Nothing Is More Important than Thinking Dialectically

Cindy Diep

Section 1

Week 1

This article by Grace Lee Boggs reflects on the ideas of movements and struggles by Asian Americans and African Americans, and it comes from a particular perspective because Boggs is an Asian American who spent a lot of time in the African American community. Boggs also tend to describe Asian Americans and African Americans as if they are very similar due to their comparable experiences, which caught my attention. Moreover, Boggs lists out accomplishments by Asian Americans in America, such as the two Asian Americans in the cabinet and popular Asian American fashion models and news anchors, but she asserts that these developments do not stop there. There will be tensions to come, she says, and Asian Americans must figure out new ways to fix them because what worked in the past will not necessarily work in the future. This is when Boggs begin to stress that it is important to think dialectically, as suggested in the title of the article, which is described as “recognizing that what built the movement in the past is unlikely to build it in the present or future.” Towards the end of the article, Boggs brings up Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in an enticing manner as she explains that his ideas can create an Asian American/African American countercultural movement. 

Question: Will Asian Americans and African Americans be able to create a countercultural movement together?