The 100th Birthday of Grace Lee Boggs

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mrs. Grace Lee Boggs who will celebrate her 100th birthday on June 27, 2015. As a Member of Congress it is both my privilege and honor to recognize Mrs. Boggs for her service and contributions to the cause of civil rights throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.

Born to Chinese immigrants in Providence, Rhode Island, Mrs. Boggs graduated from Barnard College in 1935 before going on to receive her Ph.D. in philosophy from Bryn Mawr College in 1940. Mrs. Boggs moved to Detroit in 1953 and immediately identified with issues facing the city's African American population.

In an era known for the greatest civil rights advancements in our nation's history, Grace Lee Boggs became an indispensible ally. Her unique approach to the power struggle affecting minorities and women in the middle of the 20th century stood out as innovative even amongst the leading civil rights thinkers of the time. At the core of Mrs. Boggs understanding of social relations is the idea that small groups of people working together are the key to bringing about social change, as opposed to the idea that total revolution is the only option. Mrs. Boggs' belief in starting with localized change is one which all Americans can support, as our nation was founded on the idea of change coming from the bottom, rather than the top.

Mrs. Boggs' legacy in Detroit has been enshrined in The James & Grace Lee Boggs School, the Boggs Center, and programs like the Detroit Summer, which brings members of all ages and backgrounds together to think creatively about the problems their communities face and fulfilling the dream of making positive change one small group at a time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in honoring Mrs. Boggs for her service to our community and her leadership in advancing the rights of all Americans. She has made an indelible mark on our nation for which we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude.

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