Zinn is an internationally renowned U.S. historian, political scientist, social critic and playwright, most well known for his best-selling A People's History of the United States oritinally published in 1980 (which, according to the New York Times, "routinely sells more than 100,000 copies a year”). A veteran activist around issues of civil rights, civil liberties and opposition to war in the United States, he has written extensively on all three subjects.

The author of some 20 books, Zinn is Professor Emeritus in the Political Science Department at Boston University. He was Professor of History at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia from 1956 to 1963, before becoming Professor of Political Science, Boston University from 1964 to 1988. He is the Visiting Professor at both the University of Paris and University of Bologna. Other published works include LaGuardia in Congress (1959); The Southern Mystiqu (1962); SNCC: The New Abolitionists (1964); New Deal Thought (editor, 1965); Vietnam: The Logic of Withdrawal (1967); The Politics of History(1970, 2nd edition 1990); The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of Peace (Editor, 2002); Voices of a People’s History of the United States (edited, with Anthony Arnove, 2004); plays include Marx in Soho: A Play on History (1999) and Emma: A Play in Two Acts About Emma Goldman, American Anarchist (2002).

Howard Zinn’s presentation to the Peoples' Summit was made via video recording. Here is the video of the full talk: