News - Zinn Education Project

“The Birth of a Nation”: A Century Later

February 13, 2015

By William Loren Katz By an odd coincidence the first week of Black History Month this February, Time magazine ran an article on the 100th anniversary of the first public showing of the movie classic The Birth of a Nation. This silent film was Hollywood’s first blockbuster, first great historical epic, first full-length film, and first to introduce modern cinematic techniques that still keep audiences enthralled. Time noted the movie’s problem. From its casting and content to its dramatic conclusion it was unabashedly racist.

Five Years Later: Honoring Howard Zinn’s Legacy of Teaching and Activism

January 27, 2015

Dear Zinn Education Project friends, The great historian and social justice activist, Howard Zinn,…

Howard Zinn at Peace Rally | Zinn Education Project: Teaching People's History

Five Years After: Long Live Howard Zinn

January 26, 2015

By Bill Bigelow This week—Jan. 27—marks five years since the death of the great historian and activist Howard Zinn. No doubt, he would be encouraged by how many educators are engaging students in thinking critically about history and current issues.

44,500 Teachers and Growing — Support Teaching Outside the Textbook

December 30, 2014

More teachers. More students. More people's history. This year, we reached 44,500 K-12 teachers who are using free Zinn Education Project lessons. That's almost a million students receiving a more honest and complex understanding of U.S. history. Help us reach 55,000 teachers in 2015 with people's history resources.

10,000 More Teachers in One Year — You Can Help Us Reach Thousands More in 2015

December 29, 2014

This week, the Zinn Education Project reached a milestone: 10,000 new registered teachers in 2014. We now have more than 44,500 teachers using our materials, teaching outside the textbook. As one of the 44,500 educators who have registered for the Zinn Education Project website, please donate so that we can reach even more teachers and students in the coming year. You can make an online donation, a stock donation, or mail a check to the address below.

Teachers Say NO Koch in Schools

November 27, 2014

In November of 2014, the Zinn Education Project published a widely circulated exposé of the Koch Brothers influence on K-12 civics education. Called "The Koch Brothers Sneak into School," the article explained: The billionaire brothers, Charles and David Koch, make their money in fossil fuels. They use some of their vast wealth to fund a network of organizations to push their interests. One of these is the Bill of Rights Institute.

Teaching #BlackLivesMatter

November 27, 2014

In light of the grand jury decision, we share this collection of teaching ideas and resources, originally published by Teaching for Change in August of 2014. By Julian Hipkins III As the new school year begins, first and foremost on our minds and in our hearts will be the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Teachers may be faced with students’ anger, frustration, sadness, confusion, and questions. Some students will wonder how this could happen in the United States. For others, unfortunately, police brutality and intimidation are all too familiar.

The Politics of Thanksgiving Day

November 26, 2014

By William Loren Katz With family excitement building with the approach of Thanksgiving, you would never know November was Native American History Month. President Obama had publicly announced the month, but many more Americans will be paying attention to his announcement of Thanksgiving.

This Changes Everything Writing Retreat Update

November 12, 2014

The Zinn Education Project is teaming up with our friends at This Changes Everything: Capitalism …

People’s History at the 2014 National Council for the Social Studies Conference

November 1, 2014

The Zinn Education Project will have a major presence with three booths at the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Conference in Boston from Nov. 21-22, 2014. If you are one of the thousands of social studies teachers from around the world attending the NCSS conference, be sure to stop by the Zinn Education Project booths.

Abolish Columbus Day

October 6, 2014

Did you see the good news out of Seattle this past week? First the school board, then the city council, voted to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day. It's a sign that more and more people want to learn—and teach—the truth about our history.

Voices of a People’s History of the United States (Book, 10th anniv.) | Zinn Education Project: Teaching People's History

10th Anniversary Edition of Voices of a People’s History Coming This Fall

October 5, 2014

Performances of Voices of a People's History Scheduled for Los Angeles and New York in November The 10th anniversary edition of Voices of a People’s History of the United States will be published by Seven Stories Press this fall.

Colorado Student Protests Lead to Exploration of Ludlow History

October 1, 2014

The Colorado students protests in defense of learning history are reverberating in the media around…

Fred Branfman, ¡Presente!

September 26, 2014

Fred Branfman, writer and peace activist, passed away on September 24, 2014 at the age…

Hundreds of High Schoolers Walk Out to Protest Conservative Takeover of History Standards

September 24, 2014

By Zaid Jilani, Alternet.org As part of the long-running textbook wars over American school curricula, the Jefferson County Colorado Board of Education moved earlier this month to alter AP U.S. history standards to meet a more right-wing view of the world, emphasizing “patriotism” and the “free enterprise system” and downplaying “social strife.”

Banned Books Week: Champion the Right to Teach and Learn People’s History

September 23, 2014

With Banned Books Week (Sept. 21-27) in full swing, we call attention to the recent attempts to ban people's history books and curriculum.

Grappling with Multiple Histories: Teaching Critical Inquiry with Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States

September 8, 2014

By Mark Kissling What follows is that reflection, written as a narrative spanning the last decade and a half. My purpose here is to argue, contrary to Governor Daniels, that students have much to gain from reading A People’s History in their classrooms. For that reason, I encourage all history teachers to bring Zinn’s writings into their classrooms.

This Changes Everything Writing Retreat

August 16, 2014

Rethinking Schools and the Zinn Education Project are partnering with an exciting project: This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate. This "multi-platform" project includes the new book by Naomi Klein, a feature documentary inspired by the book, and an ambitious outreach strategy to share the ideas behind these works with educators and activists, starting in Fall 2014.

Major Okinawa TV Story Features Zinn Education Project Teacher

July 9, 2014

We are thrilled that Okinawa based television network Ryukyu Broadcasting Corporation (RBC) is filming a…

The Counter-Revolution of 1776: Origins of the United States of America

June 29, 2014

Gerald Horne, professor of history and African American studies at the University of Houston, was interviewed on Democracy Now! on "the great disparity between how people in the United States talk about the creation myth of the United States."