Howard Zinn

From KeyWiki

Professor Howard Zinn (1922-2010) of Massachusetts was listed as a sponsor of the Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library in Oakland California.^[1][2]

Herbert Aptheker Testimonial Dinner

On April 28, 1966 Howard Zinn was a sponsor of the Herbert Aptheker Testimonial Dinner. The dinner was held on the occasion of Herbert Aptheker's 50^th birthday, the publication of his 20^th book, and the 2^nd anniversary of the American Institute for Marxist Studies. It was held in the Sutton Ballroom, The New York Hilton, Avenue of the Americas, 53^rd to 54^th Street, New York City. Most speakers, organizers and sponsors were known members or supporters of the Communist Party USA.^[3]

GI Civil Liberties Defense Committee

Circa 1969, Prof. Howard Zinn, Boston University , was listed as a sponsor of the Socialist Workers Party led GI Civil Liberties Defense Committee .^[4]

Massachusetts Committee to Abolish HUAC

As at February 28, 1969, Howard Zinn was listed as a sponsor of the Massachusetts Committee to Abolish the House Un-American Activities Committee.^[5]

"Affinity group"

Daniel Ellsberg first met Howard Zinn at Faneuil Hall in Boston in early 1971, where they both spoke against the indictments of Eqbal Ahmad and Philip Berrigan for “conspiring to kidnap Henry Kissinger.” They marched with the rest of the crowd to make citizens’ arrests at the Boston office of the FBI. Later that spring, they went with their affinity group (including Noam Chomsky, Cindy Fredericks, Marilyn Young, Mark Ptashne, Zelda Gamson, Fred Branfman and Mitch Goodman), to the May Day actions blocking traffic in Washington^[6].

DSA Socialist School

At the Boston Democratic Socialists of America Socialist School, Fall 1989, Howard Zinn taught, the "History of Socialism, Diane Balser, director of the statewide Women's Legislative Network, taught "Socialist Feminism", Paul Joseph, a Tufts professor spoke on "Socialism in a Changing World", and Tom Gallagher spoke on "The Future of Socialism" . ^[7]

New Party builder

New Party News Fall 1994 listed over 100 New Party activists-"some of the community leaders, organizers, retirees,, scholars, artists, parents, students, doctors, writers and other activists who are building the NP" the list included Howard Zinn, historian.

Remembering Richard Cloward

On September 20, 2001 500 people gathered^[8] at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City to celebrate Cloward’s Life and Work. Speakers included Frances Fox Piven, Barbara Ehrenreich, Cornel West, Gus Newport-(all members of Democratic Socialists of America), activists Howard Zinn, June Jordan, Joel Rogers and Tim Sampson plus long time voter registration advocate, Demos president, Miles Rapoport.

War Times

In January 2002, a group of San Francisco leftists, mainly involved with STORM or Committees of Correspondence, founded a national anti-Iraq War newspaper^[9] War Times.

Endorsers of the project included Howard Zinn.

Not In Our Name

In August 2004 Howard Zinn a writer and historian endorsed an anti “Bush Team” Protest at the Republican National Convention in New York, organized by Not In Our Name, an organization closely associated with the Revolutionary Communist Party^[10].

911 "Truther"

Howard Zinn was one of 100 "prominent Americans" who signed an October 26 2004 statement^[11]circulated by 911Truth.org calling on the U.S. Government to investigate 9/11 as a possible "inside job".

...we have assembled 100 notable Americans and 40 family members of those who died to sign this 9/11 Statement, which calls for immediate public attention to unanswered questions that suggest that people within the current administration may indeed have deliberately allowed 9/11 to happen, perhaps as a pretext for war.

MDS Board member

Original members of the 2006 Movement for a Democratic Society board included^[12];

Elliott Adams, Senia Barragan (Student Representative), David Barsamian, Noam Chomsky, Carl Davidson, Bernardine Dohrn, Bill Fletcher Jr, Bert Garskof, David Graeber, Tom Hayden, Gerald Horne, Mike James, Robin D G Kelley, Mike Klonsky, Ethelbert Miller, Charlene Mitchell, Michael Rossman, Mark Rudd, Howard Zinn.

