In a monumental decision, San Francisco voters passed Proposition B, funding $25 million for the construction of a significant LGBTQ+ monument in the heart of the city. This landmark vote comes more than fifty years after Harvey Milk first appeared on the ballot, marking a powerful tribute to his enduring legacy of activism, equality, and representation. This public-private effort will realize one of the nation’s first major landmarks dedicated to an LGBTQ+ civil rights icon. Proposition B’s passage signals the city’s commitment to recognizing the trailblazing efforts of Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States, and honoring the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community to the city’s rich history. The memorial will stand as a symbol of inclusivity, resilience, and the ongoing fight for justice and equality—a beacon of hope and inspiration for future generations.
“The memorial represents more than just Harvey Milk,” said Brian Springfield, Executive Director of The Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza. “This project unites people—advocates, business owners, residents, and artists—who see an opportunity to capture Harvey’s spirit and mission on this historic corner of the Castro. Today, we have reached this milestone because people believed in this vision and helped make it a reality. This is a powerful testament to what our community can accomplish when we organize at a grassroots level and come together as a community, which is something Harvey understood very well.”
The vote follows years of grassroots advocacy, engagement, and design, building on recent funding wins. In March 2024, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi secured $500,000 in federal support, which followed $2.5 million in grants from the State of California secured by State Senator Scott Wiener, and $150,000 from the Mellon Foundation’s Monuments Project. Prop B, a $390 million bond measure championed by San Francisco Mayor London Breed, earmarks $25 million in direct support for the plaza. Designed in close collaboration with the Castro community by the San Francisco office of SWA, a global landscape architecture and planning firm, the memorial can move toward construction.
“During this journey, we were struck by how absent LGBTQ+ stories are in our nation’s commemorative landscape,” said Daniel Cunningham, Associate Principal at SWA. “Thanks to the support of the community, this project will be more than a memorial; it’s a call to join Harvey’s movement. Working with this community has been a privilege, and we’re thrilled to see Harvey’s legacy honored where it all began and belongs—in the streets of the Castro.”
The Memorial at Harvey Milk Plaza goes beyond honoring a civil rights pioneer; it stands as a powerful response to rising anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and the nationwide effort to suppress freedom of expression in public spaces. At the iconic Castro and Market streets corner—the site of the 1978 candlelight vigil after Milk’s assassination—the memorial will feature two distinct spaces: an open gathering area with an elevated pedestal to the east and a quiet reflection grove to the west. The design integrates key symbols of the LGBTQ+ rights movement: Milk’s bullhorn, protest signs, historical references, and dynamic lighting that highlights the words “hope” and “action,” reinforcing the enduring power of these values in the heart of the Castro.
“It was critical for the team to create a place that could change with the times and put the community at the center,” said Cleve Jones, an activist, author, founding contributor to the San Francisco Bay Times, and a friend of Milk. “Today’s world is different from the one Harvey left, but the issues he fought for—civil rights, fair housing and labor, and cities that welcome people regardless of race, gender, orientation, age, belief, or background—those burn even stronger. The value of a moment like this, we hope, is in renewing the flame.”
The $25 million allocated for Harvey Milk Plaza is part of the broader Prop B $390 million bond measure to enhance public health. This includes upgrading community health facilities, providing shelters to reduce homelessness, and improving bicycle, pedestrian infrastructure, and public gathering spaces. The funds earmarked for the Plaza will finance crucial transit and infrastructure upgrades, prioritizing accessibility and safety for transit riders. These improvements will facilitate the implementation of privately funded commemorative and storytelling features supported by the Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza’s capital campaign. Construction on the elevator is already underway, and work on the memorial scope could commence by late 2026 and conclude by 2028.
Published on November 21, 2024
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