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As we commemorate Juneteenth, the Rachel Corrie Foundation honors the generations of Black freedom fighters, organizers, intellectuals, artists, and community leaders whose struggles and sacrifices continue to shape movements for justice today. We celebrate Black resilience, Black joy, and the ongoing pursuit of Black liberation.
Juneteenth marks not only the end of chattel slavery in the United States, but also serves as a reminder that liberation is an ongoing process. The struggle against racism, state violence, dispossession, and inequality continues, and the lessons of Black-led movements remain essential to building a more just world.
This week, we were troubled to see a Black Muslim graduate at Seattle University forcibly prevented from displaying a Palestinian flag during her commencement ceremony and manhandled by the University Provost. We condemn actions that silence political expression, target Muslim and Palestinian identities, or perpetuate anti-Black racism. We join those calling for accountability and for institutions to uphold the dignity, rights, and safety of marginalized students.
We think back with gratitude to Dr. Angela Davis's visit to Olympia last year, where she inspired us with her vision, clarity, and unwavering commitment to collective liberation. Dr. Davis has long illuminated the connections between struggles for Black liberation, Palestinian liberation, and movements for justice around the world. Her leadership continues to remind us that our freedoms are bound together.
As we reflect on Juneteenth, we also remember Rachel Corrie’s commitment to confronting injustice and standing in solidarity with oppressed communities. She understood that meaningful solidarity requires humility, accountability, and a willingness to challenge systems of oppression wherever they exist.
Today and every day, we encourage our community to learn from Black leaders, support Black-led organizing, confront anti-Black racism in our own institutions and communities, and continue working toward a future where all people can live with freedom, dignity, and self-determination.
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Support this Work
As we honor Juneteenth and reflect on the interconnected struggles for liberation, we invite you to invest in the work of building a more just world.
Your donation helps sustain the Rachel Corrie Foundation's educational programs, advocacy efforts, and community events that connect people across movements and inspire action for justice.
| Together, we can continue building the relationships, knowledge, and solidarity needed to create lasting change. | |
In May Israel kidnapped hundreds of Freedom Flotilla activists attempting to deliver aid to Gaza in international waters. Olympia resident Andrew Bly was among those detained by Israel. Read more about Andrew's journey in the Olympian.
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ASHHO Cultural Community Center's
4th Annual Juneteenth Celebration
Friday, June 19
4:00 - 8:00 PM
5757 Littlerock Rd SW, Tumwater
Join us for a powerful evening of joy, culture, storytelling, belonging, and community connection as we honor the meaning and history of Juneteenth through music, spoken word, reflection, delicious food, art, and celebration.
This free community event will also honor humble local leaders making a meaningful impact in our community through special recognition plaques.
Together, we gather to reflect on freedom, collective liberation, collective power, healing, and how the spirit and lessons of Juneteenth continue to shape our everyday lives and future generations.
Register here
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Coffee with the League (League of Women Voters)
Tuesday, June 23
10:00 - 11:00AM
Rivers Edge Restaurant
4611 Tumwater Valley Dr. SE, Tumwater
Dr Ron Smith, professor of international relations, and former RCF interim Executive Director, will present an introduction to and update from the Gaza Strip. Professor Smith will detail the events leading up to October 7th, 2023, and the aftermath. He will also introduce Iyad Hmidat and Heba Alsaidi, who will join the conversation live from Gaza.
This event is free and open to the public.
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Kite Festival
Sunday, July 5
12:00 - 5:00PM
South corner of 4th Ave and Water St, Downtown Olympia
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The residents of Burin, in the occupied West Bank, invite people around the world to fly kites with them between July 4 to July 12. Every year, residents and activists of the village organize the Kite Festival, where the whole community comes together to build and fly kites in the skies of Burin. The festival represents an act of resistance and a sign of the daily struggle of the residents in the face of the harsh reality of the occupation. The message of the festival is:
"We have the right to smile, we have the right to have fun. We have the right to be happy, we have the right to play, we have the right to move. From the Burin mountains to the sands of Gaza they will not kill our hope."
Our partners at Palestine Action of South Sound are organizing a Kite Festival in Olympia and invite people to help prepare kites every Monday night ahead of the Kite Festival on July 5th. See details below.
Jewish Voice for Peace Tacoma is also hosting a Kite Festival on July 5th, 2pm at Dune Peninsula Park.
Read more about the Kite Festival here and register to host your own solidarity event.
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Palestine Day at the Farm
Saturday, July 18
10:00 AM -5:00 PM
14062 Yelm Hwy SE, Yelm
Save the date for a farm tour at Dancing Goats and Singing Chickens Organic Farm! Learn about permaculture, social change farming, composting, and community building, as the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice presents educational activities for all ages.
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Paint & Gather - A Community Mural Project
Honoring Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi
Saturday, July 25
10:00 AM -2:00 PM
Cherry Street Village
720 25th Ave, Seattle
In honor of Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi's birthday, family and friends invite you to join them to paint a mural in her memory. Show up to paint, gather and show support, on July 25th, 10am - 2pm at Cherry Street Village in Seattle.
Find out more at @foraysenur on Instagram.
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Mike Yarrow Peace Fellowship
Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation (WWFOR) invites people age 14-23 interested in social justice to apply for the Mike Yarrow Peace Fellowship. The deadline for the application has been extended through the end of June.
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Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are facing an escalating campaign of Israeli military violence, armed settler attacks, forced displacement, land theft, and settlement expansion. Contact your members of Congress now. Use Americans for Justice in Palestine's (AJP) template, or send your own message.
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Sama Safi is a 20-year-old US citizen and a university honors student. On June 2nd at 3 AM, Israeli soldiers broke into Sama's family home in the West Bank and ripped her away from her family. Read more about this at the Institute for Middle East Understanding, and use their tool to call your Senators now.
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Our friends at Washington for Peace and Justice (WA4PJ) share that Section 224 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would create a standing Pentagon executive agent to institutionally synchronize U.S. and Israeli military operations. Use WA4PJ's tool to send a message to your members of Congress to oppose this, or write your own message.
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Your support makes our work possible!
The Rachel Corrie Foundation is sustained by grassroots supporters. If you value our work, please consider making a monthly contribution.
| The Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Donations by check can be mailed to the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace & Justice, 203 East 4th Ave, Suite 402, Olympia, WA 98501. | | | | |
