Speaking up - and out

Historian and political scientist Howard Zinn, a scourge of fascist, warmongering villains everywhere, has always given a voice to the less powerful - from his early work in the anti-war movement during the Vietnam era to his classes on civil liberties at Boston University, not to mention his book "A People's History of the United States" and his vocal opposition to the use of force in Iraq. Tonight he speaks up for another group often ignored by history, the homeless. He'll give a lecture titled "What a Great Society Looks Like" as a benefit for Spare Change News, the Cambridge newspaper dedicated to homeless concerns. 7:30 p.m. $10-$25 (pay what you can.) Old South Church, 645 Boylston St., Boston. 617-497-1595. brownpapertickets.com [L.O]