On December 5th, over 2,300 people packed into the historic Riverside Church in Manhattan, NY to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Democracy Now! Democracy Now first went on the air on the eve of the 1996 New Hampshire primary. The date was February 19th, 1996. The show began as a radio show on nine radio stations.
Today, over 5,000 episodes later, Democracy Now news hour airs on over 1,400 public television and radio stations across the globe. Among those who spoke at the celebration of Democracy Now was Noam Chomsky, the world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author. He’s professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and author of more than 100 books.
Watch the riveting 27min speech here
Noam Chomsky & Harry Belafonte in Conversation on Trump, Sanders, the KKK, Rebellious Hearts & More
On December 5, Democracy Now! also hosted a historic conversation between Noam Chomsky and Harry Belafonte as part of our 20th anniversary celebration. It marked the first time they appeared on stage together in conversation. The two have been longtime champions of social justice. Chomsky is a world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author who gained fame in the 1960s for his critique of the Vietnam War and U.S. imperialism. He is institute professor emeritus at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he has taught for more than 50 years. Harry Belafonte is a longtime civil rights activist who was an immensely popular singer and actor. He was one of Martin Luther King’s closest confidants and helped organize the March on Washington in 1963.
Watch the great interview here
Follow Democracy Now! here