Hope Will Never Be Silent
And we'll never forget Harvey Milk
I know that you cannot live on hope alone, but without it life is not worth living. And you…and you…and you…you gotta give’em hope. —Harvey Milk
Hegseth orders the name of gay rights activist Harvey Milk scrubbed from Navy ship
You’ve probably read this sad headline. I mean, come on, could they get any more petty? Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person elected to public office, served in the Navy—he was a veteran of the Korean War. (By the way, if your activism mojo is ever running on empty, watch the movie Milk to help refill your tank.)
If they’re looking for names that reflect, as Hegseth says, the “warrior culture,” they could hardly choose a better one than Harvey Milk. Harvey knew well that his chances of assassination were high. He knew, every time he stood in front of a microphone or led a parade, that there were people who wanted him dead. He accepted the risk that, as he put it himself, “a bullet [would] enter my brain.” But still he could repeat these words: You gotta give’em hope.
You know what’s interesting is the kind of ship they named after Harvey. It’s not a giant aircraft carrier or a battleship. It’s called a replenishment oiler. Its purpose is to bring fuel and food and drinking water to ships at sea. I like that metaphor—the little ship that could, replenishing the other ships so they could go on fighting.
Apparently, there are quite a few of these replenishment oilers, and they’re listed as being in the (I love this) “John Lewis” class of Navy vessels. The John Lewis was the first one built, and the others all have interesting names. Soon to be changed, I imagine.
Here are the other ships in the John Lewis class. Some are serving and some are under construction. (USNS is the designation given to non-commissioned ships that are property of the United States Navy).
USNS John Lewis
USNS Harvey Milk
USNS Earl Warren
USNS Robert F. Kennedy (irony alert)
USNS Lucy Stone
USNS Sojourner Truth
USNS Thurgood Marshall
USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg
USNS Harriet Tubman
USNS Dolores Huerta
What a list of names. Warriors indeed.
They knew that hope is the strongest weapon we have. If we keep hoping that the rule of law will prevail, that democracy will survive, then we keep working to defend it. Without hope, we sink into apathy. And make no mistake, apathy is the enemy. It will sink us just as surely as Trump and his minions will. It did in 2016, and again in 2024. So many Americans weren’t paying attention to Trump’s words and threats and antics. Weren’t paying attention. Some just don’t care. But a lot of people—potential voters—have given up hope. “What does it matter?” they shrug.
So it’s up to us, the few who are paying attention, to wake them up, and spread hope.
Those of you who are kind enough to read this substack from time to time are not the ones I need to convince. You guys know all this stuff already. I’m preaching to the choir. But we are the ones who create change. We’re the ones who talk about upcoming elections, post on social media, write the editor, call our representatives, staff the tables, go to the rallies, and register the voters. We talk up, and we show up, and never doubt that we make a difference.
As Harvey Milk was fond of saying, “Hope will never be silent.”
For Pride month, if you would like more information on LGBTQ+ issues, need support, or perhaps have some extra money you don’t want and are looking for a place to donate, PFLAG is a great resource. It’s been around for a while—Parents and Friends of Gays and Lesbians was founded in 1973, five years before Harvey Milk was assassinated. At their first meeting they had 20 members. There are 325,000 today.
Dear Friends,
Are you furious about the state of the world and wondering what to do about it? I hope you’ll continue to check out The Optimistic Activist.
Every now and then I post some ideas for doing something. How to get out the vote, spread the word, and support progressive candidates. Ideas for simple but effective activism. As easy, as practical, as do-able as I can make them.
Together, I think, we could really make a difference.
“Optimism is a strategy for making a better future.”
--Noam Chomsky
