Fact Sheet & Timeline

At a glance

Name

International Raging Grannies

Founded

February 14, 1987, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

What they are

A network of autonomous social justice activist groups (“gaggles”) composed primarily of women over 50 who use satirical songs, humor, costumes, and street theater to advocate for peace, environmental protection, social justice, and economic equality.

How many

Approximately 80 active gaggles across Canada, the United States, and internationally.

Structure

No centralized administration. Each gaggle is fully autonomous and makes its own decisions about local actions and issues. Gaggles are connected through the international website, a shared song archive of 1,490+ protest songs, and a members-only email listserv called the “E-Vine.”

The method

Grannies write satirical protest lyrics set to the melodies of well-known songs. They perform at rallies, government hearings, recruitment centers, corporate headquarters, and public spaces, wearing exaggerated “granny” costumes including flowered hats, shawls, and colorful mismatched clothing to parody cultural expectations of older women.

The philosophy

By appearing as “innocent little old ladies,” the Grannies claim public space in a society that often dismisses older women. They turn their identity, which society treats as a liability, into a resource for political engagement. They are strictly nonviolent and emphasize fact-based activism.

Origin story

The founding members were women aged 52 to 67 in Victoria, BC: an anthropologist, teachers, a businesswoman, a counselor, artists, homemakers, and a librarian. They were reacting to nuclear threats from US Navy warships in Victoria Harbour and to sexism and ageism within the peace groups they belonged to, where they were relegated to making coffee and stuffing envelopes. They originally called themselves NERT (Nuclear Emergency Response Team). Their first action as the “Raging Grannies” was presenting an Un-Valentine, a broken chocolate heart, to their Member of Parliament on Valentine’s Day 1987, accompanied by satirical songs performed under an umbrella full of holes, symbolizing the absurdity of sheltering under a nuclear umbrella.

Membership

You don’t need to be a biological grandmother. You need to be old enough to be one, and hold true to Granny values. Some gaggles welcome men, trans, and nonbinary members. As the Halifax Grannies say: “If your heart is in the right place, don’t worry about where your vocal pitch is.”

Notable publications

Off Our Rockers and into Trouble by Alison Acker and Betty Brightwell (2004); The Raging Grannies: Wild Hats, Cheeky Songs, and Witty Actions for a Better World by Carole Roy (2004). Films include Granny Power and Two Raging Grannies.

Media contact

press@raginggrannies.org

Website

raginggrannies.org

Press photos

raginggrannies.org/photos (high-resolution images free for editorial use with credit)