NH Rebellion: Following Granny D's Footsteps

At high noon outside the Holiday Inn in Merrimack a group of hikers assembled for the final leg of their 185-mile march – the first small but deliberate steps in a philosophical journey toward change in American politics.

It is the NH Rebellion, a movement that aims to revive the spirits of the average disillusioned American by holding politicians' feet to the fire, asking them directly to do something to end corruption in politics. 

Led by Larry Lessig, a Harvard Law professor and longtime political activist, the group had a final pep rally inside the hotel lobby, before embarking on the final six miles of a journey, to raise awareness for the NH Rebellion.

March Leader Jay Els said the group hopes this will be the start of a true American movement, starting here in New Hampshire, where Doris Granny D Haddock, of Dublin, made a name for herself after walking across the United States to raise awareness of the need for campaign finance reform. Her walk ended in Washington, DC, in 2000, where she was arrested for demonstrating at the Capitol Building. Haddock died in 2010 at the age of 100.

In addition to honoring Granny D, Lessig has dedicated the NH Rebellion movement to his friend Aaron Swartz, an Internet activist who took his own life on Jan. 11, 2013, in the midst of a federal computer fraud case. The NH Rebellion march began, by design, one year to the day of his death.

Els said the plan is to continue holding events between now and the 2016 Presidential election, to keep momentum going.

"We have had a lot of interest from other states – California, Iowa, South Carolina – who want to help us and possibly organize similar events in their states," Els said. 

The group was planning to walk six miles, from Merrimack to the Unitarian Universalist Church, where a Birthday Party for Granny D was going to be held.

You can read more about the NH Rebellion march here.
Click here for details on the birthday party for Granny D.

Related Stories:

• Honoring Doris "Granny D" Haddock in Nashua on Jan 24,

• Are You Ready for the NH Rebellion?
• A (Cold) Walk to Remember
• March to Celebrate ‘Granny D’ Starts this Week