NEW PALTZ – The State University of New York at New Paltz will honor the life’s work and legacy of American historian, activist, and playwright Howard Zinn (1922–2010) with presentations by noted author and philosopher Noam Chomsky and filmmaker and editor Anthony Arnove. This event will be held on Dec. 4, in Lecture Center 100, time to be determined.
Zinn, who played a pivotal role in American civil rights and anti-war movements, wrote more than 20 books, including his best-selling and influential A People’s History of the United States. His memoir, You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train, was also the title of a 2004 documentary about Zinn’s life and work. He was Professor of Political Science at Boston University from 1964 to 1988.
Chomsky is an author, philosopher, activist, and Institute Professor Emeritus in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Besides his revolutionary work in linguistics, Chomsky is internationally known as a vocal critic of U.S. foreign policy, the neoliberal turn of global capitalism, and mainstream corporate mass media.
Arnove, an author, editor and filmmaker, has collaborated with Professors Zinn and Chomsky on several projects. Arnove wrote and produced The People Speak, a documentary film based on Zinn’s People’s History, and co-edited with Zinn the companion, Voices of People’s History of the United States; and edited The Essential Chomsky.
Presentations by Chomsky and Arnove will consider Zinn’s leading role in promoting peace and social justice in the contemporary world, and will be followed by a question and answer session.
