Events to Mark 20th Anniversary of Olympia Activist Rachel Corrie's Death

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Twenty years ago on Thursday, March 16, Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old Olympia woman who was a student at The Evergreen State College, was killed by an Israeli military-operated Caterpillar bulldozer in Gaza as she tried to block the demolition of a Palestinian family's home.

Since her death, she has become an international icon and her work has been commemorated in the play "My Name is Rachel Corrie" and a collection of her writing, "Let Me Stand Alone: The Journals of Rachel Corrie." Singer-songwriter Iris DeMent honored her in a recent song as a "warrior of love."

The Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice, formed to continue her human rights activism, will mark the anniversary of her death with a series of events in Olympia and online on both Thursday and Friday.

— Live interview with Cindy and Craig Corrie on Wisconsin radio: Rachel Corrie's parents will be interviewed by host Allen Ruff on A Public Affair on WORT 89.9 FM in Madison, Wisconsin, from 10-11 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time Thursday, March 16. The Corries will talk with Ruff about their daughter, the Rachel Corrie Foundation, RCF's kinship with the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project, and the foundation's commitment to Gaza and to Palestinian rights today. The program can be heard live at the WORT 89.9 FM website, and the program will be archived at the website for later listening, as well.



— Film and discussion at Evergreen: From 1-4 p.m., the college will screen Daniel Kopec's 2009 film "We Are Them" on Corrie's solidarity actions, then her parents, friends, and faculty will discuss her life and legacy, and current events in Israel/Palestine. The screening will take place in Seminar 2 D-1105 at Evergreen, 2700 Evergreen Parkway NW, Olympia. It is free and open to the public. The event is hosted by the "Taking Back Empire" program, whose students will share their "Olympia's Hidden Histories" self-guided walking tours.

— Mideast Focus Ministry 10th Annual Film Series on Zoom: The Mideast Focus Film Series at St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle will commemorate Corrie's death with a film screening and discussion of the film "Tantura" at 7 p.m. Thursday. The discussion will feature a pre-recorded interview with director Alon Schwarz. Register for a Zoom link to the film and discussion by requesting a link at seattlemideastfocus@gmail.com.

— FOR & Women in Black vigil in downtown Olympia: From 4:30 to 6 p.m. Friday, March 17, at Fourth and Water streets in Olympia, the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) and Women in Black will conduct their weekly peace vigil but include signs remembering Corrie, remembering Gaza, and advocating for peace with justice in Palestine. Bring your own signs or hold one provided. FOR encourages people to wear masks.