Northgate HS event recalls Harvey Milk’s 1978 Prop 6 debate at the school
CONCORD, CA (Oct. 7, 2023) — Northgate High School will host a free community event at 6 p.m. Monday, October 16 to honor Harvey Milk, the first openly gay San Francisco City Supervisor, and the historic Proposition 6 debate that took place in the Northgate High School gymnasium 45 years ago between Milk and Republican state Sen. John Briggs. The event will feature special guest and student speakers, a viewing of film footage and photographs from the 1978 debate, and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque that will be installed in the Northgate High School gymnasium.
Proposition 6 was a 1978 ballot initiative that would have banned LGBTQIA+ people and their supporters from working in public schools. Supervisor Milk debated state legislator Briggs, the author of the initiative, at Northgate High School in September of 1978. Proposition 6 was defeated two months later, largely due to the coordinated resistance efforts of Milk and other activists. Supervisor Milk was assassinated three weeks after the ballot initiative’s defeat. His debate with Sen. Briggs at Northgate High School was one of his final public appearances. A re-enactment of the debate was featured in the Oscar Award-winning film, “Milk.”
The event at Northgate High School will be headlined by guest speakers Stuart Milk (President, The Harvey Milk Foundation/nephew of Harvey Milk), Dr. Jonathan Lee (President, The Rainbow Community Center Board of Directors), and Ken Carlson (Contra Costa County Supervisor). Mt. Diablo Unified School District leadership, Northgate teachers, and Northgate students will also share reflections.
Inspiring legacy
“We are excited to celebrate this historic moment and the fact that Northgate High School is forever linked to Harvey Milk’s inspiring legacy,” said Meg Honey, Northgate High School Social Studies teacher and coordinator of the event. “As we continue to witness the devastating erasure of LGBTQIA+ people through book bans and censored curriculum, I am so proud to be part of a school community that uplifts the experiences and contributions of marginalized groups. Harvey Milk helped protect the human rights of school employees, and it is time that his courageous leadership during the debate at Northgate High is honored. Visibility is vital, and I love knowing that the hundreds of students and community members who utilize our gymnasium each day will now engage with a powerful reminder of the significant event that happened here.”
Noting that October is LGBTQIA+ History Month, Northgate High School Principal Kelly Cooper said: “This event invites our community to meaningfully remember and honor Harvey Milk as well as the tremendous work done to defeat Proposition 6. The event is truly a great example of the power of partnerships. We’ve successfully raised funds for the beautiful new plaque that will be installed in our gymnasium, and we look forward to welcoming regional and national leaders to our campus for a wonderful and memorable night.”
The October 16 event is free and open to the public. The festivities will begin at 6 p.m. in the school gymnasium at 425 Castle Rock Road in Walnut Creek.
Shaping young lives
Northgate High School opened in 1974 as the newest of the five comprehensive high schools in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District. Located approximately 30 miles east of San Francisco, and at the base of Mount Diablo, Northgate High School serves a diverse student population with academic and extracurricular offerings that help shape engaged, informed, and empathetic citizen leaders.
Mt. Diablo Unified School District includes more than 50 school sites in Contra Costa County, in the cities of Clayton, Concord, Pleasant Hill, portions of Martinez, Pittsburg, and Walnut Creek, and the unincorporated communities of Bay Point, Lafayette, and Pacheco.