Rochelle Watson
Rochelle Watson is National Organizer for Friends of Sabeel – North America. She has 15 years of experience as a community organizer for grassroots organizations including the Rachel Corrie Foundation, Art Forces and Garden Raised Bounty. She co-founded the Olympia Rafah Sister City Project after her friend, Rachel Corrie, was killed by the Israeli military in 2003 while protecting a Palestinian home facing demolition. In 2010 she co-founded Olympia BDS, which led to Olympia Food Co-op becoming the first US grocery store to boycott Israeli goods. She’s experienced the power of grassroots organizing, strategic campaigns and direct action in Seattle during the WTO protest, in Oaxaca during the teacher led popular uprising and in Palestine through volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement.
Location: Bay Area, CA
Areas of Expertise: BDS 101; organizing 101; current U.S.-based BDS campaigns (municipal, consumer, and church related)