Voices of a People’s History of the United States brings to life the extraordinary history of ordinary people who built the movements that made the United States what it is today, ending slavery and Jim Crow, protesting war and the genocide of Native Americans, creating unions and the eight hour work day, advancing women’s rights and gay liberation, and struggling to right wrongs of the day. By giving public expression to rebels, dissenters, and visionaries from our past—and present--Voices seeks to educate and inspire a new generation working for social justice.
Performances of Voices are put on around the country; in schools and in places like Lincoln Center. It is a series of dramatic readings of letters, speeches, diaries, etc. by groups of oppressed, marginalized, or forgotten figures in American history. The work is based on one of our greatest historians, Howard Zinn, who sought to question the whitewashed and romanticized version of history so often taught to us.
Performances of Voices are put on around the country; in schools and in places like Lincoln Center. It is a series of dramatic readings of letters, speeches, diaries, etc. by groups of oppressed, marginalized, or forgotten figures in American history. The work is based on one of our greatest historians, Howard Zinn, who sought to question the whitewashed and romanticized version of history so often taught to us.
Performance
Niyah Hill Reads Beto O'RourkeIn the final NFL preseason game for the San Francisco 49ers in 2016, Colin Kaepernick took a knee to protest police brutality against black people and raise national consciousness on race. Despite widespread misconceptions about his intentions, Kaepernick did not waiver in his moral stand. Kaepernick moved the needle forward on the issues taken up by the Black Lives Matter movement and gained allies along the way. Here, former 2018 U.S. Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke, an ally himself, responds to the notion that taking a knee during the national anthem is disrespectful.
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BRCC Arts Festival 2019The 2018-2019 members of Voices helped raise awareness for the Brady Campaign, which seeks to reduce gun violence through gun control measures
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BRCC Arts Festival 2018In 2017-2018, Voices raised over $1,000 for V-Day, a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls. V-Day is a catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money, and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. V-Day generates broader attention for the fight to stop violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sex slavery.
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Special Events
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We The People in the Age of Nationalism ForumArtwork by Cristal Mejia-Reyes
Jenny YanezJenny Yanez has served as a keynote speaker for Voices performances in 2017 and 2019. Her work in the New Orleans community is regarded as a beacon of humanitarianism.
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Cornell University PartnershipCornell University visited Istrouma High School in 2019 and in 2020. Cornell students collaborated & bonded with Istrouma students while painting a mural and designing shirts.
Voices Performance 2017First ever performance of Voices from Peter Russo's students.
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