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Portrait of Grace Lee Boggs inside the lounge named in her honor, September 20, 2024, by Erin Carr.
Solutions before Revolutions
Solutions before Revolutions
by Erin Carr
One voice can ignite a revolution. Grace Lee Boggs did just that as she made waves in the landscape of activism through her decades of fierce advocacy for social change, particularly in the Detroit area (Chow; Ryerson). She is honored at the University of Michigan with a lounge in Baits which aims to recognize Boggs’ work as a social activist and create a space which encourages re-imagination (“Grace Lee”).
Grace Lee Boggs’ passion to change the trajectory of justice for minorities sparked from early-life experiences. Growing up during the Great Depression as a first generation Chinese-American woman alerted the need for social change to Grace (Ryerson). She grew up facing social injustices that made her “increasingly aware of racism," such as being one of three students of color in college and experiencing refused employment repeatedly due to her ethnicity. She recalled “feeling that she could not be Chinese and American at the same time” (Ryerson), and this kickstarted decades of passionate activism that extended beyond her own identity.
It was in the 1940’s when Grace moved to Detroit and met James Boggs (Ryerson), a Black activist and auto-worker, who spoke “with such passion, challenging all within hearing to stretch their humanity,” as Chow quotes from Boggs’ authbiography Living for Change. They married in 1953 and were quick to become two of Detroit’s notable activists– covering issues “related to labor and civil rights, feminism, Black Power, Asian-Americans and the environment.” Throughout the years, Boggs wrote several books: including Revolution and Evolution in the Twentieth Century in collaboration with James; her own autobiography, Living for Change; and co-writing The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century with Scott Kurashige (Chow).
Inside of the Grace Lee Boggs Minority Lounge, September 20, 2024, by Erin Carr.
Mural inside of the Grace Lee Boggs Minority Lounge, September 20, 2024, by Erin Carr.
In 1992, the couple founded Detroit Summer, a community empowerment based movement. A year later, Boggs’ husband passed; yet, this only pushed Boggs further in her involvement in Detroit activism (Chow). “Boggs began to shift away from revolution and towards ‘solutionaries’” (Ryerson) where she took inspiration from everyday struggles of the oppressed to find ways to make life livable. Boggs had a unique outlook on our role in the changing world. As Chow reflects, “her personal philosophies were guided more by human experience.” Boggs believed more power lay within each individuals’ ability to transform their world rather than overthrowing a system. Her philosophy holds true as she spoke at the dedication of the Grace Lee Boggs Minority Lounge at UM, believing in “the urgent need to reimagine work, education, and revolution," as quoted on the plaque in the lounge.
Boggs established The James and Grace Lee Boggs School in Detroit 2013 (Ryerson), the first of several institutions named in her honor. UM dedicated their lounge in the Thieme House of Baits II Hall in 2010, becoming the second multicultural lounge named after an Asian-American woman. Murals cover the lounge walls– one displaying a blossoming garden fronting a cityscape, reflecting Detroit Summer’s activities that included “planting community gardens in vacant lots…” and “creating huge murals on buildings” (“Grace Lee”). Another mural pays tribute to her Living for a Change autobiography.
House of Names says the surname “Boggs” was first used by a family living near a ridge that stood between two areas. As if by fate, this name symbolizes Boggs' role during her decades of work. She represented the ridge, reimagining a way for two sides to unite and form something stronger that rises above. Together with James, their cross-racial organization of work revolutionized the activist movement in a time of necessary reform.
Work Cited
"Boggs History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms." House of Names, HouseofNames.com, Boggs Name Meaning, Family History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms (houseofnames.com). Accessed 30 Sep. 2024.
Carr, Erin. Inside of the Grace Lee Boggs Minority Lounge, 20 Sep. 2024. Author's personal collection.
Carr, Erin. Mural inside of the Grace Lee Boggs Minority Lounge, 20 Sep. 2024. Author's personal collection.
Carr, Erin. Portrait inside the Grace Lee Boggs Minority Lounge, 20 Sep. 2024. Author's personal collection.
Chow, Kat. “Grace Lee Boggs, Activist And American Revolutionary, Turns 100.” NPR, npr.org, 27 June, 2015, Grace Lee Boggs, Activist And American Revolutionary, Turns 100 : Code Switch : NPR. Accessed 30 Sep. 2024.
“Grace Lee Boggs Minority Lounge.” MHousing, housing.umich.edu, Grace Lee Boggs Minority Lounge – Michigan Housing (umich.edu). Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.
Ryerson, Jade. “Grace Lee Boggs (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, nps.gov, 7 July 2023, Grace Lee Boggs (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov). Accessed 30 Sep. 2024.
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