By Paula Rochelle
Steering Committee member, San Jose Branch, and Raging Granny Co-lead

The San Jose Raging Grannies and WILPF members supported the March for Our Lives with our presence and our songs on Saturday, March 24.

WILPF members and branches participated throughout the country. View a slideshow of images from St. Louis, Tucson, Pittsburgh, Des Moines, and Menlo Park, CA.

For over an hour, three Raging Grannies serenaded the marchers as they approached the rally area with a tune from the Civil Rights era, “Ain’t Nobody Gonna Turn Us Around,” with words adapted for today. WILPFers stood nearby with the San Jose Banner, making our presence known to the thousands who attended the march, even in the rain.

We handed out our business cards with pins attached. My follow-up action was to ask the local grocery store to remove plastic assault rifles from their toy rack.

On the following Monday afternoon, March 26, I visited my local grocery store and asked the assistant manager why they stock plastic machine guns on the toy rack. She offered to scan the toy and approach the corporate office with a request to remove the toy from the store “considering all that is going on now.” I consider the visit a success and I will be watching the rack to see if the toy machine guns disappear.

Others in the branch will take follow-up actions focused on elected officials.

We look forward to sustaining the momentum for gun control and combating those, like the NRA, who influence our representatives.