In an emotional roller coaster of real experiences, Cleve Jones will take you through the gay liberation movement and AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. Jones will share how Harvey Milk became the first largely outspoken gay elected official—as well as Jones' mentor. Jones keeps Milk’s legacy and the gay liberation movement alive, aspiring to have a similar impact on young adults as Milk had on Jones. Come hear Jones’ inspiring words on the political movement.

Jones joined the gay liberation movement in the early 1970s. He was mentored by pioneer LGBT activist Harvey Milk and worked in Milk’s City Hall office as a student intern until Milk’s assassination in 1978. Jones co-founded the San Francisco AIDS Foundation in 1983. In 1987, he founded the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, one of the world’s largest community arts projects.

Jones was portrayed by Emile Hirsch in Milk, Gus Van Sant’s Oscar-winning film, and served as the historical consultant for the production. In 2009, Jones led the National Equality March in Washington, D.C. He served on the advisory board of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which challenged California’s Proposition 8 in the U.S. Supreme Court. In November 2016, ABC aired a miniseries partially inspired by Jones’ 2016 memoir, When We Rise.