The Raging Grannies have been advocating for democracy, justice, and social and economic equality since the 1980’s. Now Herstory includes an international group of wise women elders who use song and humor to deliver stinging commentary to educate and motivate for change. Tell me this is not powerful!
The Raging Grannies began in 1987 in Victoria, British Columbia, and quickly spread across the country. White, middle-class, educated, between the age of 52 and 67, they were anthropologist, teachers, businesswoman, counsellor, artists, homemakers, and librarian. Initially they were reacting to the threat to health and environment posed by the visit of US Navy warships and submarines in the waters surrounding Victoria, vessels that could be powered by nuclear reactors and/or equipped with nuclear arms. They were also reacting to sexism and ageism within the peace group they were involved with: relegated to making coffee, they found little receptivity for their ideas. Finally, when asked about the beginning of the Raging Grannies most went back to their lifelong engagement in a variety of causes. For a few, activism was new. One woman, whose husband was an ex-military officer, was surprised to see possibly nuclear US Navy vessels literally in her backyard (Brightwell, 1998). Phoning around she was outraged to find that there were no emergency plans for the civilian population, only for the military base. ~ Carole Roy, Ph.D. Candidate in Adult Education at OISE/UT
I’m especially prone toward spunky women who make a difference because of my own paternal grandmother, Hattie Mae (Smalling) Feathers. She lived in East Tennessee in the small community of Watauga. During her life which spanned the late nineteenth to the latter 20th centuries, she was a member of the first all-women’s baseball team of Watauga, a Daughter of the American Revolution (DAR), a Suffragette and a graduate of East Tennessee State Normal School (now ETSU) in the 1940s: she walked across the graduation stage to not only accept her diploma but that of her son (my Dad) whose diploma was awarded while he was flying B-29s in WWII! Talk about courage and drive….
Hattie Mae in Her Youth. Think about it. This was probably around 1900 when women had no vote and were generally unheard and unseen. Not Hattie Mae!
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
Susan Feathers 