LIVE MAGAZINE VOL 8, Issue 186 June 27 THRU July 11 2014

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Commissioner Nicole Murray Ramirez
The Man Behind The Harvey Milk Stamp, Street and Ship!
Commissioner Nicole Murray Ramirez ....The Man Behind The Harvey
Milk Stamp, Street and Ship!
by: Big Mike Phillips
When long time GLBT and Latino activist Commissioner Nicole Murray
Ramirez was a teenager growing up in Riverside County, he started
collecting stamps and especially focused on those of presidents,
royalty and historic figures. Little did he know that decades later
he would be at the White House where his leadership would be
acknowledged as the National Chair and organizer of the seven year
campaign to get the U.S. Postal Department to issue a stamp honoring
the first openly gay American citizen, civil rights icon, Harvey Milk.
Nicole Murray Ramirez met Harvey Milk in the early 1970’s at a Polk
street gay bar. He was introduced by World War II veteran and Gay
activist, Jose Julio Sarria, who in 1961, became the first openly gay
candidate to run for public office in North America. Murray-Ramirez
and Milk later worked together in a statewide effort against the
homophobic campaigns of Anita Bryant and State Senator John
Briggs, who were leading a movement to get all homosexual teachers
in California fired because of their sexual orientation.
“I loved Harvey’s sense of humor and his attempts to build bridges
with the Latino Community.”, stated Ramirez. “His standing with Cesar
Chavez and the farm workers in their call for support in the Coors and
the Grape boycotts were important to me.”
Nicole Murray Ramirez has dedicated his life towards building bridges
and better relationships with diverse communities. In 1994 Helen
Chavez, widow of the Civil Rights icon, presented Nicole Murray
Ramirez with the “Cesar E. Chavez Social Justice Award.”
Ramirez saw in Harvey Milk not only a friend, but a badly needed
emerging national leader for gay rights. When Milk was assassination
in 1978, Nicole was devastated. The following year Nicole established
one of the first GLBT student scholarships in the nation, named after
Harvey Milk, and also got a memorial park bench dedicated to his
memory that still stands today in San Diego’s historic Balboa Park. In
1979, Nicole also established one of the first “Harvey Milk Civil Rights
Awards” which continues to be presented annually to this day.
Nicole had the honor of working with both Chavez and Milk. As a
Latino and Gay man he was personally inspired by them as role
models and heroes in our continuing struggle for full equality. In th
1980’s, Nicole Murray Ramirez presented an award to Chavez on
behalf of the GLBT Community and got Cesar Chavez to attend
the 1987 “National Gay and Lesbian” March on Washington” and
introduced Chavez at the rally in D.C., where he spoke to almost a
million people.
“Every civil rights movement has leaders, martyrs, champions, and
heroes”, stated Murray Ramirez. “Every movement needs them and in
America we have Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez and Harvey Milk.”
Ramirez has been quoted many times for saying in his speeches:
“A community, indeed a movement, that does not know where it
came from, doesn’t really know where its going.” So it does not
surprise many that Nicole is already working with and supporting
the new proposed LGBT National Museum set for ground breaking
in Washington, D.C. in the next five years. But it’s Nicole Murray
Ramirez’s passion and fight for the legacy of Harvey Milk which has
received so much attention. Nicole led the campaign to get the first
USA “Harvey Milk Street” dedicated in the City of San Diego in 2012.
Seven years ago he established the first Harvey Milk Diversity
Breakfast which attracts over 1000 people annually in San Diego. Now
other cities, including Palm Springs, followed suit. Commissioner
Ramirez got the childrens book, “The Harvey Milk story”, by author
Kari Krakow (ages 8 and up) to be first put in public schools when
he presented over 500 books to now School Board President Kevin
Beiser. Nicole is also portrayed as a character in the award winning
play, “Dear Harvey”, which has been presented at the Kennedy Center
in Washington D.C.
Nicole Murray Ramirez’s biggest triumph while serving as the National
Chair, was leading the now successful seven year national campaign
to get a postage stamp dedicated in honor of Harvey Milk. The stamp
presentation was not without controversy; The day after the Milk
stamp was unveiled at the White House, one of the premier reglious
right wing national organizations, the American Family Association,
issued a press release attacking Nicole as “the drag queen behind
the Harvey Milk stamp” and accusing Harvey Milk of being a child
predator.
The National Harvey Milk Stamp campaign was launched in 2008 by
the International Imperial Court System (which Nicole now serves
as the executive director) and co-sponsored by the National Gay
and Lesbian Task Force. (NGLTF) and the Harvey Milk Foundation.
One of the greatest joys is his life, according to Nicole, has been to
become good friends with Stuart Milk, the nephew of Harvey Milk,
and founder of the Harvey Milk Foundation of which Murray Ramirez
is a national board member.
“Stuart Milk is not just walking in his uncle’s footsteps but creating his
own path and journey by taking Harvey’s story and message of hope
to our global GLBT family and community.” stated Nicole Murray
Ramirez. “Even though at times he risks his own safety and life, I
have seen Stuart Milk first hand in Europe and Latin America, giving
hope and strength to our brothers and sisters fighting for equality
globally.
Commissioner Murray Ramirez has not rested with his recent
triumph of issuing the Harvey Milk Postage Stamp. He has now
launched another national campaign for a U. S. Postage Stamp
in honor of civil rights icon, Byard Rustin. Two years ago he also
launched a national campaign to the Secretary of the Navy to name
a vessel after Navy Veteran Harvey Milk, who was stationed in San
Diego in 1955. These national campaigns are being spear headed
by the International Court System with co-sponsors the N.G.L.T.F.
and the Milk Foundation.
“Our GLBT community, like any other civil rights movement has true
American heroes and champions like Harvey Milk, Frank Kameny,