“Why should we care?” a mildly star-struck voice asked during the discussion portion of the promotion tour for “The People Speak,” an innovative U.S. history documentary scheduled to air Dec. 13 on the History Channel. The student, charmed by the presence of young actor Michael Ealy (“Seven Pounds”), had unwittingly illustrated how the tour does, in fact, make people care about the documentary, American history and our roles in the story.

The tour has succeeded in reaching a wide audience, said producer Anthony Arnove in an interview with the Wheel, because of the appeal of popular figures like Ealy. While students and other audience members may look into “The People Speak” because of its celebrities — or the free T-shirts they passed out — these are only vehicles for spreading the history behind the project.

“The People Speak,” inspired by Howard Zinn’s book A People’s History of the United States, conveys the original words of America’s revolutionaries and dissenters through today’s talented performers. The documentary boasts an impressive cast of actors that includes Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Sean Penn and Viggo Mortensen. The readings interweave with historical footage.

The documentary’s college tour visited eight campuses, including Emory’s, to promote the film and its message. Atlanta native actress Jasmine Guy (“Dead Like Me”) and Ealy, two readers in the documentary, accompanied Arnove.

“The People Speak” had its earliest origins close to Emory, during the 1960s civil-rights movement at Spelman College. At the time, Zinn was a professor who supported students like Alice Walker in their activism. Although his support of student dissenters ultimately lost Zinn his position at the college, the protests and other activities changed his perspective not only on current events, but on history in general.

Zinn took this novel view of history — as a progression of events beginning with ordinary people like the students around him — and published A People’s History of the United States in 1980. The book has sold nearly 2 million copies since then — a feat unheard of for a history textbook, Arnove joked during the presentation.

Arnove began to collaborate with Zinn on the project with a follow-up book, Voices of a People’s History of the United States, which contains primary sources such as speeches, journal entries, songs and literary works from pivotal moments in history, many of which were written by figures never mentioned in traditional history books.

The powerful appeal of these voices inspired live theater performances with prominent actors, poets and musicians. Thus, “The People Speak” was born, and its recorded performances have traveled to major American cities for several years.

Guy called her hometown of Atlanta a prime location for empowerment, with its “universities, thinkers and activists.”

“In Hollywood, stuff doesn’t mean as much,” Ealy added. He expressed his appreciation for the current pursuit of “getting involved and giving voice to these alternative histories.”

What kinds of “alternative histories” have been gathered?

“There are some you’ll have heard of and some you haven’t, and some who people don’t usually think of in the context we show them,” said Arnove of the historical voices behind the project.

Who knew, for instance, that Mark Twain was an anti Imperialist and wrote passionately against colonization of the Philippines? The project is utterly nondiscriminatory in its approach to history, embracing dissenters and visionaries of all races and classes to make people aware of the individuals who have shaped America.

The event opened with Ealy’s live reading of an eloquent letter from a fugitive slave decrying his former master, followed by Guy’s reading of the Alice Walker poem “Once,” written during the civil-rights movement.

The selection of these two readers set the stage for an event focused largely on the racism experienced by black people throughout history, and the important figures who addressed it.

Clips from “The People Speak” shown during the presentation featured performances similar in theme, including reenacted speeches by Malcolm X and Frederick Douglass.

In a more unconventional performance, Guy read a poignant schoolgirl memory of Sylvia Woods, a civil rights activist. The impact of how a young student experienced racism supported the documentary’s crusade against passivity and apathy.

Guy and Ealy said that the tour was important because it tries to involve the active participation of today’s youth. Both actors said they had not lost hope for the seemingly apathetic American youth, and cited young peoples’ political interest during the Obama campaign as an example of involvement.

Guy compelled the audience to recognize where change needs to occur, whether it’s on a community or family level or less apparent than the wrongs of Jim Crow.

“Listening may be a lost art form, but it’s an important one,” said Guy, praising Emory attendees.

Perhaps audience members only came for the free T-shirts, or to see some famous actors. But surely, during the event, some listeners did think of why they should care about history. According to several historical sources, we should care because our awareness of the past determines how we imagine the future.

— Contact Nicole Azores-Gococo.