candio.

Olympia friends and supporters of Rachel Corrie and her family have called on concerned people worldwide to join them in demonstrating on the International Day of Action Against Caterpillar, April 13. They hope that a vigorous turnout will not only send a strong message to Caterpillar but will also send a positive message of solidarity with the Corrie family as they go forth with what is sure to be a long and difficult landmark legal struggle against the equipment manufacturer.

One year after the murder of activist Rachel Corrie by the Israelis in Gaza, her local community has not forgotten her. Ms. Corrie continues to inspire and lead in Olympia, it may even be possible that she has become more powerful in death than in life. There is some solace in this ability to affect change postmortem, to have truly achieved martyr status, but it is an aching solace tinged with loss. At the same time, there is this harsh and parallel realization that Olympia has lost but one life to the Occupation. It is sobering and hard to truly imagine the sorrow of the Palestinians who have lost so many and so much. candio. reports from Olympia.

Since Rachel Corrie died in Rafah over a year ago, Rafah has held a special place in the hearts of Olympia residents who have been attempting to forge a sister city relationship with the besieged city. On May 18, the Olympia Rafah Sister City Project [ORSCP] sponsored a demonstration in support of the people in Rafah. About 35 people gathered at rush hour on Percival Landing to protest the latest destruction and show solidarity with the Palestinian people. The current deadly incursion in Rafah has hit many people here hard.

Olympia, Washington is the hometown of peace activist Rachel Corrie who was killed by the Israeli Defense Forces on March 16, 2003. This article looks at the impact of Rachel’s death on her community both in the period immediately following her death and in the year to come, focused on a peace camp which began its existence the day bombs started falling on Iraq. Camp Rachel was a bittersweet legacy of her death, one she would have both been proud of and proudly taken part of, most likely in a leadership role. It was a live and personal call to activists to rally in her name, to use her heroism as inspiration and strength for the actions, protests, petitions, letter writing and civil disobedience to come. candio. writes for EI.

In a moving ceremony on 16 February 2004, Craig and Cindy Corrie accepted the Housing Rights Defender Award from the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions [COHRE] on behalf of their daughter Rachel Corrie. This was the inaugural year for this award, which was partially a response to the heroism of Ms. Corrie’s actions in protecting the housing and water rights of Palestinians in occupied Gaza. Ms. Corrie died March 16th, 2003 in Rafah while attempting to prevent the forced eviction of a Palestinian family and the demolition of their home. candio. reports from Olympia, WA.

The Second Annual Conference of the Peace and Justice Studies Association took place from October 9-12 in Olympia, Washington at The Evergreen State College. The title of the conference, ‘Fostering Alternatives to Violence,’ was deeply felt by the participants whose talk frequently turned to the post-September 11th world, the Bush administration and the conflicts in Iraq and the Occupied Territories. Educators, students, artists and activists joined to discuss progress and problems within the movement. candio. reports from Olympia.

On April 26, 2003, residents of Olympia, Washington took to the streets for the 9th Annual Procession of the Species Celebration. This is the largest Earth Day event in the Pacific Northwest, attracting over 30,000 spectators and 2,500 marchers who don handmade costumes representing Fire, Air, Earth and Water. This year’s march was especially meaningful due to the presence of 100-150 peace doves in honor of Olympia native Rachel Corrie, who lost her life on March 16 while undertaking peacekeeping work in the Palestinian refugee camp of Rafah.