You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train

Howard Zinn (1922-2010) was a historian, playwright, and activist. He wrote the classic A People's History of the United States. The book, which has sold more than two million copies, has been featured on The Sopranos and Simpsons, and in the film Good Will Hunting. In 2009, the History Channel aired The People Speak, an acclaimed documentary co-directed by Zinn, based on A People's History and a companion volume, Voices of a People's History of the United States. Zinn grew up in Brooklyn in a working-class, immigrant household. At 18 he became a shipyard worker and then flew bomber missions during World War II. These experiences helped shape his opposition to war and passion for history. After attending college under the GI Bill and earning a PhD in history from Columbia, he taught at Spelman, where he became active in the civil rights movement. After being fired by Spelman for his support for student protesters, Zinn became a professor of political science at Boston University, were he taught until his retirement in 1988.

David Strathairn won a Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival and earned Best Actor nominations from the Academy, Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA, and Independent Spirit Awards for his compelling portrait of legendary CBS news broadcaster Edward R. Murrow in George Clooney's 2005 Oscar-nominated drama Good Night, and Good Luck. He is also recognized for his role as CIA deputy director Noah Vosen in the 2007 film The Bourne Ultimatum. He played a prominent role as Dr. Lee Rosen on the Syfy series Alphas from 2011 to 2012 and played secretary of state William Henry Seward in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln in 2012. He won an Emmy and was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in the HBO project Temple Grandin. He has also maintained a high profile in the theatrical world, with roles at such venues as the Manhattan Theatre Club, the New York Shakespeare Festival, SoHo Rep, the Hartford Stage Company, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and Seattle Repertory.