By Steven T. Jones
If there is a Bible of the modern American progressive movement (and there probably isn’t, given our skepticism about divine revelations), it would probably be A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn.
For many of us, it was like a lightbulb that illuminated the flipside of the fables we were told in school. And once we understood our country’s history from the perspective of its losers and the vanquished, we instinctively knew that making progress meant finally dealing honestly with our past and with the people being left behind in the present.
Voices from that seminal book will emanate from the stage at Mission High School this Thursday is a special, star-studded performance that includes Zinn, Benjamin Bratt, Josh Brolin, Diane Lane, Boots Riley, and Robin Penn Wright. Unfortunately, the performance sold out quickly, but it’s just nice to know it’s there.