Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice
In 2007, the Rachel Corrie Foundation... ...supported speaking tours in the US that brought speakers from Palestine and Israel including o nonviolent activists Mohammed el-Khatib from Bi’lin and Feryal abu Haikal of Hebron. o physician Dr. Mona el-Farra from Gaza o American University student from Rafah, Mohammed Abu Asaker o Israeli-French filmmaker, Simone Bitton ...supported projects in the West Bank and Gaza including the Rachel Corrie Children and Youth Cultural Center in Rafah. ...facilitated and supported connections between US and Gazan members of the Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project. ...coordinated with Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and Gaza Community Mental Health Programme to educate American citizens and members of Congress about conditions in Gaza and human rights violations that occur there. ...networked with the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation in support of June events in Washington DC marking the 40th anniversary of the Israeli occupation. Craig and Cindy Corrie spoke and marched in DC on this historic occasion, and joined other citizens and visitors from Gaza in meetings with members of Congress. In Olympia, we partnered with other organizations to mark the 40th anniversary with street theater checkpoints, a statement at the Olympia City Council meeting, and a teach-in about the ’67 war with remembrances from Palestinians. ...awarded the third annual Rachel Corrie Memorial scholarship at The Evergreen State College ...sponsored and co-sponsored events to educate and inspire grassroots activism and to build momentum for the painting of the Olympia-Rafah mural in 2008: 1) Mural artist Susan Greene of Break the Silence Mural Project with presentations about murals in the West Bank, Gaza, and the Bay Area. 2) Hidden Histories, Honoring Local Native American and Palestinian Struggles—an event to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People-- featuring the film Jerusalem 1948 and indigenous-American speakers addressing the commonalities in the struggles of Palestinians and indigenous Americans. 3) An evening with life-long activist and actor Mike Farrell. 4) Beyond Occupation— an educational event with Palestinian-American spoken word artist Suheir Hammad and journalist Dahr Jamail, in conjunction with the Olympia Film Festival. 5) Discussion on the Iraq War with author Anthony Arnove and Iraq War veteran Chanan Suarez-Diaz, presented through efforts of the Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace and the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador. 6) Jerusalem Dispossessed, a photo exhibition from the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, hosted at The Evergreen State College by Students Educating Students About the Middle East (SESAME). ...65th anniversary celebration of the American Friends Service Committee-Seattle where the foundation received a was presented a Pillar of Peace Award. ...presented Peace Works—an annual Rachel Corrie Foundation event which in 2007 supported local performances of the Seattle Repertory Theatre’s production of My Name is Rachel Corrie including educational outreach to three area high schools and post-play discussions at The Evergreen State College. Peace Works also brought Voices of a People’s History of the United States to The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, introduced by author and historian Anthony Arnove and read by actor Brian Jones, Lt. Ehren Watada, Iraq war veteran Chanan Suarez-Diaz, and a diverse and talented group of local readers. ...supported the work of the Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project including an enormous effort to seek official sister-city status from the City of Olympia. Supported ORSCP’s display and sale of Palestinian art from the Rafah Artists’ Association. ...provided print and film resources to educate about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In addition, the Corrie family supported productions of the play My Name is Rachel Corrie as they participated in post-play talkbacks and forums in Seattle and Olympia; Shepherdstown, West Virginia; Denver, Colorado; and Chimacum, Washington. The Corries provided information and support to other theater groups in the US, Canada, and the world. They continue to speak about creating a just and lasting peace for Israel and Palestine at speaking venues throughout the country – in churches, theaters, colleges and high schools, and at conferences.
What is planned for 2008? * We are very engaged with the Olympia-Rafah Mural Project, a people's recognition of the sister city relationship that exists between Rafah, Palestine and Olympia. Through the act of creating a collaborative public mural, we will express our desire for Palestinian self-determination, which is rooted in honoring the common struggles for global justice faced by marginalized people everywhere. By upholding rights for all, we seek to break down barriers to understanding, increase visibility for Palestinian people, encourage imagination, embrace the hope and courage of Rachel Corrie, and bring people together in one voice for change. A design team of local and visiting artists is creating a vision for the mural from image ideas generated in the community during the past year. An afternoon workshop is scheduled for March 8th at The Olympia Center. Committees are forming for Educational Outreach and Publicity, Fundraising, and to plan events to launch and celebrate the mural. We plan to bring artists from Rafah to participate in the painting and celebration. * Peace Works 2008—a major conference in Olympia in October--will focus on Duo-Occupations from Palestine to Iraq. Committees are forming to plan for Program, Logistics, Finances, and Publicity. * We continue to partner with the Olympia-Rafah Sister City Project to expand efforts to build connections with people in Rafah and to provide support for grassroots efforts there that assist women, children, and families. * With publication of a book of Rachel Corrie's writing, Let Me Stand Alone by W.W. Norton & Co., there are plans for curriculum development around the story of Rachel Corrie, including work with both the book and the play My Name is Rachel Corrie. * Tuesday, March 4th, Dr. Alice Rothchild, physician and author, will read from and speak about her book Broken Promises, Broken Dreams, Stories of Jewish and Palestinian Trauma and Resilience. The event is at the Worthington Conference Center at St. Martin's University, 5300 Pacific Ave SE. * Sunday, March 16th, Adrien Niyongabo from Burundi, Dr. Steve Niva, Evergreen faculty, and Jennifer Marlowe, writer and author with experience in both Israel/Palestine and Africa, will speak at a gathering commemorating the fifth anniversary of Rachel Corrie's stand in Gaza. The event will be at The Olympia Ballroom from 3-6 PM. * We continue to provide support to students working to bring Iraqi refugees to study in 2008. How can you help? • Follow our work at our newly designed website, www.rachelcorriefoundatio.... There you can sign up to receive email alerts or participate in our online forum. • Contact our office with questions and ideas and to join a committee– we love to hear from you! • Tell your friends about the Rachel Corrie Foundation and point them to our website.