The remarkable life of Harvey Milk will be introduced to a new generation of readers in an upcoming picture book, and HuffPost has an exclusive first look.
Written by Rob Sanders, Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag promises to be a story “of love, of equality, of hope and of pride.” The book touches on Milk’s early years in New York, him becoming the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California in 1977, and his assassination the following year. But as its title suggests, Pride emphasizes Milk’s most tangible contribution to the modern LGBTQ rights movement: the rainbow flag.
The 40-page book, which features colorful illustrations by Steven Salerno, will also stand as a tribute to the flag’s creator, Gilbert Baker, who died in March at age 65. (Milk’s friendship with the artist is detailed throughout.)
Author Rob Sanders told HuffPost he got the idea for the book on June 26, 2015, the day the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. “It seemed like the country ― even the world ― was washed in the colors of the rainbow” that night, he said.
The Florida-based Sanders, whose other children’s books include Outer Space Bedtime Race and Cowboy Christmas, also teaches elementary school, and therefore felt “the history of the Pride flag and its importance to our community was one kids needed to read about and celebrate.”
Though Pride won’t hit shelves until spring 2018, it’s already been praised by Harvey Milk Foundation President Stuart Milk, who is Harvey’s nephew. The book, he said, “will inspire the next generation of hope givers, who are our world’s youth.”
Echoing those sentiments was Trevor Project CEO and Executive Director Amit Paley, who told HuffPost he was “thrilled that more young people will learn the story behind the original rainbow flag.”
Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag hits shelves April 10, 2018. For more information, head to Penguin Random House.
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