Statement on the Anniversary of Rachel’s killing at the hands of the Israeli Military

by Dr. Ron Smith, Interim Executive Director of the Rachel Corrie Foundation and a former Evergreen student

January 29, 2003 – Rachel Corrie writing from Rafah, Gaza Strip 

“The surreal thing is that we are safe. White-skinned people stand up in front of the tanks and they open their weird tank lids and wave at us. Children play behind us and we yell “La!”, “La!” when they try to wander out into the rubble to play with us — because somehow even though you are born in a cage and you have never lived without shooting all night, you are still able to play.”

Today, we commemorate 23 years since the killing of Rachel Corrie, Evergreen student, activist, and community member. Rachel was murdered on this day as she engaged in an act of radical empathy, attempting to use her body and her privilege to prevent the destruction of the Nasrallah family home in Rafah, Gaza. On that day, the Israeli military, including a driver and a commander, in an armored Caterpillar bulldozer decided to murder Rachel and stole the life of a young woman who had committed her life to peace and justice. 

Twenty-three years have passed since that fateful day in Rafah, and the struggle continues and has only gotten more intense. The kinds of injustices that tormented Rachel continue, now in the midst of a third year of genocide against the people of Gaza, a massive takeover of the West Bank, and a foolish US attack on the sovereign state of Iran. Rachel’s act of defiance against murder and destruction can seem at times foolhardy or futile. It wasn’t.

The fact is that Rachel represented the very best of the values of the peace and justice movement, and the Evergreen State College that she attended. Moved by empathy and solidarity, she refused to be diverted, and demanded attention to the horrors inflicted by the powerful and the wealthy on the displaced and marginalized. Rachel’s actions were motivated by a deep and powerful understanding of solidarity, unity, and collective sacrifice.

It’s not hard to understand why Rachel took the stance she did. Anyone spending even a very short time in Palestinian territories can immediately see and experience the diabolical practices of occupation. From the segregation across all the infrastructure, the two sets of laws, the constant surveillance, the aggressive interactions across checkpoints, the fear of disappearance with no explanation, and the complete impunity of settler violence as they initiate pogroms against Palestinian farmers, the injustice is palpable and unmistakable. 

What’s so special about Rachel is that she wasn’t special. She was just one of us. She was an Olympia resident, a student, an artist, someone who cared deeply about life. Her absolute allegiance to humanity is a reminder to all of us of our relative privilege and our obligation to speak out against injustice no matter the cost. She inspired her parents and so many across the world to commit to a life of activism and agitation, to shake up the unbearable status quo. In the wake of her murder, her family devoted themselves to creating an organization to honor her legacy and continue her life’s work. 

Rachel’s work and her sacrifice were not made in vain, but continue to serve as our inspiration as we fight alongside those who feel forgotten, those who rage against injustice, and those who dream of a kinder, brighter future.

Rachel Corrie Foundation For Peace and Justice

203 East Fourth Ave., Ste. 402 | Olympia, WA 98501

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