Reasons to be Cheerful: Speaking Out By Vicky Edwards

As important as their message, the children learnt that peaceful protest can be powerful. The American journalist and activist Maggie Kuhn said “speak the truth, even if your voice shakes.” Having been forced to retire from work at the then-mandatory retirement age of 65, Kuhn founded the Gray Panthers movement. Advocating nursing home reform and fighting ageism, she also kicked against all kinds of injustice. Born in 1905, she was ahead of her time and was one seriously cool and ballsy lady.

The last protest I had anything to do with was the legendary march to save St Richard’s Hospital back in 2006. The strength of feeling locally stirred even those who, like me, were armchair grumblers rather than placard-waving objectors. Some 10,000 protesters followed Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones into Priory Park to cheer the keynote speakers. The result was an about-turn in the plans to cut St Richard’s services.

In the UK we are lucky that peaceful protest is entirely lawful (not so in some parts of the world). But I worry that we are becoming an apathetic bunch. Concerns pertaining to societal injustice and unprincipled behaviour are more likely to be aired on social media platforms these days – an action that hardly carries the same weight. Well done to Birdham School for teaching the children that peaceful protest can, and does, make a difference – a lesson well worth taking a few hours off from fronted-adverbials and number bonds.

I recently met a family who told me about Linda Lancaster, their beloved mum and sister. Sadly, I was meeting them to discuss Linda’s funeral service. As well as being dearly loved, Linda also dedicated herself to organisations that often undertook peaceful protests. Coming to activism quite late in life, and even though she was poorly, she took her courage and firmly attached it to her convictions. Passionate about making the world a better place, she was, as the enormous attendance at the celebration of her life proved, a remarkable and inspirational lady.

Peaceful protest is a privilege denied to many. Teaching our children that they can make their voices heard is as important. That there are teachers who recognise AND facilitate this is simply brilliant. Linda would, I am sure, be issuing gold stars.

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