701 Franklin St. SE
Olympia
WA
On the 71st anniversary of al-Nakba (in Arabic, “the catastrophe), the Rachel Corrie Foundation welcomes Miriam Taqieddin and Gerri Haynes for Defying the Walls that Divide Us. The event in downtown Olympia is Wednesday, May 15th, 7-9 pm, at First Christian Church, 701 Franklin St. SE.
Miriam Taqieddin is a sophomore at The Evergreen State College, focusing on law and public policy. She 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 is a nurse, palliative care consultant, and grief and bereavement educator who has led 14 medical service delegations to Gaza. She will speak about health and medical conditions in Gaza, the work of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility (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.
The Speakers’ Bios:
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.
Al-Nakba coincides with establishment of the State of Israel on May 15, 1948, and with the corresponding ethnic cleansing campaign that resulted in displacement of more than 750,000 Palestinians, and destruction of more than 400 Palestinian villages. Join the Rachel Corrie Foundation for May 15th presentations and discussion about the Nakba and how it continues.
