Grannies Knit for Peace
James David wrote this post at 10:00 am on April 8th, 2008.
Having written my undergraduate thesis on disability rights and the feminist ethics of care, I was very excited to see news of the Granny Peace Brigade’s rainy protest in NYC marking the 5th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. They gathered in front of the military recruiting station in Times Square, “knitting ‘stump socks’ for amputee veterans, baby blankets and other items for Iraqi families.”
John Emerson characterized their protest very well:
Grannies vs. generals; slow, manual creation vs. fast, technological destruction — this is not just non-violence, but perhaps an opposite of violence.
Via Social Design Notes.
What got me knitting was the horror of the injuries that might require stump socks and rage at my government for dragging so many people into misery and death. The idea of being constructive wasn’t foremost in my consciousness at the time but it was lurking down in the shadows. Thanks for shining a light.