Blog | The Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice

Palestinian Student Relief Fund

Posted on November 17, 2023

Urgent Aid for Palestinian Students in the U.S.

01/02/2024 Update!

Our friends at the Palestinian Student Relief Fund (formerly Lifeline for Palestine) have raised over $9,500 for Palestinian students in the United States. These incredible students still need your support; if you haven’t already, please consider donating at the link below.

Mohammed:

Mohammed is a Palestinian student from Gaza Strip whose family has recently
faced extensive hardships including loss of their home and land as a result of the
Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Mohammed is in his third year at a
university in the United States where he is studying computer science. The
Palestinian Student Relief Fund is currently raising funds for Mohammed to support
tuition payments that will allow him to continue his studies.

Omar:

The Palestinian Student Relief Fund has provided support to Omar, a Palestinian
studying theology at a university in the United States. He is in the process of applying for a graduate program focused on Business Economics and Law. His family’s livelihood has been destroyed as a result of the on-going siege of the West Bank.

Naila:

The Palestinian Student Relief Fund has provided support to Naila, a medical
student from Gaza, to continue her medical studies in the United States. Work
permit restrictions imposed by Israel have resulted in her family’s complete loss of
income. Naila has a year and a half left of medical school and hopes to become an
endocrinologist. Upon completion of her studies she plans to return to Gaza to
educate families about diabetes.

Go Fund Me Organizers: Dr. Melissa Saul, Dr. Michael Hayes, Mea Moore, Malea Saul

Earlier this month, our friends Dr. Melissa Saul, Malea Saul, Mea Moore, and Dr. Michael Hayes organized a GoFundMe to support Palestinian international students in the U.S. who are being impacted by the unfolding crisis. In the past, Mea, who has served on RCF’s Board of Directors, joined Michael and Melissa in a delegation to occupied Palestine, and all three have been connected with and supported RCF for the past 15 years.

The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank has left many Palestinian students without financial support from their families, and with it the financial means to continue their studies or pay for food, housing, and other basic necessities. These students, many of whom are grappling with the profound loss of their loved ones, communities, and homes, cannot pause their academic careers without risking their visas, and subsequently, deportation. We are grateful for our colleagues’ work on this important issue, and we hope you can take a moment to read their GoFundMe page.

If you or someone you know would like to get involved, please reach out to the Rachel Corrie Foundation by email at [email protected] or by phone at (360) 754-3998. More information about the organizers can be found below.

About the Organizers:

In 2008, after receiving a federal grant from Fulbright-Hays. Dr. Saul and Dr. Hayes spearheaded a month-long delegation to occupied Palestine and Israel. During this period, their team of professionals and students worked closely with Palestinian and Israeli social justice educators to develop an educational curriculum.

In 2010, Dr. Hayes facilitated a study abroad experience to the West Bank where students helped the local community build a school for Palestinian youth living in the Jordan Valley. The following year, Dr. Hayes worked with Amnesty International and the U.S. State Department to help a Palestinian student navigate travel restrictions preventing the student from leaving Gaza. Hayes continued to mentor this student, who now holds a graduate degree and advocates for Palestinian human rights here in the U.S.

Mea Moore, M.A., is a former Board Member for the Rachel Corrie Foundation (RCF). As a delegate on the Palestine/Israel Fulbright-Hays project, Ms. Moore was instrumental in developing educational engagement activities focusing on justice for Palestine. In her 25-year career as an Educational Administrator, Director of Migrant and Bilingual Education, and interim College Dean, she has been a dedicated advocate for equity and social justice in education.

Malea Saul, M.S., has worked in the intersections of environmental conservation, education, and social justice for the past six years, with a primary focus on grant and funding development for nonprofits and community-based organizations.

Dr. Saul, Dr. Hayes and Ms. Moore have been connected with and have supported RCF for over 15 years.

Arts Walk: New “Hidden Histories” Walking Tours!

Posted on September 27, 2023

New “Olympia’s Hidden Histories” self-guided walking tours focus on Port of Olympia
The public launch of three new “Olympia’s Hidden Histories” walking tours on the Port of
Olympia will be held on during the second day of Fall Arts Walk, Saturday, October 7, 2023, (10:00-11:00 am) at the Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural (Capitol Way and State Ave.).

“Olympia’s Hidden Histories” is a collection of self-guided multimedia walking tours that make visible the stories of Olympia’s diverse communities, natural ecology, and connections to the world. One year ago, Evergreen State College students in the “American Frontiers” program published four tours on the historic displacement of Squaxin (Indigenous), Chinese, and working-class communities from downtown, and the salmon and oysters from the Deschutes Estuary.

This October 7, Evergreen students in the “Taking Back Empire” program are publishing three new tours on Port of Olympia connections to global shipping and trade, militarization, and fossil fuels. The new tours will include 19th -20th century histories and 21st -century events, such as Weyerhaeuser log export contracts, climate change and sea-level rise, the 2006-07 protests against Stryker armored vehicle shipments to the Iraq War, and the 2016-17 blockades of oil fracking supply shipments to North Dakota (during the Indigenous stand at Standing Rock).

