Finding Grace Lee (the real one)
Grace Lee the film maker sets out to find out what's really in a name, specifically the name Grace Lee. The overwhelming majority of people she encounters who have known a Grace Lee all describe the same prototypical woman...Asian, petite, soft spoken, intelligent, nice. Thus Grace, the film maker, wonders, is ones name destined to shape ones personality? Are all Grace Lee's made to fit this Asian American woman mold? While many of the Grace Lee's she meets on the road fit the typical Grace Lee description they are also so much more. Each Grace Lee is influential and unique in her own way, from spreading and sharing christianity to risking her life for a friend. The road allows her to meet these women, who on the surface come off soft spoken and nice, but meeting them in person and hearing their stories enables a deeper understanding and respect for the Grace Lee's of the country. For example, Grace Lee Boggs, most definitely Asian, petite, nice, and intelligent, excels so far beyond these binding characteristics in her political activism and dedication to her community. Thus while on the road, the original Grace Lee facilitates the deconstruction of Asian American women as only fitting one profile. She illustrates that Grace Lee's break the mold everyday, but that they also have a lot in common, yet this is a positive thing. She likes this similarity, there is no longer a fear of being compared with other Grace Lee's; in essence she set out to defy a stereotype of Asian American Women and in doing so found out more about herself, as well as pride and comfort in being a Grace Lee.