Anne Kronenberg
Encyclopedia
Anne Kronenberg is an American political administrator and LGBT rights activist. She is best known for being Harvey Milk
's campaign manager during his historic San Francisco Board of Supervisors
campaign in 1977 and his aide as he held that office until the assassinations of Milk and mayor George Moscone. As an openly lesbian
political activist, Kronenberg was noted for her instrumental role in the gay rights movement, both for Milk's campaign and in her own right, though she has since married a man.
Kronenberg appeared in the 1984 documentary film The Times of Harvey Milk
and her role in Milk's life was portrayed in the Academy Award-winning 2008 film Milk
. Kronenberg was one of the grand marshals of the 2009 New York City LGBT
Pride parade, joining the film's writer Dustin Lance Black
and fellow activist Cleve Jones
who also worked with Milk.
Kronenberg is currently the Executive Director of the San Francisco Department Of Emergency Management and she is known globally through her public appearances in her role as co-founder of the Harvey Milk Foundation.
, and had feared that a gunman was simply targeting gays. "It was a scary, very sad, horrible day," she said. Kronenberg participated in the candlelight vigil
honoring Milk and was the keynote speaker at his memorial service at an opera
house.
and Assemblyman John Vasconcellos
.
While Kronenberg identified as a lesbian in the 1970s, she has since fallen in love with a man she met in Washington, D.C.
in the 1980s, whom she later married. She currently lives in California with her husband, stepson, daughter and son.
Kronenberg was one of the official grand marshals of the 2009 NYC LGBT Pride March, produced by Heritage of Pride
joining Dustin Lance Black
and Cleve Jones
on June 28, 2009.
Following the success of the film Milk
Kronenberg co-founded the Harvey Milk Foundation
with Harvey's nephew, Stuart Milk
and currently serves as co-chair of the global Harvey Milk Day
celebration coordinated by the Foundation.
by Canadian
actress Alison Pill
. Pill played the role of Kronenberg as she was during the campaign; leather-wearing, bike-riding, and helping to ease some of the social and political barriers between gay men and lesbians.
Kronenberg's response to the film was very positive. At the premiere of Milk, she said in an interview:
Kronenberg served as an adviser for the film and made a cameo appearance as a stenographer.
Harvey Milk
Harvey Bernard Milk was an American politician who became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors...
's campaign manager during his historic San Francisco Board of Supervisors
San Francisco Board of Supervisors
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is the legislative body within the government of the City and County of San Francisco, California, United States.-Government and politics:...
campaign in 1977 and his aide as he held that office until the assassinations of Milk and mayor George Moscone. As an openly lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
political activist, Kronenberg was noted for her instrumental role in the gay rights movement, both for Milk's campaign and in her own right, though she has since married a man.
Kronenberg appeared in the 1984 documentary film The Times of Harvey Milk
The Times of Harvey Milk
The Times of Harvey Milk is an American documentary film that premiered at The Telluride Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, and then on November 1, 1984 at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco...
and her role in Milk's life was portrayed in the Academy Award-winning 2008 film Milk
Milk (film)
Milk is a 2008 American biographical film on the life of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk, who was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors...
. Kronenberg was one of the grand marshals of the 2009 New York City LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
Pride parade, joining the film's writer Dustin Lance Black
Dustin Lance Black
Dustin Lance Black is an American screenwriter, director, film and television producer, and LGBT rights activist. He has won two Writers Guild of America Awards for his work on the television series Big Love and an Academy Award for the 2008 film Milk.-Early life:Black was born in Sacramento,...
and fellow activist Cleve Jones
Cleve Jones
Cleve Jones is an American AIDS and LGBT rights activist. He conceived of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt which has become, at 54 tons, the world's largest piece of community folk art as of 2009...
who also worked with Milk.
Kronenberg is currently the Executive Director of the San Francisco Department Of Emergency Management and she is known globally through her public appearances in her role as co-founder of the Harvey Milk Foundation.
Response to Milk's assassination
Kronenberg was on a plane flying to Seattle when Milk was assassinated on November 27, 1978. At the airport, her family told her Milk had been shot, and she immediately got on the next plane back to San Francisco. She said later that they did not know at the time that the murderer was Dan WhiteDan White
Daniel James "Dan" White was a San Francisco supervisor who assassinated San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, on Monday, November 27, 1978, at City Hall...
