This article comes by way of The Sopris Stars, a monthly youth publication powered by The Sopris Sun.
Editor’s note: Illene Pevec is Anna Sophia’s grandmother.
“It’s not about having a singing voice, it’s about having a voice that wants to sing out,” said Illene Pevec, the woman who formed a local chorus group.
The Raging Grannies, founded in 1987 in British Columbia, Canada, is an international coalition of older women (but welcome to all) who protest through music, bright colors and daring satire.
In Carbondale, a local chapter began meeting this fall. Since then, they’ve attended and sang at “No Kings” marches and other protests. On Fridays, they’ve performed in front of the town’s post office, singing original songs
and modifying famous melodies with lyrics that protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdowns, Trump administration policies, a lack of climate action and monopolizing corporations. Their aim is to uplift the importance of human rights and peaceful diplomacy.
“We are totally non-violent,” the webpage for the international organization reads, under its “philosophy” tab, “believe in only peaceful protest (with lots of laughter), work for the ‘many not the few’ … 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.”
“I wanted to give women a chance to make a statement and come together,” Pevec told The Sopris Stars. She remembered being a young mother in Canada and hearing about the group. Now, decades and a life full of activism later, she’s among the gaggle of singing grandmas.
Recently, the Raging Grannies invited this reporter to a rehearsal at the Third Street Center, and kindly said The Stars’ presence would “add warmth and fullness” — no matter their singing ability. The women carefully calculated syllables to match rhythm, pondered breaks that added emphatic character and shifted lyrics toward local relevance.
For the holiday season the Grannies adapted Christmas carols, like “Feliz Navidad,” which they changed from “I wanna wish you a merry Christmas” to “We don’t want no deportations … from the bottom of our hearts.” A version of “America The Beautiful” is a stark commentary about the flaws of government and the climate crisis.
Singing in protest isn’t new for member Susan Rhea.
“I was a teenager in the ‘60s,” Rhea said. “I grew up spending my time playing the piano and singing along to Simon and Garfunkel songs on the radio.” She was also part of a push to protect the Table Mountains, west of Denver, helping organize the Mesa Music Fest to raise awareness. Ultimately, the land was conserved as Jefferson County Open Space.
“Music is just fundamental communication,” Rhea commented. “It’s not all angry shouting and intellectual reasoning and argument. We can come together in song, which will maybe lead us to more light-hearted communication.”
Many of the women are seasoned activists and continue to participate in civic engagement regularly — traits they’d like to pass on to the next generations.
“I love the slogan, ‘Been woke since before you were born.’ It makes me laugh,” Rhea said, noting that peaceful protest and inclusivity are not new concepts.
The Grannies dress themselves in bright colors, decorated hats and flowers to accentuate their purpose to brighten the world.
Beyond activism, however, the group serves as a wel-
coming community.
“We all come in tired, discouraged, but come out refreshed,” Pevec said.
Rhea added, “Just being around people and laughing makes a difference.”
On the Raging Grannies’ website, the international group acknowledges that older women’s voices can often be dismissed, but also that there is power in action, joy, delight, wisdom and passion. They may play into the stereotype of innocent, overly-cheerful grandmothers, but ultimately are a force to be reckoned with, not through violence, but by using these powers to call out injustice. The group looks onwards, not only trying to improve their lives, but the lives of their children and grandchildren.
“Whatever you’re doing, leave a place better than you found it.” Rhea said.