At the October 7 public launch, students who produced the three new walking tours on the Port of Olympia will speak on their projects, together with community members who collaborated with the project, and public and college officials who wish to express support. Participants can then walk the self-guided ArcGIS StoryMaps tours, which are accessible (without an app download) on a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, using the QR Code or the link at https://artforces.org/hiddenhistories.

If on Facebook, you need to use direct URL: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/c9a26fc751dc4e8caeb1096ac66b4631

The ArcGIS StoryMaps walking tours collection is a collaboration of Evergreen State College students and faculty with the “Walls Tell Stories, Olympia” project, created by Art Forces and supported by the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice (the organizations that created the Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural).

OLYMPIA’S HIDDEN HISTORIES WALKING TOURS
Released on October 7, 2022:
1. st̓əč̓as (Steh-Chass): People of the Water
2. Tidelands: “When the Tide is Out, the Table is Set”
3. Olympia's Chinatowns: Exclusion and Endurance
4. The 5th Avenue Dam: Reflections on Capitol Lake
Released on October 7, 2023:
5. Port Shipping and Trade: Rising from the Sediment
6. Port Militarization: “Whose Port? Our Port!”
7. Port and Fossil Fuels: “Water is Life”

For more information, contact [email protected] and view the walking tours at
https://artforces.org/hiddenhistories

Join us for a Rededication of the Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural!

Posted on September 26, 2023

Join the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice (RCF) and Art Forces at Fall Arts Walk weekend to see photos and hear music from Palestinian Cultural Palace – a cultural, developmental, and social gathering place for young people in Gaza. On Saturday at 12:00 p.m., the second day of Arts Walk, there will be a rededication ceremony for the Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural; local community activists will speak about the mural’s history, its impact on our community, and its future.

We’re also excited to support the launch of new “Olympia’s Hidden Histories” self-guided walking tours, a collaborative multimedia project by student authors and faculty at the The Evergreen State College. Join us Saturday at 10:00 a.m. for the launch of three new tours walking tours, each highlighting a different aspect of the Port’s history

There will also be live music, as well as beautiful Palestinian embroidery and authentic artisan Palestinian olive oil available for purchase. We look forward to commemorating
RCF’s 20th anniversary year with you at this special Arts Walk celebration!

Rachel Corrie – 20 Years: The Commitment Continues

Posted on March 13, 2023

Just over 20 years ago, Rachel Corrie introduced her family to Gaza through a series of now published letters. Each
contained poignant insights on the people, land, and crisis unfolding around her. She described, in vivid detail, home demolitions, restrictions on travel and movement, a separation wall in Gaza, attacks on civilians, and the U.S.’s complicity in the Israeli Occupation.

March 16, 2023, marks the 20-year anniversary of Rachel’s Stand in Gaza, when she was killed by an Israeli military-operated Caterpillar D9-R bulldozer while defending a Palestinian home in Rafah. It’s a testament to the scale of a decades-long tragedy that 2023 carries significance for so many, including the Abu Akleh family, following the death of Shireen last May, and the countless Palestinians who will mourn the loss of their friends and loved ones following a record year of violence.

In confronting the question of how to best honor Rachel’s memory and spirit, we at the Rachel Corrie Foundation (RCF) have decided to launch Rachel Corrie – 20 Years: the Commitment Continues, a year-long effort to deepen our advocacy for Palestine and Palestinian freedom, equality and security, and universal human rights more broadly.

Rachel, in one of her letters, wrote, “They [Palestinians] are a good example of how to be in it for the long haul. […] I spent a lot of time writing about the disappointment of discovering, somewhat first-hand, the degree of evil of which we are still capable. I should at least mention that I am also discovering a degree of strength and of basic ability for humans to remain human in the direst of circumstances – which I also haven’t seen before. I think the word is dignity.”

Even as we remember the loss of Rachel, and even as we remember the Palestinians who have lost their lives over these past two decades and the past year, we must also remember those who have been “in it for the long haul.” On March 16th and beyond, we invite you to carry forward Rachel’s commitment by taking action for those who continue

to endure with dignity.

We look forward to sharing and exploring the possibilities for this anniversary year with you.

UPCOMING EVENTS & DATES TO REMEMBER

THURSDAY, MARCH 16

20th Anniversary of Rachel Corrie’s Stand in Gaza

Wherever you are on or around March 16th, as we remember Rachel and all human rights observers and defenders who have stood in solidarity with Palestinians and with the oppressed throughout the world, we urge you and your community to find your way to mark this moment meaningfully, full of constructive, peace-building education, advocacy, and action. We’d love to hear your plans!

Email [email protected].

FRIDAY, MARCH 17

FOR & Women in Black Vigil in Downtown Olympia

4th and Water Streets, Olympia 4:30-6:00 p.m. PST

We are excited, and grateful once again, for the opportunity to join our friends at the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) and Women in Black for their weekly peace vigils in downtown Olympia. There will be signs remembering Rachel, remembering Gaza, and advocating for peace with justice in Palestine. Bring your own or hold one of ours. FOR encourages people to remain healthy and to wear masks.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10

Rachel’s Birthday

Stay tuned!

