Danny Glover, featured in the film The People Speak, will receive the 2011 Eugene V. Debs Award. The Debs Foundation wrote:
As actor, producer, and humanitarian, Danny Glover has been a commanding presence on screen, stage, and television for more than 25 years. Add to that his participation in numerous marches and demonstrations in support of workers’ rights. His accomplishments in acting and directing have enhanced and enabled his community activism and advocacy for human rights, both in the U.S. and in Africa, with a particular emphasis on advocacy for economic justice and access to health care and education.
Howard Zinn was honored with the award in 1998. As the Debs Foundation wrote in its Spring 2010 newsletter:
Howard was honored with the Eugene V. Debs Award in 1998. He died January 27, this year. He had been a contributor to The Progressive for many years. The magazine put together a three-page tribute to Howard Zinn in its March issue titled “Distilled Zinn.” It included excerpts from Zinn’s essays in the magazine from 1998 until 2009.
Zinn’s comment on Eugene Debs from January 1999 is worth repeating here: “We are always in need of radicals who are also loveable. Debs was what every socialist or anarchist or radical should be: fierce in his convictions, kind and compassionate in his personal relations.”
We think this is an apt portrayal also of the Howard Zinn we saw the day he was honored with the Debs Award.
Photo/image: Danny Glover
