92 Year Old Grandmother for Peace is Honored Guest at Parade.

M E D I A A D V I S O R Y

Nashville Mothers Acting Up Reclaim Mother's Day

May 13, 2006 (Nashville)

Mothers Acting Up, a national organization devoted to the protection and prioritization of childrens' health and well-being around the world, is hosting Nashville's FIRST Annual Mother's Day Parade for Peace!! Come join with mothers and others and march through the heart of Hillsboro Village, gather at Dragon Park (Fannie Mae Dees Park) for music, entertainment, FREE PIE and more and celebrate the force and unity of Mothers rallying on behalf of children!!

Nashville joins dozens of other communities around the country this Mother's Day (Sunday, May 14th), to celebrate the day as it was originally envisioned by Julia Ward Howe in 1870: a day when mothers would gather to protect the lives of our human family and call for a better world for ALL of the children of the world.

Mothers Acting Up is dedicated to mobilizing the gigantic political strength of mothers*(and let's include fathers, grandfathers, grandmothers, friends, everyo ne!!) to ensure the health, education and safety of every child, not just a privileged few. We realize that we live in a world that does not prioritize or protect our children's well-being and that this will not change without each of us finding the courage and commitment to speak out on their behalf.

Envision an event that is part celebratory, part consciousness/awareness raising and ALL activist! Parades and rallies in other cities have included speakers, music, costumes, stilt-walking, kids activities - anything you can think of!!! Nashville is centering its event around a mobilize the mamas for the MDGs campain which is two pronged and aimed at Katie Couric nationally and Demetria Kalodimos nationally.

Phyllis Rodin, 92-year-old Grandmother for Peace, has travelled to Nashville from Northampton, Mass. to attend the city's First Annual Mother's Day Parade for Peace A lifelong peace activist, Rodin is a regular at anti-war demonstrations and peace rallies. She ran for mayor of Northampton last year, at age 91, spurred on by a conversation with a young boy about world peace.Rodin said she felt obligated to help make the world a better place for the boy, who had complimented a sign she frequently carries that reads: 'War is not the answer.'
Although she didn't win the election, she succeeded in her goal of "stir[ring] up the waters that are murky." Rodin celebrated her 92nd birthday on May 10. She will be the oldest attendee of Sunday's parade.

Hosted by Mothers Acting Up, the Mother's Day Parade for Peace is co-sponsored by Nashville Peace & Justice Center, Code Pink, Wild Oats, Plum Good Food, Nashville Peace Coalition, More Than Warmth, and Organic Lawn & Pasture.

Over one hundred attendees from all walks of life are expected as of this writing.

For full press release: here.

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