New voices have joined the chorus of Ithaca’s protest movement with song and humor — the Raging Grannies and Friends of Tompkins County.
Part of the informally-organized international Raging Grannies movement, the group sings tongue-in-cheek parodies of popular songs, bringing themes of political reform, environmental protection and resistance to the Trump administration.
So far, they have attended three protests: Hands Off Ithaca on April 5, the National Day of Action on April 19 and May Day on May 1. Diane Withiam, a founding member of the local chapter, said they have a contact list of about 20 singers.
Withiam had the idea to found a local Raging Grannies chapter after the second Trump inauguration and reached out to friends to join in, including current members Nina Aasen and Lisa Campbell. The wider movement is united by affinity, sharing a whimsical identity of colorfully dressed grandmothers singing songs of resistance.
“The idea of using songs to express ourselves feels like something more concrete than just holding a sign in the crowd,” Withiam said.
The worldwide Raging Grannies database features songs like “The Climate It Is A-Changing” and “Adam Schiff is Comin’ to Town.” The first Raging Grannies chapter was founded in Victoria, British Columbia in 1987 to oppose the arrival of American warships that “could be powered by nuclear reactors and/or equipped with nuclear arms” in their city, according to the Raging Grannies International website.
“We are totally non-violent,” the Raging Grannies International manifesto reads, “believe in only peaceful protest (with lots of laughter) … and see our work as the spreading green branches of a great tree, rising up to provide shelter and nourishment for those who will come after us.”
Aasen said she valued the “cultural wisdom” that comes with age, and considered elders responsible for guiding and educating families.
Many of the Raging Grannies have deep familial roots in protest. Aasen’s parents grew up in Norway under Nazi German occupation, and instilled in her a deep opposition to authoritarianism. Campbell said she remembered her parents joining the movement against a proposed nuclear power plant on Cayuga Lake in the 1970s.
For others, this is their first meaningful foray into activism. Withiam said that the only political protests she attended before the Raging Grannies were the satirical 2010 Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear and the 2017 Women’s March.
“I went to college during the civil rights movement and graduated during Kent State, but I can’t say I was active or even aware,” Withiam said.
The first few months of President Donald Trump’s second term made her feel like she had to get involved. Since becoming a Raging Granny, Withiam feels empowered, noting that protest is “part of life now.”
“We’re not stopping,” she added.
Despite their title, anyone is welcome to join the group. They call themselves the “Raging Grannies and Friends” to emphasize their inclusion of members who are not literally grandmothers.
Their repertoire includes such hits as “Fifty Ways to Save Your Mother (Earth),” “Hey Mr. Tangerine Man” and “Battle Hymn Donald,” written and shared online by other Raging Grannies chapters.
Campbell is currently working on a parody of her own to the tune of “American Pie.”
For the three, the disarming mental image of “raging grannies” is part of the appeal.
“People don’t expect grannies to get noisy,” Campbell said. “Historically, there was a quiet stereotype. This is whatever we can do — use a little humor in the way we dress and get our issues out there.”
