The Life and Times of Grace Lee Boggs

Just 20 years ago, Grace Lee Boggs was a rather obscure local figure, a feminist, scholar, and author who carried on the campaign she waged with her late husband Jimmy. Then, in 1994, she co-founded Detroit Summer, “a multi-racial, inter-generational collective” that serves as a training ground for activists, attracting young people from around the country each year. And her longtime home on the city’s east side has been transformed into the nonprofit Boggs Center. Now there's even a Boggs charter school on Mitchell Street in Detroit. In her view, the crumbling of Detroit represents the failure of capitalism, and its rebirth will come not from the actions of elected leaders, but through action at the grassroots level, building up. In progressive circles around the world, she is revered. She was even the subject of a documentary on PBS which aired three months ago, giving her the national prominence she has so long deserved.
Now an astonishing 99 years old, she has touched the lives of many, and inspired many more. Many are called "living legends," but few qualify as fully as she has. And so we ask that you help us document her achievements. If Grace Lee Boggs has left an impact on you in any way, we urge you to get in touch with us and share your story.