Celebrity deaths don’t often phase me, as I find it (however callous sounding) somewhat difficult to mourn for someone I’ve never met or feel like I haven’t known. I can recognize a tragedy when I see one and it’s certainly sad to see someone who brought joy or happiness into someone’s life depart this Earth, but it’s hard to feel a connection with someone who you spent a lifetime knowing only through a one sided conversation. That said, once and awhile a bright light, one who affected a multitude of people in profound ways departs the Earth and leaves everyone a little bit sad. This week, Howard Zinn died of a heart attack at the age of 87.
Zinn was best known for the quintessential book A People’s History of the United States, which is arguably one of the best books any American could and should read to get a fresh perspective on history. In addition, Zinn penned scores of words on the topics of war, labor, civil rights, class and race. Though I never had the fortune of seeing Howard speak, I feel fortunate for the volume of work he left the world and the example he lead, by being not just an academic, but a participant in so many progressive movements.
If you haven’t had the chance to check out or turn someone on to Zinn’s work, now is the time to do it. The day a copy of A People’s History… fell into my lap was the day my life changed forever. Years later, his autobiography “You can’t be neutral on a moving train” would spur my own desire to become more involved in various progressive causes, instead of simply taking a back seat and playing armchair commenter. With every major event, from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to our current economic crisis, Zinn was able to contextualize it within history and move people to think more humanely about the consequences of their actions.
I’ve read a lot of great eulogies to the man featuring many great quotes from him. For some reason though, one line from a song he may haven’t even heard keeps coming back to me when I think of him: “On this day of remembrance, let us not kneel and pray for the dead. Let us stand and activate for the living, to rescue those about to die…” Though I didn’t know him, I feel he touched my life (and the lives of countless others) and I like to think that’s exactly the kind of thing he would’ve wanted to hear.
