After giving the world 100 years of wisdom and power, the incredible human rights activist Grace Lee Boggs passed away today in Detroit.
Known for her strength and charisma, Boggs spent her life standing up for what is right. An avid supporter of the feminist, Black Power, labor, and environmental movements, Boggs was challenging the status quo for the last seven decades.
President Barack Obama released a statement earlier expressing his sadness at her passing. “Her ideas challenged us all to lead meaningful lives,” he said.
Boggs was born to Chinese immigrants in Rhode Island. After graduate school, she struggled as both a woman and minority to find employment. This struggle was the impetus for her activism.
On top of being an inspiration, Boggs was an author and community organization founder. She, alongside her husband, founded several Detroit-based organizations aiming to strengthen the community. Among these include the Gardening Angels and Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice.
Grace Lee Boggs was – and always will be – an inspiration and a teacher to us all.
Here’s what Grace Lee taught the world.
1.
#GraceLeeTaughtMe That in order to change the world, you must also be committed to changing yourself. Over and over again.
— erica williams simon (@missewill) October 5, 2015
2.
#GraceLeeTaughtMe Intersections were crucial to revolution. She taught me revolution takes more than just having hate. It takes reflection.
— Yvonne Tran (@tranimal) October 5, 2015
3.
#GraceLeeTaughtMe the power of the teacher-activist. She challenged us to never stop learning and evolving. The revolution begins within.
— Jenn | Reappropriate (@reappropriate) October 5, 2015
4.
#GraceLeeTaughtMe that self-help and structural change are not incompatible. She taught kids to fix bikes, grow vegetables, and read Marx.
— Mari Matsuda (@mari_matsuda) October 5, 2015
5.
#GraceLeeTaughtMe to use our minds and our hands. She taught me to carry the wisdom of elders and to return home.
— melissa “cancelled student debt” byrne (@mcbyrne) October 5, 2015
6.
#GraceLeeTaughtMe the importance of asking good questions–to ourselves, to others, to the movement.
— sammie (@FTWSammie) October 5, 2015
7.
#GraceLeeTaughtMe movement building doesn't just happen in electric moments; it happens in kitchens & living rooms & libraries.
— cayden (@cayden) October 5, 2015
8.
#GraceLeeTaughtMe the importance of building across communities of color. She was active in the Black Power movement. #GraceLeeBoggs
— Gregory Allan Datu Cendana 🏳️🌈🇵🇭 (@gregorycendana) October 5, 2015
9.
#GraceLeeTaughtMe that caring for one another is a form of survival and movement-building.
— Tony Choi is boycotting Paris Baguette (@tonykchoi) October 5, 2015
10.
#GraceLeeTaughtMe the importance of rooting activism in love for each other & our communities #GraceLeeBoggs
— rabbitcat adventures (@alifeofgreen) October 5, 2015
11.
https://twitter.com/Jenny_Wills_/status/651092490527772673
12.
#GraceLeeTaughtMe To be a spitfire. To stand up for all who are oppressed. To be the first to fight. To use design in activism.
— Designers 4 Justice (@Design_Justice) October 5, 2015
13.
#GraceLeeTaughtMe how being an activist isn't a sprint – it's a long marathon. Real revolutions are a journey – so pace accordingly.
— Taz (@TazzyStar) October 5, 2015
14.
"Ideas have their power because they're not fixed. Once an idea becomes fixed it's dead." #GraceLeeTaughtMe
— sean miura (@seanmiura) October 5, 2015
15.
#GraceLeeTaughtMe that "love" is at the heart of all creation and social change. #GraceLeeBoggs
— Jenny Yang (@jennyyangtv) October 5, 2015
16.
"You don't choose the times you live in, but you do choose who you want to be. And you do choose how you think." #GraceLeeTaughtMe
— An Asian on Occasion 😷 (@GermanCityGirl) October 5, 2015
17.
"We have to get to that point that we are the leaders we’ve been looking for." #GraceLeeTaughtMe
— Bitch Media (@BitchMedia) October 5, 2015
18.
#GraceLeeTaughtMe that opportunity for positive change is present when things feel the most broken
— E. (Eerie)Tori (@ETori) October 5, 2015
19.
#GraceLeeTaughtMe That social movements tend to overestimate action and underestimate the role of reflection in creating lasting change.
— Tracy Nguyen (@tracynguyen1234) October 5, 2015
20.
Don't get stuck in old ideas. Keep recognizing that reality is changing and that your ideas have to change. #GraceLeeBoggs #GraceLeeTaughtMe
— Rebecca Hong (@ItsRebeccaHong) October 5, 2015
21.
#GraceLeeTaughtMe: Before we can make a changed world, we must envision it. Dreaming, imagining, theorizing, writing can be radical acts.
— Tiya Miles (@TiyaMilesTAM) October 5, 2015
22.
#GraceLeeTaughtMe that Women of Color are creative, radical, tireless workers for social justice. #GraceLeeBoggs
— Olivia Muñoz (@_OliviaMunoz) October 5, 2015
23.
Grace Lee Boggs taught thousands of us to live a life of social change – broad & deep as the ocean #GraceLeeTaughtMe
— Ai-jen Poo (@aijenpoo) October 5, 2015
24.
#GraceLeeTaughtMe that “activism can be the journey rather than the arrival.”
— Hannah L (@hannahology) October 5, 2015
25.
#GraceLeeTaughtMe that a commitment to freedom isn't defined by Ethnicity or country of origin but by investment & sacrifice #GraceLeeBoggs
— DR. BROWN-DEAN (@KBDPHD) October 5, 2015
Alice Jennings and Shay Howell said in a statement released Monday, October 5th: “She left this life as she lived it: surrounded by books, politics, people, and ideas.”
Rest in power, Grace Lee Boggs.
