Monday, August 17, 2015

Grace Lee Boggs, American radical, communist and author

We get Detroit PBS here at the lake, and I watched a fascinating documentary of Grace Lee Boggs, a Chinese American, and no matter what other descriptions you give her--feminist, radical or activist--she is an American old time Communist, always disappointed, but always hopeful. She married a black man and spent her life in various causes for African Americans and particularly Detroit. While she was marching, writing, and agitating for poor blacks, women and Asians in the U.S. soared ahead, and she seemed quite elderly before she noticed that Asian Americans are by far the most successful demographic in our varied population. In my opinion, that was capitalism, not communism, and it passed her by. She ignored her own heritage. She's 100 this year. I'd recommend the film, especially if you are from Detroit or enjoy 20th c. history.

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