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Living for Change: An Autobiography PDF

338 Pages·1998·19.17 MB·English
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Living for Change This page intentionally left blank Living for Change An Autobiography Grace Lee Boggs Foreword by Ossie Davis University of Minnesota Press Minneapolis London "Reassurance," from Revolutionary Petunias and Other Poems, by Alice Walker, is reprinted by permission of Harcourt Brace and Company; "Sam's Life," words and music by Oscar Brown Jr., originally published by E. B. Marks Music, reprinted by permission of Oscar Brown Jr.; "A White Man's Heaven Is a Black Man's Hell," by Louis X, reprinted by permission of Louis Farrakhan; "Paul Robeson," by Gwendolyn Brooks, reprinted by permission of Broadside Press; "Let Us Stop This Madness," by Trinidad Sanchez Jr., from "Why Am I So Brown?" from the book of the same name by Trinidad Sanchez Jr., copyright 1991, reprinted by permission of March Abrazo Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Calling All Brothers,0" by Gloria House (aka Aneb Kgositsile), originally published by Broadside Press, reprinted by permission of the author; "SOSAD—The War Zone," by Errol A. Henderson, reprinted by permission of the author; "Lessons in Grace," by Gloria House (aka Aneb Kgositsile), reprinted by permission of the author; "On the Anniversary of Grace," by Louis Tsen, reprinted by permission of the author; "For James Boggs — Writer, Activist, Worker," by Ruby Dee, reprinted by permission of the author. Copyright 1998 by the Regents of the University of Minnesota All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Published by the University of Minnesota Press, 111 Third Avenue South, Suite 290, Minneapolis, MN 55401-2520 http ://www.upress .umn. edu Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Boggs, Grace Lee. Living for change : an autobiography / Grace Lee Boggs ; foreword by Ossie Davis, p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 0-8166-2954-4 (hc : alk. paper). — ISBN 0-8166-2955-2 (pb : alk. paper) 1. Boggs, Grace Lee. 2. Chinese American women — Michigan — Detroit—Biography. 3. Political activists — Michigan — Detroit — Biography. 4. Chinese Americans — Michigan—Detroit—Biography. 5. Detroit (Mich.) — Biography. 6. Boggs, James. I. Title. F574.D49C53 1998 303.48'4'092—dc21 97-27296 [B] Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper The University of Minnesota is an equal-opportunity educator and employer. 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 Dedicated to Jimmy Boggs 19/9-1993 W. H. (Ping) Ferry 1910-1995 Dorothy Garner 1929-1995 Kathleen Gough 1925-1990 Freddy Paine 1912-1999 Lyman Paine 1901-1978 and Detroit Summer Youth Volunteers "Shaking the World with a New Dream" Books, pamphlets, and newsletters by Grace and Jimmy Boggs and associates. Photo by Rebecca Cook Contents Foreword ix Ossie Davis Introduction xi 1 1 East Is East—Or Is It? 2 21 From Philosophy to Politics 3 45 C. L. R. James 4 75 Jimmy 5 117 "The City Is the Black Man's Land" 6 143 Beyond Rebellion 7 191 "Going Back" to China 8 209 New Dreams for the Twenty-First Century 9 241 On My Own Notes 273 Index 291 Foreword Ossie Davis Life is not easy, and like most who are perpetual students I need help. My logic limps; my conclusions stumble and fall; the truth I seek has been known to bear false witness. So when most in need of clarification, or to get confusions mended, I come to Jim and Grace to sit and listen. The foun- tain is always flowing, the welcome generous. They share their thinking gladly. I never leave without learning something new. This book by Grace is no exception. I read it, my cup runneth over. For here is more than a feast for the hungering heart, or even a picnic—here is a life stating its case in eloquent summation, the journey now in sight of the setting sun. Grace is the voice, but you'll hear Jimmy, too, caught in midflight, never at rest except for ammunition. Time does not stand still, and neither do our two mentors. This book records two lives still up and growing. They search for truth as flowers search for sun- light, as hunters search for game, and whatever they find they bring and put on the table. Through these pages walk causes, gatherings, confrontations, move- ments, and the men and women who made them: workers and students and committees of the People; Christians, Black Muslims, Black Panthers, labor unions; C. L. R. James, Rev. Cleage, Rev. Franklin, Coleman Young, Malcolm and Martin; artists, musicians, poets, actors, strikers, and seekers of revolution; members of both their families; and Jimmy, the flaming sword as much as Grace: his energy, his urgency, his dedication, his hon- esty, his patience, as well as his egregious lack of patience. ix

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