Harvey Milk: An Inspiring Story Leadership Harvey

Harvey Milk: An Inspiring Story

Leadership

Harvey Milk:

A Man, a Leader, an Inspiration

Few men and women are remembered by history. In order to attain this highest of honors, an individual must be truly special, truly unique. Among those illustrious figures we now remember as persons who shaped this country are presidents, writers, and social activists, among many others belonging to many other categories. Yet the subject of this essay is a person belonging to the latter category enumerated above. This man, a gay rights activist by the name of Harvey Milk, is truly a unique individual who fought for a subject that would become ever-central to American discourse long before our society itself realized it. This individual was not only a fantastic person because he was ahead of his time-Milk was the first openly gay politician elected to office-but because of his ability to galvanize support for those oppressed by society, from all walks of life, and to continue to strive for social equality and justice long after many had cast it aside, in a city without many scruples.[footnoteRef:1] [1: New York Times Staff. (2012). Harvey Milk: A Short Biography. New York Times Online Retrieved January 28, from .]

Harvey Milk's first commendable quality was patience, and with it, understanding. This man, above all others in his current or future position, both as an individual living in San Francisco and as a politician making the rules of the city, had a deep understanding of exactly what he wanted, and why it was good for all. These qualities go hand in hand. They are one because they must go so well together, especially in the public arena. Yet these two qualities also relate to nursing. Often times, nurses must have the ability to be patient, especially when a patient is struggling, for whatever reason, and must, above all, understanding many varied situations. These situations can be anything from dealing with a family who has just lost a loved one, to dealing with a doctor who does not understand why a patient was given a certain medicine without his permission. In all these instances, just as Harvey Milk, a person must be patient, must sit an individual down, and must explain why certain things had to happen and why they were good for the patient - (in this case patient is a concrete example that best mirrors the way Harvey Milk sat with his supporters, or with those whose opinion he wanted to understand, and who came from all walks of life).

Harvey Milk was also, as aforementioned, ahead of his time. He continually strived for a sense of equality never before seen in San Francisco and did not quit until he attained at least some sort of protection and respect for the gay community there. While some claimed Milk was a liberal, he really did quite a lot to improve the city.[footnoteRef:2] Milk could not have done all these great things, especially in a time when gay men were shunned, without his motivation and his ability to empathize. In fact, the paragraph above should be supplemented by d description of the remarkable achievement of this man: his election to office as the first openly gay politician. Instead of celebrating his victory, for after three failed attempts, Milk was finally elected based on his merits, the man stated, toward his supporters: [2: Cloud, J. (1999). The Pioneer Harvey Milk. Time Magazine. Retrieved January 28, from . ]

"This is not my victory -- it's yours. If a gay man can win, it proves that there is hope for all minorities who are willing to fight."[footnoteRef:3] [3: PBS Staff. (2012). The Castro Resource Guide: Harvey Milk. PBS.org. Retrieved January 28, from .]