Speaking Out of Place: ANTHONY ARNOVE & HALEY PESSIN discuss Voices of a People’s History of the United States in the 21st Century

In this episode of the Speaking Out of Place podcast, Professor David Palumbo-Liu and Azeezah Kanji talk with Anthony Arnove and Haley Pessin about their new volume Voices of a People’s History of the United States in the 21st Century: Documents of Hope and Resistance.

This book is not only a beautiful archive of people's struggles in the 21st century, but also a powerful tribute to and continuation of the work of professor and radical historian Howard Zinn. We speak with Anthony and Haley about the histories of struggles and the possibilities for building a more beautiful future.

Anthony Arnove is the editor of several books, including, with Howard Zinn, Voices of a People’s History of the United States and Terrorism and War. He wrote the introduction for the thirty-fifth anniversary edition of Zinn’s classic book, A People’s History of the United States.  Arnove cofounded the nonprofit education and arts organization Voices of a People’s History of the United States, wrote, directed, and produced the documentary The People Speak, and has directed stage and television versions of The People Speak in Dublin with Stephen Rea, in London with Colin Firth, and across the United States with various groups including Lincoln Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Sundance Film Festival. He produced the Academy Award-nominated documentary Dirty Wars. Arnove is on the editorial boards of Haymarket Books and Tempestmag.org and is the director of Roam Agency, where he represents authors including Arundhati Roy and Noam Chomsky. He lives in Hopewell, New Jersey.

Haley Pessin is a socialist activist living  in Queens, New York. They have participated in struggles against police brutality and mass incarceration, in solidarity with Palestine, in defense of abortion rights and reproductive justice, and as a legal service worker and union delegate for 119SEIU (Service Employees International Union). Pessin has spoken at conferences in Switzerland, Australia, Ireland, Quebec, and throughout the United States on the struggle for Black liberation. Their writing has appeared in New Politics and at Tempestmag.org, where they currently serve on the editorial board.

"Climate action has become woven into every aspect of our society. I remember that time so clearly. It wasn't just activists and politicians who were building the future. Artists, creatives, storytellers, actors, and athletes began realizing their part in these movements to shape culture and reach the masses. Entrepreneurs, designers, architects, and poets began to reimagine what our society could look like if we used this great time of crisis as humanity's most unifying moment.

I remember the shows I played and how we transformed those arenas into places of celebration and unity. The idea of being an activist was left behind. We realized that it is within our power as humanity and identity that belongs to all of us. To change the story and to build the world we've always known was possible. The place the world is in is a result of us striking the balance between technology, innovation, culture, and the ancient wisdom and teachings of the original peoples of this earth. Here we are, 10 years after changing everything to redefine our legacy, carried on in flowers and songs."

from Xiuhtezcatl Tonatiuh Martinez’s “To Fight for a Just Climate Is to Fight for Everything That We Love” in

Chapter 8: OUR RESISTANCE MUST BE INTERSECTIONAL

https://sevenstories.com/books/4479-voices-of-a-people-s-history-of-the-united-states-in-the-21st-century

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Photo credit: Francesca Ruggiero and Eric Soucy