Film: You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train

Wednesday, March 25, 7pm @ The Garden Theater

This acclaimed film looks at the life of the renowned historian, activist and author Howard Zinn. Following his early days as a shipyard labor organizer and bombardier in World War II, Zinn became an academic rebel and leader of civil disobedience in a time of institutionalized racism and war.

Featuring rare archival materials and interviews with Zinn and colleagues such as Noam Chomsky, You Can’t Be Neutral captures the essence of this extraordinary man who was a catalyst for progressive change for more than 60 years.

Narrated by Matt Damon. Featuring music by Pearl Jam, Woody Guthrie, and Billy Bragg.

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Part of our Reimagining the Republic: 250 Years of Voices, Struggles, and Hope series

As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, this series invites our community not only to look back, but to imagine forward—asking what kind of republic we wish to inhabit, and what responsibilities we carry into the next century of American life.

Reimagining the Republic: 250 Years of Voices, Struggles, and Hope is a public humanities initiative that explores the evolving meaning of American democracy through film, conversation, and the nation’s founding documents. Anchored in the America250 theme of We the People, this series invites our community to reflect on how the United States has been shaped—not only by its founders—but by generations of ordinary people whose courage, creativity, work, and resistance have continually expanded the boundaries of freedom and justice.

3 Films at The Garden –  4th Wednesday of the Month – March 25, April 22, May 27

We begin in March with a screening of You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train, the award-winning documentary about historian and activist Howard Zinn, whose commitment to “history from below” resonates throughout the series.

In April, in recognition of Earth Day, our attention turns to the land itself. A screening of Prairie Prophecy, the documentary on Wes Jackson and the Land Institute, encourages audiences to consider how agriculture, ecology, and sustainability intersect with citizenship and intergenerational responsibility. Jackson’s work challenges us to imagine a republic that treats the earth as part of the public trust. 

May features a documentary on Maya Angelou, celebrating the transformative power of storytelling, poetry, and art in shaping American consciousness—forms of democratic participation essential to a vibrant public culture. (Bob – Garden)

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In June, the series turns to the radical democratic imagination of Thomas Paine. A public screening of Begin the World Again introduces Paine’s insistence that common people—not monarchs—are the rightful authors of political destiny. A community reading and discussion of Common Sense follows, linking Paine’s revolutionary call to today’s debates about citizenship, civic responsibility, and the possibilities of self-governance. (partner with Betsie Current / Democracy in Retrograde Book Groups)

In July, a Community Reading of the Declaration of Independence brings the focus back to the founding ideals, inviting reflection on the enduring power—and the limitations—of that revolutionary text.

September features Constitution Day with author Anne-Marie Oomen leading a hands-on Copying the Constitution event. By slowing down to write the document by hand, participants engage thoughtfully and physically with the foundational framework of American law.