She was born in 1915 in New York City to Chinese immigrant parents. Her father ran a popular Chinese restaurant and in order to buy land, he had to buy it through an Irish contractor because back then Asians were prohibited to own land. The waiters at her father's restaurant would tell him to "take her out and put her on the hillside, she's just a girl". Being born female on top of Chinese restaurant led her to believe that alto of things was meant to be changed. The idea of an Asian American movement back then to her was unthinkable.
She received her BA from Barnard College in 1935 and her Ph.D. in Philosophy from Bryn Mawr College in 1940. She then married James Bogg an African-American activist and moved to Detroit. Her earliest inspiration was A. Philip Randolph, an African-American labor leader who fought for equal hiring practices in defense plants.
Grace became more involved in the Black power movement in the 1960s. She identified more closely with Malcolm X's views than Martin Luther King because she believed that "King's concepts of nonviolence and Beloved Community (w)as somewhat naive and sentimental". However, in 1967, race violence increased in the city of Detroit and she realized that King's concepts were more effective for a cultural revolution. She learned that rebellion is not enough. Since then, Lee has dedicated her life to helping realize King's vision of Beloved Community.
She even wrote an autobiography called Living for Change, which is now widely used in university classes on social movements. In 2004, she helped organize the Beloved Communities project.
Here is a quote from her that I would like to leave you with ... "“Love isn't about what we did yesterday; it's about what we do today and tomorrow and the day after” "
No comments:
Post a Comment