We are pleased to share video highlights from the special event on Sept. 21, 2011 to celebrate International Peace Day, dedicate the Howard Zinn Room at Busboys and Poets, and raise funds for the Zinn Education Project.
More than 300 people were inspired by the words of Jeff Zinn, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Cornel West, Dave Zirin, Beverly Daniel Tatum, Barbara Ehrenreich, and many more.
The date ended up being more significant than one could have been imagined. The pall of the impending execution of death row inmate Troy Davis hung in the air. Emcee-for-the-evening Dave Zirin, wearing an “I Am Troy Davis” T-shirt, said it most bluntly. While acknowledging how far the struggle for justice has come, he decried “the legal lynching going on in Georgia.” He then led a heartfelt call of “They say death row” and the room resounded with the response of “We say hell no!”
Take a moment to listen to these presentations.
Video Excerpts
Jump to: Andy Shallal | Jeff Wolf Zinn | Dave Zirin | Emma’s Revolution | William Holtzman & Lauren Cooper | Bernice Johnson Reagon | Barbara Ehrenreich | Medea Benjamin | Cindy & Craig Corrie | Marian Wright Edelman | Students, Jared & Jonah, and teacher, Julian Hipkins III Beverly Daniel Tatum | Cornel West
Andy Shallal
“We just need to look around this room, to look at the mural, and we can see that hope is not something we need to look very far to find.”
Jeff Wolf Zinn
“He was exactly as he appeared to be. For some folks, there’s a public persona… My father was the same person all the time.”
Dave Zirin
“Something that Howard always said is, ‘It doesn’t matter who’s sitting in the White House; it matters who’s sitting in.”
Emma’s Revolution
Acoustic music duo performs “We the People” and “Preaching to the Choir.”
William Holtzman & Lauren Cooper
How the Zinn Education Project came to be, and its popularity across the country.
Bernice Johnson Reagon
“I thought it was really important that he was going to take me to a folk music festival so I would know what I needed to sing.”
Also, see Part 2.
Barbara Ehrenreich
“He’d do it. He’d show up and, knowingly, he would have a great time doing it… He never thought of stopping.”
Madea Benjamin
“Let’s show the world that, indeed, Howard Zinn was right. That grassroots mobilizing is the only thing that changes history.”
Cindy & Craig Corrie
“Within the first hours, he had taken the step to write us, to share his compassion and his care for our family, and to share his recognition of the stand that Rachel took that day.”
Marian Wright Edelman
“I hope we will find our voice and I hope we will find our courage… In these times, everything depends on it.”
Students Jared and Jonah, and teacher Julian Hipkins III
The impact of teaching a people’s history and the Zinn Education Project.
Beverly Daniel Tatum
“He said, ‘This is the first time I’ve been here in 40 years. The first time since I was fired.’ I decided then we needed to clean that up.”
Cornel West
“He was a humble radical… I’m talking about the one that has fallen in love with everyday people. That’s Howard Zinn.”
The evening was hosted by Howard Zinn’s son Jeff Wolf Zinn and Busboys and Poets owner Andy Shallal. We thank Busboys and Poets, the speakers, staff, volunteers, supporters who helped make the night sparkle with hope and possibility.
Event photos by Jack Gordon and Rick Reinhard. The event audio, video, and technical direction by Bobby Marshall, RCM Productions. Video editing and production by Lauren Cooper. Read more.
