January 27th marks the 10th anniversary of the death of the great historian and activist Howard Zinn.

Zinn did not merely record history, he made it: as a professor at Spelman College in the 1950s and early 1960s, where he was ultimately fired for his outspoken support of students in the Civil Rights Movement, and specifically the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC); as a critic of the U.S. war in Vietnam, and author of the first book calling for an immediate U.S. withdrawal; and as author of arguably the most influential U.S. history textbook in print, A People's History of the United States. "That book will knock you on your ass," as Matt Damon's character says in the film Good Will Hunting.

It's always worth dipping into the vast archive of Zinn scholarship, but as the United States flirts with another war in the Middle East, as the presidential campaign raises fundamental questions about the kind of country we will become, and as the world confronts a potentially catastrophic environmental crisis, now is an especially good time to remember some of Howard Zinn's wisdom. Continue reading.

Freedom Day in Hattiesburg, Mississippi

In this election year and the 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment, we are sharing resources for teaching about the long history of the fight for voting rights. One example is this article by Howard Zinn about the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) 1964 voting rights "Freedom Day," in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Zinn describes the day:

 

Two lines of policemen came down the street; a police car swung to the curb. A loudspeaker on its roof:  "This is the Hattiesburg Police Department. We're asking you to disperse. Clear the sidewalk."  

 

John Lewis and I stood across the street in front of Sears Roebuck, on the sidewalk. None of us made a move to leave. About 50 Black youngsters arrived to join the picket line. Continue reading.

We are pleased to announce that just three months ago, we reached the milestone of 100,000 teachers who have signed up at the Zinn Education Project to access free people's history lessons in their elementary, middle, and high schools. 

Your support is needed to  reach and support more teachers in 2020. Please make a donation today.