On February 17, 2007, the Movement for a Democratic Society held a well attended conference^[13]at New York City’s New School University.

The business portion of the meeting followed with each board nominee introducing themselves to the conference. The board, a very diverse group, was voted in by acclamation... Board nominees where were not able to attend the conference were included in the appointment by acclamation. The list included Elliott Adams, Panama Vicente Alba, Tariq Ali, Stanley Aronowitz, David Barsamian, Rosalyn Baxandall, John Bracey, Jr., John Brittain, Robb Burlage, Noam Chomsky, Jayne Cortez, Carl Davidson, Angela Davis, Bernardine Dohrn, Barbara Epstein, Gustavo Esteva, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Stephen Fleischman, Bill Fletcher Jr, Tom Hayden, Gerald Horne, Florence Howe, Mike James, Robin D G Kelley, Alice Kessler Harris, Rashid Khalidi, Mike Klonsky, Betita Martinez, Ethelbert Miller, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Barbara Ransby, Patricia Rose, Michael Rossman, Studs Terkel, Charlene Teters, Jerry Tucker, Immanuel Wallerstein, Cornel West, Leonard Weinglass and Howard Zinn.

Free Mumia Abu-Jamal

In 2008 Howard Zinn signed a statement circulated by the Partisan Defense Committee calling for the release of convicted “cop-killer” Mumia Abu-Jamal.^[14]

World Can't Wait

The 2008 Advisory Board of the Revolutionary Communist Party front World Can't Wait, anti war organization consisted of:^[15]

• James Abourezk, former U.S. Senator, South Dakota
• Rosemary Candelario, pro-choice activist
• Warren Hern MD, Physician and pro-choice activist
• Mark Leno, CA State Assembly
• Mark Crispin Miller, professor & writer
• Tomas Olmos, attorney
• Boots Riley, hip hop performer
• Lynne Stewart, attorney
• Gore Vidal, writer
• Sunsara Taylor, writer
• Howard Zinn, historian
• Cynthia McKinney, former U.S. Congressional Representative, Georgia

Open letter to Andy Stern

On May 1 2008, Howard Zinn signed an open letter to SEIU president Andy Stern in protest at SEIU moves force its local United Healthcare Workers into trusteeship.

"We are writing to express our deep concern about SEIU's threatened trusteeship over its third largest local, United Healthcare Workers (UHW). We believe that there must always be room within organized labor for legitimate and principled dissent, if our movement is to survive and grow. Putting UHW under trusteeship would send a very troubling message and be viewed, by many, as a sign that internal democracy is not valued or tolerated within SEIU. In our view, this would have negative consequences for the workers directly affected, the SEIU itself, and the labor movement as a whole. We strongly urge you to avoid such a tragedy."

Opposing Israeli Policy in Gaza

In January 2009 Howard Zinn Boston Univ., signed a statement circulated by the Magnes Zionist Blog, opposing Israeli policy in Gaza:^[16]

As human beings, we are shocked and appalled at the mass destruction unleashed by the State of Israel against the people of Gaza in its military operation, following years of Israeli occupation, siege, and deprivation.

As progressives, we reject the same justifications for the carnage that we heard ad nauseam from the supporters of the Second Iraq War: the so-called "war on terror," the "clash of civilizations," the "need to re-establish deterrence" – all of which served to justify a misguided and unnecessary war, with disastrous consequences for America and Iraq.

Independent Progressive Politics Network

In 2009 Howard Zinn served on the Advisory Committee of the Independent Progressive Politics Network^[17].

The People Speak

Matt Damon took part in the The People Speak alongside Howard Zinn and based on his most popular book, A People's History of the United States in 2009.

New Politics

As of 2009 Howard Zinn served as a sponsor of New Politics, magazine almost completely staffed and run by members of Democratic Socialists of America^[18].

The Progressive

Zinn has been a frequent contributor to the liberal magazine, The Progressive.

External links

• The Progressive website

References