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Quote by Grace Lee Boggs

“I think that most people don't think in terms of an American revolution, they think in terms of a Russian revolution, or even a Ukrainian revolution. But the idea of an American revolution does not occur to most people. And when I came down to the movement milieu seventy-five years ago, the black movement was just starting, and the war in Europe had brought into being the "Double V for Victory" [campaign]: the idea was that we ought to win democracy abroad with democracy at home. And that was the beginning of an American revolution, and most people don't recognize that.”

Quote by Grace Lee Boggs

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Grace Lee Boggs
Grace Lee Boggs

Grace Lee Boggs, born on June 27, 1915, was a prominent American author and social activist. Known for her profound insights into socialism, racial equality, and women's liberation, she was a significant figure in the American left-wing movement of the 20th century. Her writings and activities have had a profound impact on contemporary American society. more

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“The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and activists - as starting revolutions - does not exist in most people's minds. And I think it's very, very important that folks understand how much America was founded on the enslavement of blacks, and how the resistance of blacks to that enslavement has been the spark plug for so many important developments.”

PeopleThinkingMindDoeHas BeensImportantIdeasAmericaSufferingPovertyRevolutionDevelopmentStartingHungerFolksResistanceAgentsActivistSparksUnemploymentPlugsEnslavement
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“New York has become almost a third-world country. When I was growing up it was mostly a Euro-American country. And it wasn't until LaGuardia was elected in 1933 that Italians were even considered Americans. We're at a great transition point in terms of population, demographics, and what it means to be a human being.”

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“I think of what's happening in Detroit as part of something that's much bigger. Most people think of the decline of the city as having to do with African-Americans and being in debt, and all the issues like crime and bad housing. But what happened is that when globalization took place, following World War II, Detroit's role as the center and the symbol of industrialization was destroyed. It wasn't because we had black citizens mainly or a black mayor; it was because the world was changing.”

PeopleThinkingWorldWarBlackCitiesRolesIssuesHappenedCrimeCitizensHappeningsBiggerFollowingDebtDestroyedSymbolsAfrican AmericanWar Of The WorldsWorld War IiDeclineWorld War IGlobalizationHousingMayorsDetroitIndustrialization
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“When I came to Detroit, if you threw a stone up in the air it would hit an autoworker on its way down. A few years after that, if you threw a stone in the air it'd hit an abandoned house or a vacant lot on its way down. And most people saw those vacant lots as blight. But meanwhile during World War II, blacks had moved from the South to the North. And they saw these vacant lots as places where you could grow food for the community. And so urban agriculture was born.”

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Author:Grace Lee Boggs
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