Rachel Corrie Foundation presents Peace Works 2011: Solidarity in Action, April 8-9, featuring Alice Walker

Register now for Peace Works 2011: Solidarity In Action

Olympia, Wash. – The Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace & Justice will host its 2011 Peace Works event April 8-9. Solidarity in Action is a weekend conference featuring acclaimed author and activist Alice Walker as keynote presenter. Walker’s talk, entitled The Poet/Writer as Activist, will be at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, Friday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m.

Best known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Color Purple (1982), Walker is also the recipient of the National Book Award, and author of more than 30 books. In March 2009, in the wake of Israel’s 22-day attack on Gaza, Walker traveled to Gaza with Cindy and Craig Corrie as part of a delegation led by Code Pink. Upon her return, Walker published a book of essays entitled Overcoming Speechlessness, which links the struggles for justice in Gaza, Eastern Congo and Rwanda with the U.S. Civil Rights movement and the South Africa anti-Apartheid struggle.

The Peace Works 2011 conference, Solidarity in Action, includes two days of networking, panels and workshops at The Evergreen State College in Olympia. Panelists will address the current situation in Israel/Palestine, strategies for justice and peace, the growing international campaigns for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) and cross-movement building. Local and national organizers will facilitate workshops to educate, motivate and provide tools for community organizing. Workshop themes will include human rights and legal campaigns; consumer, campus, cultural and interfaith BDS efforts; the civil trial in Israel concerning Rachel Corrie’s case; and strategies for using media, art and social networking to strengthen regional efforts for human rights and justice. The Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural Project will present the next phase of its downtown Olympia mural, one of the city’s most beautiful and successful collaborative projects.

Peace Works is an annual project of The Rachel Corrie Foundation, which continues the work that Rachel Corrie began with her vision, spirit and creative energy in mind.

LOCATION/DATE/TIME
PEACE WORKS CONFERENCE – Solidarity in Action: The Evergreen State College, Olympia,
Friday, April 8, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, April 9, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Click here for information, updates and registration or call the Rachel Corrie Foundation at 360-754-3998.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Alice Walker: The Poet/Writer as Activist, Washington Center for the Performing Arts,
512 Washington St. SE, Olympia, April 8, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $25 for the general public; $12.50 for students and the low-income, and will be available at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts; 360-753-8586.

Co-sponsorship Opportunity
If you or your organization is interested in co-sponsoring this years conference, please contact Becca Pilcher. Co-sponsorship opportunities are available at the following levels. Download the co-sponsorship form here.

• Friend of the Foundation: $50.00 – $150.00 (Your name will be listed in the Conference Program.)
• Partner in Peace: $150 – $350.00 (A black & white ad for your company will be placed in conference program, seen by up to 300 people.)
• Ally in Action: $350 – $600.00 (The above perks plus one free ticket for the entire weekend including Alice Walker at the Washington Center.)
• Harbinger of Justice: $600.00+ (The above perks plus an ad placed on the RCF website and in the Washington Center program viewed by up to 1000 people OR 2 Free Tickets to the full conference including Alice Walker.)

Contact: Rebecca Pilcher, Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 360-754-3998