On this chilly 19 Jan 2015 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day, the Granny Peace Brigade provided a line of yellow banners and schmattes as we marched amidst a wide range of groups and young and old alike from 110th and Lenox to the United Nations, about 4 miles away.
An unexpected challenge: the two hills on Lexington Ave! While not all the grannies made it to the end, we were accompanied by a wonderful young man, Khalil Qayyum, a warden assigned to ensure our well being all along the way.
A big thank you to Khalil! It seemed like a few thousand started the march; not quite so many(including some of the grannies) by the time we reached the end.
Music, provided by the Rude Mechanical Orchestra, helped to keep up the enthusiasm throughout the day and certainly helped our group along! With our new GPB banner together with one for the action: “Black Lives Matter,” we were a very photographed group. Our presence seemed to be warmly welcomed although a few giggles were heard from some of the younger participants!
Have a look at the Washington Post article that features a quote from Phyllis Cunningham. An excellent interview and article, which gives a really good overview of the day.
This was a good peaceful action, respecting the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, at the same time expressing the challenges still before us to achieve “his dream/our dream.”
-Marty Rajandran
for the Granny Peace Brigade
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Granny Peace Brigade 