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.
Esther Crow brings audiences another Earth conscious video in “Christmas Socks (Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose),” her follow up to October’s “Homemade Halloween.” This time around, Esther and her sock puppet friends encourage viewers to explore ways to repurpose items like jam jars, coffee tins, and wrapping paper into gifts and decorations. Esther never shies away from her message, but wraps it in a fun melody with a 1950’s flair (featuring a kazoo solo!!) that will have listeners chanting “recycle, reuse, repurpose!”
As a child of the 80s, I grew up having a great appreciation for homemade costumes. My mom was incredibly creative (If you showed her an egg carton, she came up with half a dozen uses for it. Show me an egg carton, I see an egg carton.) – she could knit, crochet, paint ceramics, and most importantly, sew. Whether it was a new blouse or dress, doll clothes, or holiday decor, she could do it all. And when it came to Halloween, my mom’s creativity and skill really got a chance to shine.