NYU co-hosts preview for upcoming democracy documentary

Democracy was not a spectator sport yesterday when actor Matt Damon and Howard Zinn, a historian and professor, spoke at Cooper Union's Great Hall about their upcoming documentary, "The People Speak." The event, called "The People Speak Live," was hosted by NYU, Cooper Union and the History Channel.

And the people did speak. Diane Yu, chief of staff and deputy to President John Sexton, spoke at the beginning of the event. But an audience member interrupted her, calling her a "union buster" and said she "did not deserve to share the stage with Howard Zinn." The audience member was removed from the event by multiple security guards.

Otherwise, the event featured a discussion between Zinn and Damon, which was moderated by Columbia University history professor Eric Foner.

The film, based on Zinn's book "A People's History of the United States," features actors and musicians reading famous works by influential citizens throughout U.S. history.

Zinn said many of the pieces could be applied to the present day, using Damon's reading from John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" as an example.

"We're going through times today that remind us of [times] then," he said. "There's inherent drama, but [these texts] said something about what's going on today."

Damon added: "A lot of pieces are ... the most dramatic moments in their [authors'] lives."

Following the discussion, current political issues fueled a question-and-answer session. During the session, Zinn said the documentary exemplifies the need for regular citizens to raise their voice.

"What comes through clearly is that we cannot depend ... on [political leaders] to remedy the injustices," Zinn said. "It's people's movements that push and prod the leaders of our government."

Gallatin senior Eunice Chung said that while the event was interesting, it was not necessarily illuminating.

"It was just putting into words what people thought before," she said.

CAS sophomore Julia Handy admitted that what brought her to the event was Damon's appearance, but that she was intrigued by the content of the presentation.

"I think Matt Damon filled the seats and what they presented kept people in their seats," she said.

According to Allen McFarlane, assistant vice president for student diversity at NYU's Center for Multicultural Education and Programs, this is NYU's second collaboration with "A People's History" after the 2008 Hip-Hop Theater Festival.

"The People Speak" will air Dec. 13 on the History Channel.