Viewpoint: Remembering Howard Zinn: historian, activist, gentleman

On Jan. 27, noted historian Howard Zinn passed away. Often polarizing but never dull, he touched the lives of both his students and his readers. The author of the bestselling "A People's History of the United States," Zinn radicalized the teaching of American history. His new approach looked at the efforts of "ordinary" people who struggled to bring justice and equality for all.

Some of you may be familiar with Zinn's work without even having read it. Most famously, actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon praised "A People's History" in the film "Good Will Hunting" and on stage when they received an Academy Award for the screenplay. Musical artists, including Pearl Jam, System of a Down, Rage Against the Machine, NOFX and Bruce Springsteen, referenced Zinn's writings in their songs. And in perhaps the best sign of cultural saturation, Marge Simpson read "A People's History" during her college days.

After serving honorably as a bombardier during World War II, he took advantage of the G.I. Bill to get his bachelor's degree, and eventually, a doctorate from Columbia University. His first teaching job was at Spelman College, the nation's most historic college for African-American women. There, he witnessed firsthand the second-class treatment of black students. A model activist-scholar, he participated in sit-ins to protest segregation in the Georgia state capitol. Fighting for equality and civil rights led to dismissal from his tenured faculty position. Undeterred, he continued to agitate against segregation and later the Vietnam War. When Daniel Ellsberg leaked the secret and tragic history of American involvement in Vietnam in the Pentagon Papers, he first gave a copy to Zinn. At Ellsberg's trial for allegedly passing on sensitive information, Zinn testified for hours about the duplicitous nature of U.S. policy in Southeast Asia. At the heart of his argument and of his later scholarship was a respect for the truth no matter which politician was embarrassed.

Howard Zinn was also a gentleman. I know this personally. During my first year of master's studies, I sent Zinn a long e-mail complaining — like grad students are known to do — about a topic I believed to be missing from his "The Twentieth Century: A People's History." I expected that a celebrity author of his stature would not respond. Rather, his lengthy reply was courteous and respectful. I felt humbled to receive this treatment from my idol.

If you never decide to read anything by Zinn, you should understand one fundamental aspect of his philosophy. It has been the struggles of common people, sometimes across generations, to achieve some of our most basic rights or privileges. The list of the achievements is long: the right to vote, 40-hour work weeks and the end of segregation, to name a few. Today, many of our students and faculty are continuing this same fight, whether over equal access in our society, improved conditions for the most disadvantaged or other grassroots causes. In time, another historian will write a similar people's history for the 21st century.

Be assured that, even if you are not mentioned by name, your struggles for justice will be acknowledged. You matter.

Instructor Sean Duffy teaches history.