Zinn Education Project News

Howard Zinn: A Lifetime of Teaching, Writing, and Activism

Zinn Papers Dedicated at NYU Symposium

The Zinn Education Project was honored to be included in a daylong symposium held at New York University (NYU) on April 24, 2014. The event celebrated the generous donation of Zinn's personal papers to NYU's Tamiment Library by his children, Myla Kabat-Zinn and Jeff Zinn. Included in the donation are Zinn's personal correspondences, school and military records, FBI files, datebooks, biographical articles, and interviews.

Activists, scholars, and teachers, many who knew Zinn personally, shared their research, memories, and pedagogy inspired by our favorite people's historian. Continue reading.

We are pleased to present this essay by historian Robyn Spencer written for the "Howard as Historian" panel at the Zinn Symposium.

Robyn Spencer with Alice Walker. Both spoke about Zinn's impact on their lives.

Howard and Me

By Robyn Spencer

In 1989, one of my history professors at SUNY Binghamton assigned A People's History of the United States in our class and nothing has ever been the same. 1989. Pinochet. Robin Givens and Mike Tyson. George H. W. Bush and Shabba Ranks. The Golden Girls and Iran-Contra. This was my 19-year-old world.

Into this context came Howard Zinn's A People's History. It introduced perspective into the learning of history and jettisoned all pretense of objectivity. Continue reading.

Spring Survey Completed

We offer our appreciation to the more than 800 people who took the time to give us their thoughtful feedback about what it means to teach people's history and the role of the Zinn Education Project.

Although we plan to have a full summary available later this year, here are a few comments from survey participants. Continue reading.

Mark Your Calendars: ZEP at NCSS in Boston, Nov. 21-23

Bill Bigelow, with Karen Korematsu, director of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education, at NCSS in 2013. Korematsu will be a 2014 NCSS keynote speaker in Boston.

The Zinn Education Project will return to the National Council for the Social Studies in Boston from Nov. 21-23, 2014. Each year at NCSS our booth becomes a virtual coffee house for teachers to share people's history ideas, challenges, and experiences.

This year, thanks to two generous donors, we will have an expanded space for more dialogue and resources.

Please let us know if you plan to be there. If so, are you presenting? Other ideas about how to spread people's history throughout the conference in Boston?

Show Your Support. . .With a Button or Bumper Sticker
New Donation Gift Items Available You can show your support with a button or bumper sticker when you make a donation starting at $25. Choose a higher level and receive bundles of stickers and buttons to share. Get yours today!

Button is 2.5" round	Bumper sticker measures 7.5" x 3.75"
Yes, I Support Teaching People's History!

New Books and Resources
Risking Everything: A Freedom Summer Reader Book - Non-fiction. Edited by Michael Edmonds. Anthology of first hand accounts and primary documents from the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer Project.	Brazil's Dance with the Devil: The World Cup, the Olympics, and the Fight for Democracy Book - Non-fiction. By Dave Zirin. Examines the cultural, economic, and political context and impact of the World Cup and the Olympics on Brazil.	The Girl from the Tar Paper School: Barbara Rose Johns and the Advent of the Civil Rights Movement Book - Non-fiction. By Teri Kanefield. Illustrated book of a teenager who led a student walk out to protest substandard conditions at a Virginia high school in 1951.
The Great War: July 1, 1916: The First Day of the Battle of the Somme Book - Non-fiction. By Joe Sacco. Illustrated book depicting the horrific Battle of Somme, emblematic of a hideous war.	The Japanese American Evacuation and Resettlement Online Archive Website. Archive of firsthand accounts and primary sources of the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.	Graphic History Collective Website. Features graphic art illustrating the historical account of May Day in Canada.

Featured Teaching Activities
Salt of the Earth: Grounds Students in Hope By S.J. Childs. The author describes how she introduces students to the classic 1953 film Salt of the Earth about a miners' strike in New Mexico.	Empire or Humanity?: What the Classroom Didn't Teach Me About the American Empire By Howard Zinn. An essay which raises questions about the justifications for empire building and imperialism.	Reclaiming Hidden History: Students Create a Slavery Walking Tour in Manhattan By Alan J. Singer. How a teacher and his students organized a tour of the hidden history of slavery in New York.

	The goal of the Zinn Education Project is to introduce students to a more accurate, complex, and engaging understanding of United States history. www.zinnedproject.org

� 2013 The Zinn Education Project, a collaboration of

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