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Having sold more than 2 million copies, Howard Zinn’s seminal book A People’s History of the United States, has spawned a small industry of history-teaching tools. Among them is the follow up book co-authored with Anthony Arnove, Voices of a People’s History of the United States. That book formed the basis of staged readings several years ago by celebrities and others of the words of revolutionaries and rabble-rousers who made American history. Outspoken actor Matt Damon, who has been deeply influenced by Zinn’s book, has worked with others for years to bring Zinn’s book to the silver screen. And this year Damon’s dream comes true with a documentary version of A People’s History called The People Speak, airing on the History Channel on December 13th. The film features many of the performers who have dramatized the Voices of a People’s History on the stage, such as Danny Glover, Viggo Mortensen, Sandra Oh, Sean Penn, Rosario Dawson, Don Cheadle, John Legend, Marisa Tomei, and Eddie Vedder. The People Speak is produced by Chris Moore, who along with actors and musicians featured in the film, is hitting the college circuit offering free staged performances. The People Speak College Tour arrives at UCLA this Friday ahead of the History Channel screening of the film.

The People Speak comes to UCLA on Friday December 4th from 2 to 3:30 pm at Schoenberg Hall, 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095. The event is free but reservations are required. RSVP online at http://thepeoplespeakucla.eventbrite.com.

The People Speak will air on The History Channel on Sunday December 13th at 8 pm and will be touring colleges. For more information, visit www.thepeoplespeak.com.