Stand up for what you believe in
Its hard to believe that a book about two elderly women standing silently in a park, staring at the town hall, trying to changetheworld, would have such an impact on the world around us.
The Great Silent Grandmother Gathering, written by Sharon Mehdi as a gift for her grandchild, started an event in 2007 called the Standing Women Event.
This year’s event in Woodstock takes place on Mother’s Day, May 11, at 1 p.m. by the gazeboneartheFarmersMarket in downtown. This is one of the many stands that are organized all over the world. At exactly 1 p.m. the bells will be rung to signify the beginning of five minutes of silence.
Andrea Creagh, a mother of three who is interested in social justice issues, heard about the idea of a stand from an e-mail chain. The e-mail had been sent by a member of the Social Justice Group.
“I shared this e-mail with Gloria Yachyshen and we thought it would be worthwhile to get the word out and see if we could find some people to stand together,” Creagh explained.
“Caring Communities in Woodstock was involved in a discussion on the stand and they were supportive. We also asked people, if they couldn’t join our stand, to just stand wherever they were.”
This event is not specified to just women, but to anyone who wants to change the world.
Creagh said in 2007 there were 3,673 events that were registered on the Standing Women Web site (http://lightpages.
net/stand/stand2007/ page3.cfm) and the event was spread over 76 nations. This year, as of May 5, there have been 289 events listed in 14 nations.
“I am sure that as we get closer to the date there will be many more nations involved. In 2007, the number was growing hourly until the time of the stand.”
At the stand last year, Yachyshen and Creagh brought a peace pole from St. Gertrude’s Catholic Church.
“The peace pole was created by the St. Gertrude’s Youth Group with the help of local artist Kerry O’Toole. The peace pole has ‘Met peace prevail on Earth” written on each side in English, French, Maliseet and Hebrew. The symbol was perfect for the stand.”
Creagh said they are standing for peace in the world for the children.
A sheet of paper was passed out at last year’s stand to explain what “we are standing for.”
“We are standing for the world’s children and grandchildren and for the seven generations beyond them. We dream of a world where all of our children have safe drinking water, clean air to breathe and enough food to eat. A world where they have access to a basic education to develop their minds and health care to nurture their growing bodies. A world where they have a warm, safe and loving place to call home. A world where they don’t live in fear of violence in their home, in their neighborhood, in their school or in their world. This is the world of which we dream. This is the cause for which we stand.”
Creagh said this event gives her a “powerful” feeling to know she is standing in solidarity with people around the globe for peace and social-justice concerns.
“I know many people ask, ‘what can standing there for five minutes do?’ To take five minutes out of your day and stand in silence, I know that it must be raising awareness. It affirms the social-justice initiatives that have been worked on through collective organizations throughout the year. It helps to give you hope that there are many other people interested in the same thing.
“A quote from Helen Keller really sums up the stand for me – ‘I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something, and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.’ So if I go out there and stand for five minutes, I will do that. And, I will trust that it is making a difference in me and the people that I am standing with. It will help to build awareness in me and I hope it will make a kinder person when I see people that need my help.”
Creagh said she asks her three children to join her in the stand because she wants them to grow up knowing that “decisions that we make influence everyone and I want that awareness to grow in them.”
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