Nakba Day Observance

RCF NAKBA DAY OBSERVANCES

MAY 15, 2019

Join the Rachel Corrie Foundation (RCF) in Olympia, May 15, 2019, to observe the 71st anniversary of al-Nakba (in Arabic, “the catastrophe).   This widespread ethnic cleansing campaign against Palestinians led to the establishment of the State of Israel on May 15, 1948, displacing more than 750,000 Palestinians, and destroying more than 400 Palestinian villages.

As Palestinian friends and colleagues in Gaza continue incredible grassroots organizing with the Great March of Return, it is important for international audiences to connect and learn more.  Join us in Olympia, May 15th, for two events that explore the Nakba and how it continues and is challenged.

Olympia Observances

Palestine: Stolen Homeland – Nakba Display

Washington State Capitol Lawns near Tivoli Fountain

(Northeast of the Legislative Building, alongside Capitol Way on the west campus)

Wednesday, May 15th

11:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Come when you can and explore this display of tent-style placards with names of Palestinian villages destroyed in 1948 inscribed.  Talk with local Palestinian-Americans whose families experienced the Nakba and its aftermath, and with RCF volunteers sharing how the Nakba continues and jeopardizes a just peace in the Middle East.

The installation, created by the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign, has traveled to multiple Western Washington locations and will be displayed this month at Westlake Mall in Seattle and at the University of Washington, as well.

Defying the Walls that Divide Us –  Miriam Taqiedden and Gerri Haynes

First Christian Church – Koinonia Hall

701 Franklin St. SE, Olympia, WA

Wednesday, May 15th

7:00-9:00 p.m. (Doors open at 6:30 p.m.)

Join RCF for presentations and discussion about how the Nakba continues, and hear from those who are Defying the Walls that Divide Us.  Miriam Taqieddin will compare and contrast events along Palestine’s borders with those along the US-Mexico border and will address the humanitarian and economic downsides of erecting a heavily militarized border wall.  Gerri Haynes, of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility (WPSR), will speak about health and medical conditions in Gaza, the work of WPSR, and the exchanges of knowledge and friendship that have occurred between medical delegates from the U.S. and medical personnel in Gaza.  Dr. Therese Saliba will facilitate discussion. The event is free to the public. Donations to support WPSR delegations to Gaza and RCF Gaza projects are welcome.

Speaker Biographies:

Miriam Taqieddin is a sophomore at The Evergreen State College, focusing on law and public policy.  She is an emerging community activist who advocates for Palestinian liberation and immigrant rights in the U.S.  Upon graduating from Evergreen, Miriam plans to attend law school and to study immigration law.

Gerri Haynes has a decades-long history in nursing and as a palliative care consultant, grief and bereavement educator, and bereavement support group facilitator.  Her experience includes critical care nursing and management, and policy and curriculum development for care of children with life-limiting conditions. Her work in this area has been conducted at the Washington State Department of Health, at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, and as project manager for a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant to improve care for such children.  Her work has impacted families, community providers, hospital staff, first responders, and medical, social work, and nursing students. Gerri Haynes has traveled to parts of Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon one to three times each year since 1993. Since 2009, she has organized and led fourteen Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility (WPSR) medical service delegations to Gaza.

For information, contact [email protected] or call (360) 754-3998.