The long, unconventional life of activist-philosopher Grace Lee Boggs began in 1915 in Providence, R.I. Born to Chinese immigrant restaurant owners, Boggs earned a Ph.D. at Bryn Mawr College in 1940 partly because anti-Oriental sentiments kept her out of work. She went to Chicago on a whim, got a job paying $10 a week in the philosophy library of the University of Chicago, and became involved with the Workers Party.

She married James Boggs, a divorced black auto worker, in 1953 after moving to Detroit to work at Correspondence, a socialist workers newsletter. Their lives together focused on the struggle for radical social change in Detroit and around the world. Since James’ death in 1993, Grace has moved away from confrontational politics and toward growing political consciousness through local community organization. Although she may struggle physically, her ideas still move comfortably among creative young people, black community groups, and leftist philosophers.

“Grace doesn’t talk down to you; she doesn’t come like that to young people,” says Invincible (aka Ilana Weaver), a spoken word artist and activist who was 21 when she met Boggs through Detroit Summer. “She comes to you with questions rather than lecture to find out what’s relevant to you and tries to relate to it. … My whole life has been transformed by my work with Detroit Summer. First of all as an artist I ground all my art in a larger purpose and vision for community change that’s led by the community.”

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