Raging Grannies
Encyclopedia
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and in other countries. They are social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
activists, all women old enough to be grandmothers, who dress up in clothes that mock stereotypes of older women, and sing songs at protest
Protest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
s. They typically write the lyrics themselves, putting their political messages to the tunes of well known songs. Their activism includes peace and environmental causes.
History
The first group started in VictoriaVictoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
over the winter of 1986/87. They originally called themselves "NERT—Nuclear Emergency Response Team". The members believed the presence of US Navy nuclear-powered ships' presence in Victoria Harbour posed potential health and environmental risks to the city.
Notable Events
In May 2005, a California chapter of the Raging Grannies was allegedly spied upon by a unit of the California National GuardCalifornia National Guard
The California National Guard is the component of the United States National Guard in the U.S. state of California. It comprises both Army and Air National Guard components and is the largest national guard force in the United States with a total authorized strength of 22,900 soldiers and airmen...
after it organized a Mother's Day
Mother's Day
Mother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May...
anti-war rally. California State Senator
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
Joe Dunn
Joe Dunn (California)
Joe Dunn is a Democratic former California State Senator who represented California's 34th Senate District in central Orange County and led the state's investigation into Enron's involvement in the 2000-2001 energy crisis. He was first elected to the state Senate in 1998, when he unseated incumbent...
launched an investigation and the intelligence unit was subsequently shut down.
In July 2005, five members of the group were charged with trespassing after they attempted to enlist at a US Army recruiting center in Tucson, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. A spokesperson for the group said they wanted to enlist and be sent to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
so that their children and grandchildren could come home. A group also went to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where they were arrested for allegedly blocking access to a recruitment center in Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
; on April 28, 2006, they were acquitted of all charges.
The Action League of the San Francisco Bay Area Peninsula, as the group is known in the Bay Area, was the subject of the 2009 video documentary Raging Grannies..
See also
- Radical cheerleadingRadical cheerleadingRadical cheerleading is a form of cheerleading that originated in Florida, but has now spread across the United States as well as Canada, Europe and beyond. The idea is to ironically reappropriate the aesthetics of cheerleading, for example by changing the chants to promote feminism and left-wing...
- Gray PanthersGray PanthersThe Gray Panthers was an organization in the United States founded by Maggie Kuhn in 1970, in response to her forced retirement at age 65. The group focused on health and other issues....
- Granny Peace Brigade - NYC
- Code PinkCode PinkCode Pink: Women for Peace is an anti-war group that is mainly composed of women. It has regional offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, and Washington, D.C., and many more chapters in the U.S. as well as several in other countries...
- Betty KrawczykBetty KrawczykBetty Shiver Krawczyk is a Louisiana-born, British Columbia, Canada based environmental activist, author and former political candidate....
- Harriet NahaneeHarriet NahaneeHarriet Nahanee also known as Tseybayotl was an Indigenous rights activist, residential school alumnus, and environmental activist. She was born in British Columbia, Canada. She comes from the Pacheedaht who are part of the Nuu-chah-nulth, Indigenous peoples from the Vancouver Island...
Raging Grannies: The Action League is the full name of this 30-minute award-winning DVD. You can watch a 20-minute version on KQED's Truly CA Shorts and find out more about it at pamwaltonproductions.com.
Further reading
- Anemona Hartocollis: New York Judge Tells 'Grannies' To Go in Peace. In: The New York Times - Abstract, April 28, 2006
- Marc Pitzke: Omas gegen den Krieg. Die Rache der alten Damen. In: Spiegel onlineDer SpiegelDer Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
June 11, 2006. (German Newspaper, German) - Armin Ulm: Omas müssen nicht nur nett sein. Erboste amerik. Grossmütter demonstrieren vor dem Nato-Hauptquartier für den Frieden und gegen die Politik George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
s. RNZ-HeidelbergHeidelberg-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
July 17, 2006, P. 3 - 20 Demonstrants of the Granny Peace Brigade before G W B coming to Germany (with big Image, (a German Newspaper, germ. lang.). - Acker, Alison, and Betty Brightwell. Off Our Rockers and into Trouble: The Raging Grannies, Horsdal & Schubart Publishers, (September 30, 2004). ISBN 1894898109; ISBN 978-1894898102.
External links
- The Raging Grannies' International Website
- Raging Grannies' Songs Website
- Raging Grannies of B.C.
- Ottawa Raging Grannies
- The Raging Grannies of San Francisco Bay Area
- Tucson Raging Grannies
- South Florida Raging Grannies
- Rochester Raging Grannies
- Seattle Raging Grannies
- Metro Detroit Raging Grannies
- Raging Grannies of Madison
- Raging Grannies WOWW
- NYC Metro Raging Grannies and Their Daughters
- Grandmothers for Peace International (not a Raging Grannies gaggle)