The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century
The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century (Updated, Expanded)
Grace Lee Boggs with Scott Kurashige
University of California Press: 2012
Paperback: New
9780520272590
A world dominated by America and driven by cheap oil, easy credit, and conspicuous consumption is unraveling before our eyes. In this powerful, deeply humanistic book, Grace Lee Boggs, a legendary figure in the struggle for justice in America, shrewdly assesses the current crisis—political, economical, and environmental—and shows how to create the radical social change we need to confront new realities. A vibrant, inspirational force, Boggs has participated in all of the twentieth century’s major social movements—for civil rights, women’s rights, workers’ rights, and more. She draws from seven decades of activist experience, and a rigorous commitment to critical thinking, to redefine “revolution” for our times. From her home in Detroit, she reveals how hope and creativity are overcoming despair and decay within the most devastated urban communities. Her book is a manifesto for creating alternative modes of work, politics, and human interaction that will collectively constitute the next American Revolution.
"This groundbreaking book not only represents the best of Grace Lee Boggs, but the best of any radical, visionary thinking in the United States. She reminds us why revolution is not only possible and necessary, but in some places already in the making. The conditions we face under neoliberalism and war do, indeed, mark the end of an era in which the old ideological positions of protest are not really relevant or effective--and this book offers a new way forward."--Robin D.G. Kelley, author of "Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination"
"Grace Boggs has long been a major voice of hope and action for transformation of the United States and the world. Here is her testimony of hope and program for action. It must be taken seriously."
--Immanuel Wallerstein, author of "Utopistics: or, Historical Choices of the Twenty-first Century"
"One of the most accomplished radicals of our time, the Detroit-based visionary Grace Lee Boggs has become one of our most influential and inspiring public intellectuals. "The Next American Revolution" is her powerful reflection on a lifetime of urban revolutionary work, an ode to the courage and brilliance of her late partner James Boggs, and a plain-spoken call for us to address the troubled times we face with a sense of history, a strong set of values, and an unwavering faith in our own creative, restorative powers."
--Jeff Chang, author of "Can't Stop Won't Stop" and "Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America"
Table of Contents:
Foreword by Danny Glover
Preface to the 2012 Edition
Acknowledgments
Introduction by Scott Kurashige
1. These Are the Times to Grow Our Souls
2. Revolution as a New Beginning
3. Let's Talk about Malcolm and Martin
4. Detroit, Place and Space to Begin Anew
5. A Paradigm Shift in Our Concept of Education
6. We Are the Leaders We've Been Looking For
Notes
Afterword: In Conversation with Immanuel Wallerstein
Index
Biographical Note:
Grace Lee Boggs (1915-2015) was an activist, writer, and speaker. She has received many human rights and lifetime achievement awards and was celebrated in the National Women's Hall of Fame. Boggs authored Revolution and Evolution in the Twentieth Century (with James Boggs) and Living for Change: An Autobiography. This was her last book.
Scott Kurashige is Associate Professor at the University of Michigan and author of The Shifting Grounds of Race: Black and Japanese Americans in the Making of Multiethnic Los Angeles.