The Tuscaloosa County Democrats hosted “Go Granny D” on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Ferguson Student Theater.

Off-Broadway actress Barbara Smith Bates portrayed Doris Haddock, “Granny D”, a social activist passionate about the need for Campaign Finance Reform who, at age 90, completed a 3,200 mile walk across the U.S. from Pasadena, California to Washington, D.C., in an effort to draw attention to her cause.

The show began with Nick Rose, chairman of the Tuscaloosa County Democrats, giving special thanks to members of the audience who helped make the show happen.

“This is an event that has excited me so much, and part of it is I knew the story of Granny D, or so I thought I did,” Rose said. “I just knew a sliver of the things that she accomplished starting at age 90 in her life.”

Bates then took the stage with her partner and musician, Jeff Sebens, who played the Dulcimer and narrated the show.

Bates began by talking about the journal that Granny D kept while on her walk, which she read from while portraying her. Some parts of the journal, Bates said, she had memorized.

Bates then started to read and recite from Granny D’s journal that documented her walk across the country starting in Pasadena.

As Bates read from the journal, Sebens had a map of the U.S. that he drew on to mark where she was at the time.

As the show went on, Bates portrayed Granny D’s struggle through the walk all the way up until she reached Washington, D.C.

Bates then went on to speak about and portray Granny D’s next adventure, a nationwide voter registration tour, where she went to communities across the U.S. to help get people registered to vote.

Bates even performed Granny D’s rap routine she had for when she visited college campuses.

At the conclusion of the show, Bates and Sebens invited the audience to share any stories or memories they had of Granny D and to give their input about what could be done for change.