This Sunday at 8 p.m. (EST), the History Channel will air “The People Speak!," based on A People’s History of the United States and Voices of a People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn.
Through dramatic readings by pop-culture icons, this two-hour special brings to life the words of ordinary people who used their voices and the power of democracy to advocate for social change. Performers include Matt Damon (see video below), Benjamin Bratt, Viggo Mortensen, Sandra Oh, Rosario Dawson, Don Cheadle, John Legend, Marisa Tomei, Bruce Springsteen, and others. The soundtrack includes music by Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Springsteen, John Legend, Pink, Taj Mahal, and HeadCount artist Eddie Vedder.
As 2009 comes to a close, this gives me the perfect opportunity to reflect on all of the work HeadCount has done this year to encourage and enable concertgoers to “Make Your Voice Heard Everyday”. “The People Speak!” should inspire us to continue to use our own voices to bring about the change we wish to see in the world.