Director Grace Lee wins Peabody Award for documentary

April 23, 2015
Grace Lee Boggs, left, with Director Grace Lee.

Grace Lee Boggs, left, with Director Grace Lee.

By Tae Hong

Korean American director Grace Lee, who helmed the critically acclaimed “American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs,” has won a Peabody Award.

The documentary, which premiered on PBS last year and which was awarded honors at numerous film festivals around the world, details the life of Detroit social activist/author Grace Lee Boggs.

“I’m so honored on behalf of everyone who worked on this film to be recognized by the Peabody Awards,” Lee said in a statement, according to the Center for Asian American Media. “For me it means more people might be exposed to this story about the visionary life and ideas of Grace Lee Boggs.”

Lee’s documentary started after she met Boggs through another effort, “The Grace Lee Project,” for which she aimed to find other Asian Americans with her name.

Boggs is a 99-year-old Chinese American philosopher, civil activist and feminist movement leader.