Life of Howard Zinn (1922-2010)
Many of you have doubtless
heard the sad news by now: Howard Zinn (historian, activist, author, and
all-around great human being) passed away yesterday at the age of 87. We will
remember him as a truly remarkable man who encouraged us all to be critical of
unequal relationships of power and their effects on the way our histories are
told. And despite his acute awareness of the many problems of our society, we
will also remember him as someone who never gave up hope for a better world:
"To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places--and there are so many--where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory."--Howard Zinn, from "The Optimism of Uncertainty" (2004)
For more on Zinn's life, see his obituary from the Boston Globe:
http://www.revolutionbythebook.akpress.org/howard-zinn-historian-who-challenged-status-quo-dies-at-87/
We've also posted a recent interview with Zinn on anarchism:
http://www.revolutionbythebook.akpress.org/an-interview-with-howard-zinn-on-anarchism-rebels-against-tyranny/
And much of his written work can be found here:
http://www.akpress.org/search?action=find_book&search_key=author&query=zinn&x=0&y=0
"To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places--and there are so many--where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory."--Howard Zinn, from "The Optimism of Uncertainty" (2004)
For more on Zinn's life, see his obituary from the Boston Globe:
http://www.revolutionbythebook.akpress.org/howard-zinn-historian-who-challenged-status-quo-dies-at-87/
We've also posted a recent interview with Zinn on anarchism:
http://www.revolutionbythebook.akpress.org/an-interview-with-howard-zinn-on-anarchism-rebels-against-tyranny/
And much of his written work can be found here:
http://www.akpress.org/search?action=find_book&search_key=author&query=zinn&x=0&y=0
Comments