Video Spotlight – “Wave a Flag for Harvey Milk”
Forty-five years ago, politician and activist Harvey Milk asked artist Gilbert Baker to create a symbol of gay pride. The result was the original gay pride rainbow flag. According to the Human Rights Campaign, the colors of what is known as the Gilbert Baker Pride flag represent different aspects of the LGBTQ+ community – “hot pink represents sex, red symbolizes life, orange stands for healing, yellow equals sunlight, green stands for nature, turquoise symbolizes magic and art, indigo represents serenity, while violet symbolizes the spirit of LGBTQ+ people.” Shortly following the creation of the flag, the hot pink and turquoise stripes were removed. The traditional pride flag as we know it continues to be a representation of the LGBTQ+ community, but also serves as a reminder to all of us that we need to celebrate and love those around us not just during the month of June, but all year long.
“Wave a Flag for Harvey Milk” is the first single off the upcoming Smithsonian Folkways album Mr. Greg and Cass McCombs Sing and Play New Folk Songs for Children. While this is the first children’s album for singer-songwriter Cass McCombs and preschool teacher Greg Gardner, they have been collaborating since they were teens in the Bay Area. That history together is evident in the smart, well-crafted melody and lyrics of this debut song. Featuring animation of illustrations created by Gardner and the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus lending their vocal might, “Wave a Flag for Harvey Milk” is a song that everyone should hear. For more information on the creation of the Pride flag, pair this video with the picture book, Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag written by Rob Sanders and illustrated by Steven Salerno.