Spoken Word

Image: Howard Zinn, August 24, 1922 – January 27, 2010

The remarkable Howard Zinn died yesterday. Historian, political science professor, author and playwright, social rights and anti-war activist.

Howard Zinn was The Truth. He was Integrity. He was Authenticity. This is the man that dared to be left. He changed the way we understand history and view authority. The only war he believed in was the war against war. His far-reaching influence and the list of people he inspired is neverending... From Noam Chomsky and Bruce Springsteen to Ben Affleck and Bob Dylan.

One of Zinn's last writings was an essay, published last week in The Nation on the first year of the Obama administration. This is what he wrote:

"I've been searching hard for a highlight," adding that he wasn't disappointed because he never expected a lot from Obama. "I think people are dazzled by Obama's rhetoric, and that people ought to begin to understand that Obama is going to be a mediocre president — which means, in our time, a dangerous president — unless there is some national movement to push him in a better direction."
- H. Zinn, 2010.

Long Live Zinnism.