On October 20, 2014, some of the Barrie And District Raging Grannies came together for a group interview with Dr. May Chazan of Trent University.  The title of May’s research project is Transnational Mobilizations and Older Women’s Struggles for Social Justice.

As her introductory material explains, May Chazan is interested in “why and how older women are mobilizing for social change and building transitional networks.”  As well as analyzing written material produced by various grandmother movements, she is interviewing politically engaged older women across North America, both in focus groups and via telephone interviews.

The BAD Grans were delighted to host a focus group.  We are always happy to explain why we became Raging Grannies, and why we continue to do our small and songful part to help bring about social justice and equality, tackle the enormous challenge of climate change, and make sure older women’s voices continue to be heard.  Just for starters!

The discussion also explored how the BAD Grans network with other groups active in Barrie, such as Amnesty International, AWARE Simcoe, the Busby Centre and CARP, and inspired us to forge new alliances, including aboriginal movements such as Idle No More.

May Chazan is shown here, leading the discussion.  She was assisted by Miriam Sherwin, a graduate student who is working towards an MA in Canadian and indigenous studies.  She’s the woman with the lovely smile, on the right in the threesome on the sofa below.

Also on the sofa are Granny Denise on the left, and Granny Karen in the centre.  Below them are Granny Molly in white and Granny Hendrika in red.  Granny Anita was busy with the camera.

Thanks so much to May Chazan for offering the BAD Grans this opportunity to contribute to her research, and to both her and Miriam for making the long journey.  We very much enjoyed the session, and look forward to reading the book in due course.

Thanks also to Granny Molly for providing her home as the venue, and feeding us a delicious lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In July 2003 four women came together in a Barrie home and founded the Barrie And District Raging Grannies.  Hendrika, Anita, Olga and Marjorie decided Barrie needed to hear the voices of thoughtful and articulate mature women on the issues facing all of us, and we recognized it was up to us to make it so.

Ten active years later, in July 2013, to celebrate the BAD Grannies’ 10th anniversary, granny Karen graciously hosted a pot-luck lunch at her home on Georgian Bay.  First we banqueted on an amazing spread of delicious dishes, spiced with good conversation and laughter, as granny Denise shows here.

We then spent a delightful afternoon outside, enjoying the breeze off the blue waters of Georgian Bay as we told our stories, each one in turn tracing the steps of one woman’s journey, her own.

Here we all are, starting with granny Hendrika, original co-founder of the BAD Grannies, and granny Molly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below are our youngest BAD Gran, granny Jane on the left, and our most senior, granny Kay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below, grannies Marjorie and Mariane listen intently.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Likewise grannies Karen and Denise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And  below, grannies Olga and Mariane demonstrate the sisterhood that binds the BAD Grannies together.

 The 10th anniversary celebration of the BAD Grannies was a very special day indeed.

Present but not shown, granny Anita.  Not present:  Grannies Ann, Bev, Diny, Mary-Florence and Wendy. 

 

For those who weren’t able to be there for Senior Groove, aka Elder Abuse “flash mob”, here’s a small peek.  These lovely people below are a few of the many who came to sing and dance in the Bayfield Mall lower concourse on Saturday June 15, World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (see the previous post.)

A large contingent from Grandmothers And GrandOthers, Barrie swelled the crowd considerably.  Our local media mistakenly referred to the crowd of Grandmothers as Raging Grannies, not the first time the two groups have been confused.  We Raging Grannies don’t mind that at all; we hope the Grandmothers And GrandOthers don’t mind too much.

Aren’t those purple tees a gorgeous colour?

On the left is talented choreographer Joy Thompson, giving everyone a run-through of the dance steps.  When the time came, we grooved to a pre-taped version of the Beatle’s song When I’m Sixty-four, sung as a duet with male and female voices, changed to When I’m Eighty-four, and adapted slightly to reflect the lifestyles of today’s seniors.

In the photo below is Kristy Webber (on the left), coordinator of the Prevention of Senior Abuse Network (PSAN) in Simcoe County.  Congratulations to everyone who contributed to this successful and entertaining event: organizers, tech folks, musicians, singers, the choreographer, and everyone of all ages and both genders who showed up to sing and dance.

And here are the actual Raging Grannies.  Below is Molly strutting her stuff with élan.  Why are we not surprised?  Next are Hendrika and Jane sharing a laugh.  Jane is wearing two outfits at once, her Granny gear and a purple shirt, as she was one of the PSAN organizers.  And below these are Anita, Hendrika and Molly.

Photos by damian lopes