Standing Tall

[Resistance]

Standing Tall

The parents of slain West Bank activist Rachel Corrie keep her spirit alive

by Dan Levine, Hartford Advocate

A formulaic movie script would portray Craig and Cindy Corrie as a simple, all-American couple -- baking cookies and decorating Christmas trees -- until their daughter's death in a faraway land thrusts them into an unfamiliar world of international peace activism.

The real-life underpinnings of the story are in place. On March 16, an Israeli bulldozer killed 23-year-old Rachel Corrie in Rafah, Gaza, as she protested the army's demolition of a Palestinian home. The Israelis say Corrie was caught in churning debris and wasn't actually crushed by the vehicle, but some eyewitnesses report that the driver deliberately plowed into her. Corrie has since become an American martyr for those opposed to Israel's occupation of Palestine.

As they raised their children in Olympia, Washington, Cindy Corrie became involved in community activism, designing an alternative education program within a local public school. Both speak of their enjoyment working with other people, Craig on insurance deals, and Cindy making music.

Now, as the couple travels around the world -- speaking out against the Israeli occupation and their daughter's killing -- the personal qualities and local causes they championed are simply magnified on a larger stage.

[Lithos]

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