There is a scene in To Kill A Mockingbird where Atticus Finch is leaving the courtroom after failing to free a wrongly accused black man in the pre-civil rights era American South. The gallery is filled with the defendent’s friends and family, as well as Atticus’ seven-year old daughter, Scout. Everyone in the gallery stands up and finally someone reaches down and pulls Scout to her feet too, saying “Stand up Scout. Your father is passing.”
This feels like one of those moments. Stand up — Howard Zinn is passing. Goodbye, Mr. Zinn. You were a fearless teller of the unvarnished truth of American history, snatching it from the glorifiers, the revisionists, the pretenders and the deniers. A country is only as good as it’s people and can only correct it’s wrongs when we know the truth about them. Thanks for unflinchingly reminding us who we are and what we are capable of — both bad and good. You never lost faith in people’s ability to organize to right civil wrongs and reminded us of how often faith has overcome doubt. You will be missed.