, and had feared that a gunman was simply targeting gays. "It was a scary, very sad, horrible day," she said. Kronenberg participated in the candlelight vigil
Candlelight vigil
A candlelight vigil is an outdoor assembly of people carrying candles, held after sunset. Such events are typically held either to protest the suffering of some marginalized group of people, or in memory of lives lost to some disease, disaster, massacre or other tragedy. In the latter case, the...
honoring Milk and was the keynote speaker at his memorial service at an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
house.
Work after Milk's campaign
Kronenberg began chairing the San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ Single Room Occupancy Task Force at its inception in 1998, a role she continues to this day. She worked with the administration and planning of the San Francisco Department of Public Health for nearly 15 years, being elevated to the position of deputy director. Kronenberg has also worked at the local, state, and federal levels for such politicians as Senator Ted KennedyTed Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
and Assemblyman John Vasconcellos
John Vasconcellos
John B. Vasconcellos Jr. is an American politician from California and member of the Democratic Party. He represented the Silicon Valley as a member of the California State Assembly for 30 years and a California State Senator for 8 years...
.
Current work and life
Kronenberg is currently Deputy Director for Administration and Planning of the San Francisco Department of Public Health. In her current role, she manages department-wide planning initiatives, such as for disaster preparedness and emergency medical services, and has responsibility for the department's strategic planning efforts. She is currently working to implement a plan for the city to help those without health insurance.While Kronenberg identified as a lesbian in the 1970s, she has since fallen in love with a man she met in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in the 1980s, whom she later married. She currently lives in California with her husband, stepson, daughter and son.
Kronenberg was one of the official grand marshals of the 2009 NYC LGBT Pride March, produced by Heritage of Pride
Heritage of Pride
Heritage of Pride is a wholly volunteer-managed, non-partisan, tax-exempt, non-profit organization that organizes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride events in New York City to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots...
joining Dustin Lance Black
Dustin Lance Black
Dustin Lance Black is an American screenwriter, director, film and television producer, and LGBT rights activist. He has won two Writers Guild of America Awards for his work on the television series Big Love and an Academy Award for the 2008 film Milk.-Early life:Black was born in Sacramento,...
and Cleve Jones
Cleve Jones
Cleve Jones is an American AIDS and LGBT rights activist. He conceived of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt which has become, at 54 tons, the world's largest piece of community folk art as of 2009...
on June 28, 2009.
Following the success of the film Milk
Milk (film)
Milk is a 2008 American biographical film on the life of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk, who was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors...
Kronenberg co-founded the Harvey Milk Foundation
Harvey Milk Foundation
The Harvey Milk Foundation was founded in 2009 by Harvey Milk's nephew, Stuart Milk, and Harvey’s campaign manger and political aide, Anne Kronenberg, based on discussions held with the family and close Harvey allies....
with Harvey's nephew, Stuart Milk
Stuart Milk
Stuart Milk is an American LGBT human rights activist and political speaker. Stuart, nephew of the late civil rights pioneer Harvey Milk, is the co-founder of the Harvey Milk Foundation...
and currently serves as co-chair of the global Harvey Milk Day
Harvey Milk Day
Harvey Milk Day is organized by the Harvey Milk Foundation and celebrated globally each year held May 22 in memory of Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist assassinated in 1978.-California Day of Special Significance:...
celebration coordinated by the Foundation.
Portrayal in Milk
Kronenberg was portrayed in MilkMilk (film)
Milk is a 2008 American biographical film on the life of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk, who was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors...
by Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
actress Alison Pill
Alison Pill
Alison Courtney Pill is a Canadian actress best known from her roles in Milk, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Midnight in Paris.-Life and career:...
. Pill played the role of Kronenberg as she was during the campaign; leather-wearing, bike-riding, and helping to ease some of the social and political barriers between gay men and lesbians.
Kronenberg's response to the film was very positive. At the premiere of Milk, she said in an interview:
"...Milk highlights the struggles of the lesbian and gay movement and the inner workings of the man who changed the entire nature of the movement. Harvey is loving this — I have felt his presence through the entire production of Milk. I could almost see him walking down the red carpet at the premiere, bowing, throwing kisses, and generally entertaining the masses. Harvey's life was theatre and Tuesday's premiere was the ultimate stage."
Kronenberg served as an adviser for the film and made a cameo appearance as a stenographer.