Saturday, June 18

Actors to Perform ‘The People Speak’ at People’s Summit in Chicago, Along with Music Concert, As All-Star Lineup of Progressive Activists Gather

An all-star lineup of renown artists will join in a special performance of dramatic readings of U.S. history Saturday night June 18 in Chicago, a key highlight of the People’s Summit gathering of progressive  community leaders and activists to step up movement building in the aftermath of the enormous populist upsurge in the 2016 Presidential primary campaign.

The People Speak is a set of dramatic readings of selected testimonies—speeches, letters, poems, songs, petitions, and manifestos—of people throughout U.S. history who struggled against slavery, racism, war, oppression, and exploitation, and who articulated a vision for a better world. The People Speak was inspired by Howard Zinn’s legendary book A People’s History of the United States.

The People Speak will be performed at 8:30 p.m. June 18 in the Arie Crown Theater at McCormick Place in Chicago. 

Confirmed performers to date, with more still to be announced, are:

• Max Carver
• Rosario Dawson
• Frances Fisher
• Gaby Hoffmann
• Helen Hong
• Brian Jones
• Christina Kirk
• Hari Kondabolu
• Wallace Shawn
• Eddie Kaye Thomas
• Charlyne Yi

Special performances by Academy and Grammy Award nominated musician Allison Moorer are also scheduled. Anthony Arnove, producer of the Academy Award-nominated documentary Dirty Wars, who wrote, directed, and produced The People Speak with Howard Zinn is directing The People Speak.

Only registered attendees of The People’s Summit will be allowed entrance. General registration to attend The People’s Summit must be done at http://www.thepeoplessummit.org/.

Following the performance of The People Speak will be musical performances by Bell’s Roar, The Last Internationale, and Ike Reilly, all artists featured on Firebrand Records. 

The special evening event is a part of the gathering June 17-29 that comes at a pivotal moment in 2016. Thousands are expected to join the three-day Summit, which is intended to step up the momentum and movement building associated with the populist moment and the broad grassroots organizing on progressive issues that has been underway with less media fanfare around the nation for years.

The Summit will also bring together many of the leaders and organizations who have participated in the Bernie Sanders campaign, as well as other community leaders and activists who have worked for social, political, and economic change for years.

Sen. Sanders is one of the invited, but not confirmed, speakers.

Among the confirmed speakers and participants at the Summit are:

• Naomi Klein, environmental/social activist, author, “This Changes Everything”
• Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, veteran, Meritorious Service Medal awardee
• Rep. Raul Grijalva, co-chair Congressional Progressive Caucus
• RoseAnn DeMoro, executive director, National Nurses United
• Rev. William Barber, architect of the Moral Mondays Movement, President, Repairers of the Breach
• Former Ohio State Sen. Nina Turner
• Josh Fox, documentary filmmaker, showing his new film “How to Love Everything Climate Can’t Change”
• Frances Fox Piven, author, activist

More details are available at http://www.thepeoplessummit.org, info@thepeoplessumit.org, or https://www.facebook.com/events/772454342884561/

Twitter: @pplsummit