91 year-old Grace Lee Boggs can’t be neatly categorized.She is Chinese-American but was influential in the Black Power movement of the 1960’s. She once aligned herself with the violence inducing rhetoric of Malcolm X but after the race riots of the late ‘60’s in Detroit, Michigan, she saw the potential of non-violent protest and the teachings of Martin Luther King. She is an author, speaker, educator, humanitarian, and activist.
Grace Lee Boggs and her husband James Boggs were influential in most every political equality movement in the last forty years. As residents of Detroit, they were intensely aware of the damage strained race relations can cause. Before her husband’s death in 1993, they began a project called Detroit Summer, a multicultural, intergenerational youth program to rebuild, redefine and respirit Detroit from the ground up. The organization is coming upon its 15th season this summer.
In a recent speech called Catching up with Martin, Boggs said of the turbulent 1960’s, “We could no longer separate ethics from politics or view revolutionary struggle simply in terms of us vs. them...The absence of this philosophical/spiritual dimension in the Black Power struggles of the 1960s helps to explain why these struggles ended up in the opportunism, drug abuse, and interpersonal violence…” The transcript of the speech is something we should all read and ponder.
Since the Detroit race riots that she characterizes as race rebellions, she has dedicated herself to helping to realize King's vision of Beloved Community in her hometown of Detroit and elsewhere around the country, one grassroots project at a time.
Bill Moyers recently interviewed Mrs. Boggs. You can watch a video of the meeting at Bill Moyers Journal. He also complied a list of projects headed or developed by Mrs. Boggs that demonstrates her passion for uplifting the human spirit. Here are just a few:
Picture the Homeless: One of Grace Lee Boggs' Beloved Community organizations located in The Bronx. "Picture the Homeless was founded on principle that homeless people have civil and human rights regardless of race, creed, color or economic status. It was founded and is led by homeless people." On the Web site, you'll find information about the many campaigns being conducted by the organization, such as the Potter's Field Initiative, which is trying to secure the homeless access to Potters Field (on Hart Island, NY) in order to memorialize their loved ones."
The Boggs Center: For nearly forty years, the Boggs' home has been a community center and think-tank drawing together individuals and organizations from diverse backgrounds. People from around the world have come to create and discuss visions and strategies relating to local community struggles, workers' movements, and global campaigns for social justice. Today, the second floor of the building serves as the offices and meeting space of the Boggs Center and includes a small boarding area."
Detroit - City of Hope: A digital meeting place for organizations concerned with the betterment of the city of Detroit.
Grace Lee Boggs is an inspiration to all and even at her advanced age is still asked to speak at colleges, universities, and organizations around the country.
