The People Speak in Chicago Schools

news_the-people-speak-chicago-schoolsDuring the 2011–2012 school year, the non-profit organization Voices of a People’s History ran a pilot project in Chicago to bring free educational resources, public performing arts programming, film screenings, and professional development workshops to educators and their students in Chicago area public schools and in community organizations. The Chicago Voices pilot launched in Fall 2011. The focus was to:

  • Provide 1,000 educators a free curriculum toolkit based on primary source historical documents and aligned with national teaching standards. The Chicago Voices Educators Toolkit includes The People Speak Extended Edition DVD, accompanying sourcebooks by Howard Zinn, teaching and viewing guides, lesson plans, a Chicago people’s history readings script, classroom video modules, and historical illustrations and graphics, all packaged in a cotton tote bag.
  • Provide public arts programming, including live performances with students and professional artists, as well as free community film screenings of The People Speak and discussions throughout the year.

The Chicago pilot project was inspired by the work of the Howard Zinn, who co-founded Voices and whose books were be part of the free toolkit provided to Chicago educators.

Here is some news coverage of the events:

The People Speak, Live! | TimeOut Chicago

Matt Damon leads an evening of left-leaning prose at Metro | Chicago Tribune: The Theater Loop

Kevin Coval On “The People Speak,” Howard Zinn, and why the time for change is now | Huffington Post

Matt Damon and Lupe Fiasco bring “The People’s History” to Chicago students | WBEZ Chicago

Matt Damon visits school in Englewood: Actor preps kids for project inspired by the progressive historian Howard Zinn | WBEZ Chicago

Empowerment in the Classroom: How do we teach high school students to see themselves as protagonists in history? One idea involves Lupe Fiasco, Matt Damon, and the late Howard Zinn | by Yana Kunichoff in Yes! Magazine

Photo/image: Matt Damon with TEAM Englewood Students. WBEZ/Natalie Moore.

 

Read, Learn, & Make History
Check out the Howard Zinn Digital Collection to search Zinn’s bibliography by books, articles, audio, video, and more.
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