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August 28, 2008
Rachel King, 45, anti-death penalty activist
Rachel King, 45, anti-death penalty activist
By Daily Hampshire Gazette
Created 08/27/2008 - 09:23
Rachel Carol King, 45, of Washington, D.C., formerly of Northampton, died Monday, Aug. 25, surrounded by family and friends at her summer home in Wayne, Maine. She had lived fully while coping with breast cancer and its treatment for the last five years.
The daughter of Jill Howes and Charles H. King, Rachel was born July 2, 1963, in Enid, Okla. Her family moved to Wayne, Maine, shortly after her birth.
She graduated from Smith College in 1985, after which she worked in Northampton, Mass., at the Girl Scouts of America for several years. During that time she was a political activist and was involved in the Sanctuary Movement and many other peace and social justice causes, including as a volunteer and intern with the American Friends Service Committee.
She graduated from the Northeastern University School of Law in 1990 and later earned a master's of law degree from Temple University. When she died, she was enrolled in a master's degree program in creative writing at Johns Hopkins University.
Rachel had a long and distinguished legal career. After law school, she worked for the Alaska Public Defender's office as an assistant public defender, and she helped found and was the first executive director of Alaskans Against the Death Penalty, successfully keeping Alaska death-penalty free. She served as executive director of the Alaska Civil Liberties Union and was active in the Green Party in Alaska and in other human rights causes.
For many years she worked as a legislative counsel and lobbyist for the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington, D.C., during which time she fought tirelessly in support of civil liberties and was instrumental in limiting the scope of the USA Patriot Act. She was also an instructor of legal writing and research at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Most recently Rachel worked as legal counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on crime and homeland security.
Rachel was a longtime Quaker, and was a dedicated and passionate opponent of the death penalty. She served as chairwoman of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP) , and authored two books on the subject: "Don't Kill in Our Names: Families of Murder Victims Speak out Against the Death Penalty," and "Capital Consequences: Families of the Condemned Tell Their Stories." In July Rachel was notified that she was to be honored with a lifetime achievement award from the NCADP, given to people who have devoted their lives to abolition of the death penalty.
She was an avid photographer and long-distance runner, competing in more than a dozen marathons. She was a founding member of the Takoma Village Co-housing Community in Washington, D.C., which opened in 2000, where she lived at the time of her death. She is the author of the novel, "Tales of the District," about life in a co-housing community.
In addition to her mother and father, she leaves her husband, Richard G. McAlee, whom she married in 2005, and his three daughters, Lauren, Julia, and Livia; two brothers, Charles K. King and Paul A. King; her stepfather, David Rogers; her niece Katy, and Katy's mother Kim; two nephews, one aunt, and many cousins.
A service celebrating Rachel's life will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 31, at the Wayne Community Church. An additional service will be held in Washington, D.C. on a date to be announced.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Rachel's name to the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, www.ncadp.org [1], and in support of breast cancer research to "Dr. Leisha Emens at Johns Hopkins Hospital," 1650 Orleans St., Room 409, Baltimore, MD 21231-1000.
Daily Hampshire Gazette © 2008 All rights reserved
Source URL: http://www.gazettenet.com/2008/08/27/rachel-king-45-anti-death-penalty-activist
Posted by lois at August 28, 2008 10:20 AM