I was very excited to attend this event, because to be honest, the first persons name that I read on the event was Matt Damon! I haven't heard of Howard Zinn, but was curious to know more about him. I attended the event with Jessica.
It took place in the Great Hall. The president of Cooper Union gave a welcome address to the importance of The Great Hall. I never knew all the 'magic' that happened in that very hall that I sat in and heard about it. Fredrick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Obama, Abraham Lincoln, and many others all spoke in The Great Hall. That was why it was very special that they were showing a snippet of The People Speak.
Matt Damon then came out and read aloud a monologue from The Grapes of Wrath. Following his appearance, Howard Zinn came out to discuss more about the film and the reasons for making it. Then they showed parts of The People Speak, that will be airing soon on The History Channel. The People Speak is taking parts of history, more so parts that people may not remember, and giving them a voice. There are different celebrities that are part of the film and are performing a monologue in the voice of a historical character. John Legend was one of the people partaking in the film as well.
I especially enjoyed knowing what the purpose of the film was, because it was similar to the idea of heroification. Howard Zinn and Matt Damon produced this film due to the importance of sharing history with others, making it appealing, and also making sure that the parts of history that are remembered are not just the ones that are always visioned and remembered from history text books.
After the short preview of The People Speak, Howard Zinn and Matt Damon came out for a question and answer portion. During this time, I learned a lot about Howard Zinn and fell immediately in love with his entire philosophy. He has a book titled The People's History of the United States. Though a lengthy book (I know, because I bought it right after!), it's about how Zinn believes how history should be taught, not placing importance of the "leaders" that "led", but the people who backed up every amendment, every march, every revolution ever began in history. Although I haven't read it yet, Zinn and many other audience members referenced the book.
Zinn made sure the audience knew that every leader in American history could not have been able to do what he/she did without the help of the people. He mentioned that it was the people are the push towards the top, that we are the ones making history, and without us, change cannot be made. It was such a powerful event. It was also very inspiring as Jessica and I always believe there is power in numbers.
After the event, they gave away free t-shirts (an unilimited amount, as long as you asked!) that said "DEMOCRACY IS NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT" and also free dry erase boards promoting the airing of The People Speak.
Overall, I loved this event, learned a great deal, and also found it very relevant to what we are studying in class.
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This was on Thursday, November 12th, 2009
ReplyDelete2pm-3pm at Cooper Union Great Hall
Nina this truly was a powerful event! I too, didn't know the importance of the Great Hall or who Howard Zinn was. Thank you for informing all of us!
ReplyDeleteI feel that what you learned that night was really inspiring because it emphasizes that what we do today and what our students do as well actually matters. It shows that together we can bring the change in history.
I never thought about the concept of highlighting the people who backed up the leaders. A lot of the time we focus on the leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. but don't spend time thinking about who helped him. He obviously didn't do it alone! I now see the importance to incorporate the people behind the movements when planning units.
At first I didn't understand the meaning of the quote "Democracy is not a spectator sport" but after a while I realized how powerful that statement is. It helps people realize that social justice cannot be attained from just watching and being a spectator; instead it is something that requires action from everybody. I love it! And yes, I do feel that this is very relevant to our class as well.
I wish we could have all went to see the screening together. I guess now you can go watch it on The History Channel on December 13th!!
ReplyDeleteWhen being trained to work as a Steinhardt Orientation Leader this summer, we watched several readings performed by celebrities revolving around Howard Zinn's general idea of "speaking out" and giving history a voice. I was extremely moved by the readings, as people from all parts of the entertainment industry came together to highlight the importance of our nation's and world's history. I already had the History Chanel set on my DVR-- can't wait!
ReplyDeleteThe combined effect of learning about Social Jusctice in this class in addition to attending and reading about the professional development classes that you have all taken has made feel empowered. I can't wait to see what the future holds for the students of tomorrow who have teachers like you all today!! Can't wait to watch this tonight.
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