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, APRIL 28-29

Spring Arts Walk in Downtown Olympia

Watch for details of the Rachel Corrie Foundation’s and Art Forces‘ presence at the Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural during this festive, springtime, downtown Olympia happening!

OTHER “HAPPENINGS”

SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 12 pm PST

International Women’s Day: “Woman, Life, Freedom”

Rally & March, Westlake Park, Seattle

Feminists for Jina, intersectional and internationalist feminists from Iran in diaspora and exile, are organizing this feminist day of action. They will stand in solidarity with the ongoing feminist revolution in Iran and with oppressed people from all backgrounds across the globe. The day calls on all of us to walk the path of the transnational feminist movement against oppressive, patriarchal, and religious fundamentalist forces, and toward liberation for all.

MARCH 4, 4-6 pm PST

Nada Elia’s Book Launch & Activist Gathering

Cherry Street Village, 720 25th Avenue, Seattle, WA

Join us in celebrating the publication of “Greater than the Sum of Our Parts,” a newly published book by local author, activist, friend and colleague Nada Elia. The book launch will provide an opportunity to connect with fellow activists, expand our knowledge of each other’s struggles, and to hear about this new “re-imagining of the path to liberation in Palestine.”

APRIL 17

Palestinian Prisoner’s Day

As Palestinian Prisoner’s Day approaches on April 17, The Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement
calls for everyone to support the Palestinian prisoner’s movement. Prisoners and their allies need us to respond swiftly to calls issued by the movement leadership in occupation jails and to participate in activities and mobilizations organized by the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network in Europe, North America and Latin America.

With current Israeli policies toward prisoners – such as shorting the time they are allowed to shower – it’s important that Palestinian prisonersknow they have support as they demand to be treated with dignity.

CCBLA Opportunity with RCF

Posted on September 2, 2022

Work Study Position: Through CCBLA at The Evergreen State College

Job Title: Community Connections Project Assistant

Salary: $17.00/hr

Start Date: October 1st, 2022 or until a qualified applicant is identified

Job Description

This is a part-time (6-8 hr/week) Work Study position with the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice (RCF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Olympia. Continuing the work that Rachel Corrie began, the foundation conducts and supports programs that foster connections between people, that build understanding, respect, and appreciation for differences, and that promote cooperation within and between local and global communities. The foundation encourages and supports grassroots efforts in pursuit of human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice, which we view as prerequisites for world peace. Current emphasis is on the Middle East.

The Community Connections Project Assistant will work closely with RCF staff and relevant committees and will also interact with other RCF volunteers, partnering organizations, and the public. The position will participate in prioritizing, planning, implementing, and evaluating RCF projects, with a focus on creatively educating and generating connection and involvement with these efforts among different sectors of local and broader RCF communities. Outreach efforts may include, but not be limited to partner organizations, faith groups, community groups, area campuses, student groups, etc. Project focuses may include but are not limited to the following:

The Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural Project and associated events, including a current Walls Tell Stories project, annual mural maintenance, and Olympia Arts Walk mural events
Event management, including fielding of event requests, planning, communication, implementation, evaluation and record-keeping for RCF sponsored and co-sponsored events
Continued development of RCF scholarship outreach and promotion, including the Rachel Corrie Memorial Scholarship at The Evergreen State College, and engaging community support for RCF scholarship programs
Pre-planning for Olympia Arab Festival 2022 and/or a 2023 event marking the 20th anniversary of Rachel Corrie’s stand in Gaza
Engaging local interest and support for RCF Gaza projects
Support for general operations of the Rachel Corrie Foundation, under supervision of the Administrative Manager, with the intent of acquiring skills related to running a small nonprofit organization
Support for creating written communications such as e-newsletters and postings at the RCF website

Educational Benefits to be derived by the Student in this job: The student will gain experience, knowledge, and skills pertaining to community engagement and education around social justice issues and the functioning of a small nonprofit organization, including (but not limited to) project and event planning and implementation, community outreach, meeting planning and facilitation, fundraising, communications, and daily operations.

Desired Qualifications:

Some knowledge of and/or interest in Middle East history and politics, particularly the Israel/Palestine issue
Energetic self-starter who is detail oriented, organized, prompt, efficient, and able to prioritize tasks according to deadlines, multitask, manage time wisely, and work independently
Excellent interpersonal skills, including ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others and to work in a team
Ability to work effectively with individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures
Strong interest in serving and working with the public and ability to do so in a courteous, professional manner
Strong written and oral communication skills
Proficiency in or ability to learn Microsoft Office including Word, Publisher, Excel, and Powerpoint
Email proficiency
Experience with or ability to learn use of Google Drive and Google applications, and/or databases
Ability to work scheduled part-time hours, to be present on occasional evenings for meetings, and to assist with foundation sponsored events

To Apply: The Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants who qualify for Washington State Work Study are encouraged to apply. Applications will be held in strict confidence. Interested Evergreen students can reach out to CCBLA Director Ellen Shortt to check eligibility ([email protected]). Additional information can be found on the CCBLA program website.

Follow RCF