{"id":5860,"date":"2020-10-19T16:20:28","date_gmt":"2020-10-19T22:20:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/blockfeatures\/?p=5860"},"modified":"2020-10-19T16:21:16","modified_gmt":"2020-10-19T22:21:16","slug":"grace-lee-boggs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/blockfeatures\/2020\/10\/19\/grace-lee-boggs\/","title":{"rendered":"Grace Lee Boggs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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http:\/\/thefoundrytheatre.org\/2012\/09\/11\/this-is-how-we-do-it\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“…activism can be the journey rather than the arrival…” – Grace Lee Boggs, The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grace Lee Boggs carries many titles. One of them being a visionary organizer – someone who practices the art of imagination to create alternatives to existing systems. In her earlier years, she received her PhD in philosophy, but she could not find a job because she was a Chinese woman. It was while she was living in a rat-infested basement that she started to become involved with organizing for better living conditions with her Black neighbors. That was the beginning of her fight for civil rights alongside the Black community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her book, \u201cThe Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century,\u201d Boggs proposed a need to transform our institutions and people. In the new American revolution, we would focus on nurturing the humanity within us rather than growing an economy based on racism, capitalism, and militarism. Within this vision, we would be responsible and respectful humans who are kind and compassionate towards ourselves, each other, and the community; we would be artists, thinkers, and makers of a world we want to live in. But resisting isn\u2019t enough for systemic change. Our day-to-day life has been conditioned to see, act, and think in specific ways that upholds racism, capitalism, and militarism that to reimagine a new, responsible America, we also need to change ourselves. Change will take time, action, and internal reflection and change does not have to be dependent on our leaders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community engagement is a form of resistance to white structures as it disrupts the idea that we are powerless to make changes. Boggs argues that change is the most effective and important action to \u201crebuild, redefine, and respirit\u201d our broken and seemingly desolate communities from the ground up. There can be a negative connotation when we start small – there would be voices saying it would be hard to have an impact that influences a \u201cbig\u201d change; that starting small is a weak movement bound for failure. But starting small is the most powerful tool we have because through these \u201csmall\u201d acts of involvement, we become leaders, thinkers,  and compassionate people that see ourselves as makers of history and agents of change (American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up, I always envisioned leaders to be smart, all-knowing, and confident – they were the most visible and active person standing in representation of others. Those were the people I saw who were celebrated, so I subconsciously ingrained this image of leadership to validate and invalidate who were \u201cgood\u201d and \u201cbad\u201d leaders – myself included. With my narrow imagination of leadership, I wasn\u2019t sure what it meant when others would say \u201ceveryone is unique in their own ways\u201d or \u201cwe all have something to contribute.\u201d It felt a bit ironic to learn about Boggs\u2019 idea of community engagement as a form of self- and communal empowerment when I think about being a \u201cCommunity Engaged Fellow\u201d on campus. This role has helped me better understand the people of Colorado Springs and the inequities that affect them, but it constantly felt like I was going through the motions. I certainly didn\u2019t see myself as an \u201cagent of change,\u201d so I started questioning what the point of community engagement was. What is my purpose of being there?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe feeling loss reflects how I haven\u2019t found a space I deeply connect with. Maybe it\u2019s because I don\u2019t see the impact I have. Learning about Boggs, however, I think I was also in the wrong headspace – I was so caught up with the idea of \u201chaving an impact\u201d that I failed to recognize that community engagement is about the people and not about me. The act of starting small and rebuilding, redefining, and respiriting from the ground up is a collective resistance to oppressive structures because through our involvement, we are growing our communities, each other, and our souls. I don\u2019t have to know the answers or see myself as a particularly \u201cuseful\u201d person – it is also important to reflect and recognize our struggles, mistakes, and the humility to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video that briefly introduces Grace Lee Boggs<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“…activism can be the journey rather than the arrival…” – Grace Lee Boggs, The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century Grace Lee Boggs carries many titles. One of them being a visionary organizer – someone who practices the art of imagination to create alternatives to existing systems. In her earlier years, she … <\/p>\n

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