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I am grateful to have read his work and to listen to him. He was a real scholar and champion of real people. He was one of the good guys.

I had the honor of taking his course at Boston University...and participating with him in some of the protests against the Viet Nam War and John Silber's policies at BU..He was so open to students and would open his house for some great discussions...His "voice" will be surely missed..

This is a major loss to the world. His alternative take on the essence of world politics and the voice of reason regarding war will be surely missed. He inspired countless students like me who were desperately searching for a compassionate voice to counter the voices demanding war. I was fortunate to study with him and to have seen him a few months ago speaking at the BU lecture series named after him. He inspired us. With his dry humor he touched us. We have lost a voice.

Peoples History of the United States should be mandatory reading in all high school.

Charles, did you ever meet or interview Prof. Zinn? I imagine that would have been a great conversation. R.I.P.

he was the guest speaker at my graduation, newton high '70. the greases boycotted called him a commie, couple of fights broke out. yup, good ol' newton high always on the cutting edge.

Anyone who irratated John Silbur gets my condolences.A good man is lost from us all!

I would like to express my deep sadness over the passing of Howard Zinn.

On December 17th, I had the great honor of interviewing Prof. Zinn
for an upcoming article (for Imagine magazine) about the television
program "The People Speak," which was based on his classic work "A
People's History of the United States." (Alas, it was done over the
phone, so I never had the great pleasure of meeting Prof. Zinn in
person, although I was in the audience for the performance of "The
People Speak" in Boston, at which he spoke.) He was very generous with
his time and thoughts, and very patient with me. I am sorry to say
that this might well have been the last in-depth interview he ever
gave.

It is with no small amount of irony that this great man achieved
his greatness by denouncing the so-called "Great Man" theory of
history. To Prof. Zinn, it was the people who made progressive history
happen, with the politicians and other opportunists taking the credit.
(To cite but one example: the Civil Rights movement. Prior to the
publication of "A People's History," most Americans were told to think
of it as "John F. Kennedy's Civil Rights movement" or "Lyndon
Johnson's Civil Rights movement." Howard Zinn made sure that the names
of those who gave of themselves [Fannie Lou Hamer] and those who gave
their very lives [Viola Liuzzo, James Reeb, Schwerner, Goodman and
Chaney], as well as many, many others who would have gone
unrecognized, got the just credit that they deserved.

Let us also not forget that "A People's History" was but one of his
many contributions. Along with Noam Chomsky and George Wald here in
Boston, Prof. Zinn was at the forefront of the academic community's
opposition to the Vietnam War. (Whether Prof. Zinn was in fact the
inventor of the "teach-in", I can't say, but he certainly made it a
vital part of the anti-war movement's growing power and prominence.)
His wisdom also cut across political and ideological lines. He was the
epitome of the "left-wing academic" that the likes of Pat Buchanan
spent decades denouncing, yet from the early 1990's on, Buchanan
himself has become Zinn's mirror image in his denunciation of "The
American Empire." As we enter the dreary second year of the Obama
Administration (I still hope for the best, but that hope is fading),
Howard Zinn's wisdom is needed now more than ever.

Prof. Zinn would no doubt fiercely oppose any attempt to make him
into a hero, icon or "indispensable man." And yet, now, on the day of
his death, it is hard for many of us to think of him in any other way.
At age 87, he never seemed more youthful, vital and relevant. One
searches in vain for someone to take his place. One can only hope that
Prof. Zinn's work and personal example will inspire others to carry on
the fight for historical truth. As the media and political discourse
regurgitates with vileness, opportunism, cowardice and corruption, we
are now left without one of our most vital weapons of response.

We are right to mourn. But I'm sure that Howard Zinn is now
harmonizing with Joe Hill in saying: "Don't mourn, organize!"

With Eternal Gratitude,
and Deepest Condolences to Prof. Zinn's family and friends,