey Milk on Friday, Sept. 17, 2021 at 6 p.m. as officials unveil “Harvey Milk Way” at Miami Beach Pride Park in recognition of Milk’s role in the LGBTQ+ struggle.

“I and other openly gay elected officials owe a tremendous debt to the persistence of Harvey Milk in seeking public office,” said Miami Beach City Commissioner David Richardson. “Many people may not know that Mr. Milk also spent a considerable amount of time in Miami Beach.”

Milk was a civil and human rights activist who made national and international headlines when he became one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States by winning a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. His election came at a time when the LGBTQ+ community struggled to overcome widespread hostility and discrimination.

Accustomed to receiving daily death threats, Milk was assassinated nearly a year after taking office by a disgruntled former San Francisco supervisor who also assassinated then San Francisco Mayor George Moscone. The slayings prompted thousands to march from San Francisco’s famed Castro Street to San Francisco City Hall in a silent candlelight vigil.

Milk’s activism earned him a place in Time’s list of the “100 most important people of the 20th century.”

“Friday’s street unveiling will serve as a beacon of hope for members of Miami Beach’s LGBTQ+ community, many of whom still encounter discrimination at times,” Richardson added. “My vision is to honor different human rights activists in each of the four corners of Pride Park with Mr. Milk being the first.”

The unveiling will take place at the southeast corner of Pride Park, which is located at 1700 Convention Center Drive outside the Miami Beach Convention Center. The event coincides with the weeklong Miami Beach Pride celebration.

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