Jezebel: The Visionary Organizer Who Offered Me a Model for Life

Grace Lee Boggs died in 2015 at the age of 100, having inspired generations of activists and organizers.

A remarkable life on the American Left.Grace Lee Boggs died in 2015 at the age of 100, having inspired generations of activists and organizers. I recently reread Living for Change, and it occurred to me that part of what drew me to her story wasn’t just her activism. I was looking for a lineage I could add myself to. Part of growing up as the child of immigrants is a feeling, at times, of disconnection from the place where you find yourself living. Roots are often thought of first as your family history; when yours are so shallow, you go searching for a different way of tethering yourself to a past. Studying Asian American history was one way I tried to do that, but I was also looking for a model of how to live my life. Like so many others, I was lucky enough to find Grace.

Article in Jezebel.

Published in: Jezebel
By: Esther Wang