Southern California Vice Chair

Michael Milan is a dedicated public worker, labor activist, and community organizer who works in several different spaces to advance social and economic equity and defend our human and civil rights. Because of his reputation for empowering and effectively building consensus across diverse groups, Michael is trusted and respected by local leaders and community organizations, and is frequently invited to participate in discussions and decision-making on important matters involving multiple stakeholders. Michael is often invited to speak to young people about the importance of activism at the grassroots level. In 2019, he was part of a panel of speakers sharing their personal stories at the annual ACLU California State Conference and Lobby Day in Sacramento.

Michael has received numerous commendations and awards for his efforts to uplift communities of color. In October 2017, he was recognized for Outstanding Community Outreach (for his work in organizing local Citizenship Fair events and volunteering his notarization services in underserved areas) by NAACP Riverside Branch 1059 at their 5th Annual Salute to Labor ceremony.

Mr. Milan is also very active in the labor movement, and has supported worker actions across the country. He served two terms as Recording Secretary for the City of Palm Springs Chapter of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 721. Since 2015, he has been a sworn delegate to the Inland Empire Labor Council (IELC), and is currently a member of the IELC Political Committee and IELC Civil and Human Rights Committee. In 2017, Michael successfully launched a new fully-chartered Inland Empire Chapter of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO (APALA). The following year, he traveled to the U.S. – Mexico border with APALA’s National Executive Board to stand in solidarity with a broad coalition of human rights organizations opposing the separation of families seeking asylum and the protection of our federal government.

Michael currently serves as Treasurer on the Board of Inland Equity Community Land Trust, which was formed in 2020. He was also recently re-elected to the Board of Directors for the Desert Chapter of ACLU Southern California. Through his positions of leadership, Michael advocates on behalf of local underserved communities for allocation of greater resources and support.

Michael also believes very strongly in gender equity, as well as inclusion of the LGBTQ community in all intersectional spaces. He has been a vocal supporter of the growth of events such as the Coachella Valley Women’s March and East Coachella Valley Pride, and has helped to obtain and distribute “Know Your Rights”pamphlets developed for LGBTQ high school students as a helpful information resource.

In addition to serving as a Campaign Advisor to several Democratic candidates, Michael is actively involved in increasing civic engagement and outreach to historically low-propensity constituencies. Since 2017, he has served as a Regional Coordinator for the National Voter Registration Day campaign.