Seattle Raging Grannies
BY EMILY SEAMAN
The Raging Grannies is an organization that was recently brought to my attention, but deserves all the attention in the world. Spread across the country in “gaggles,” as they call themselves, groups of elderly women have united under a desire for social and environmental change through peaceful activism.
Starting in Canada (of course) in 1987, 11 women were outraged by what they saw going wrong in the world and were frustrated that their calls for change fell on deaf ears. So they did something I like to call “The Razzle Dazzle Effect;” the idea that if someone isn’t looking your way, make them want to. Donning suits of armor that consist of granny square cardigans and elaborate hats, and embedding their message in a trojan horse of a satirical song, the Raging Grannies finally found a way to make themselves seen, and they haven’t stopped since. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that here in Seattle we have our own gaggle of grannies and their mission statement is not only incredibly empowering, but restores some of my faith in the heavily scrutinized “boomer” generation.
“We are enraged about the poor conditions that people are forced to endure in their lives, and about the condition of the earth that will be left to our precious grandchildren. We sing out to gain respect for all persons and encourage everyone to grow above their prejudices. We rage against “corporate greed” and sing for “one world” in which JUSTICE is evident everywhere and PEACE reigns.”
Their passion and resilience is incredibly inspiring. They actually wrote a book called “Off our Rockers and into Trouble” that details the harassment they have been facing. Everything from being pepper sprayed and arrested at rallies to literally being hosed down by the U.S Navy. Yet, still their desire to spread their message is stronger than ever, and it gives me hope to see that despite the chaos they have been consistently exposed to their confidence hasn’t wavered.
I feel like “we” (and by that I mean the youth) have written off our older generations for being incompetent and willfully ignorant of the problems they had a hand in causing. However, as any overgeneralization of a large group goes, this simply isn’t true. The Raging Grannies are hard evidence of the fact that our older generations can be active participants in positive change, and I think there are so many lessons that they could teach us if we only simply choose to listen in. I mean, think about it: they’ve had almost a lifetime of experience in social and environmental justice, imagine the sheer amount of wisdom and advice they’ve acquired.
I highly urge whoever is reading this to check out the Seattle Raging Grannies for yourself, and if you’re so inclined, donate to keep their gaggle armed and ready for the frontlines of change. Familiarize yourself with their songs and see what they’re all about (spoiler alert: it’s nothing short of amazing). I’d like to just say a final ‘thank you’ to the grannies for continuing to march in the face of adversity. We need you now more than ever, and I can’t wait to don my own fascinator and bedazzled walker in the future.