Cleve Jones, a hero of the gay liberation and equal rights movement, to speak at Hanna

Cleve Jones, the San Francisco-based activist who created the AIDS Quilt and co-founded the AIDS Foundation, will speak at Hanna Boys Center on Monday, Oct. 2, in the latest in the Sonoma Speakers Series.

A colleague of Harvey Milk in San Francisco’s Castro during the 1970s, Jones has been an activist for gay and lesbian rights for over 40 years. His 2016 memoir, “When We Rise,” was made into a television miniseries earlier this year. He is currently a labor rights advocate for a hospitality union.

Jones will be interviewed on stage by Dr. Bart Magee, a volunteer with the Shanti Project who provided emotional support to people with HIV/AIDS in San Francisco in the 1980s.

Kathy Wickowiki, co-founder and board president of the Sonoma Speakers Series, said that it was irrelevant whether one was a member of the LGBTQ community to be affected by Jones’ work.

“In this crazy time of our nation being divided over so many issues, I am personally looking forward to being inspired by this man’s unwavering pursuit of equal rights for all,” she said. “He never gave up the fight, and that’s my definition of a hero.”

Tickets are still available for $35 for the 7 p.m. lecture at Hanna Boys Center, 17000 Arnold Dr., at sonomaspeakersseries.com.