A young, idealistic college student, Rachel Corrie traveled to Gaza in 2003 to protest the violence
between Israel and Palestine. Working with the International Solidarity Movement, she acted
as a human shield in efforts to protect Palestinian homes from Israeli bulldozers. Her tragic
death occurred only months after her arrival in the region, as she was crushed while trying to
stop a bulldozer from destroying another home. The situation surrounding her death was
immediately controversial--was Rachel a naive political pawn, or was she simply someone who
believed in helping other people?