Native American activist
Mark R. Charles is a Native American activist, public speaker, consultant, and author[ 1] on Native American issues, as well as a journalist, blogger, Reformed pastor, and computer programmer .[ 2] [ 3] He was an independent candidate for President of the United States in the 2020 United States presidential election .[ 4]
Early life
Charles, the son of a Navajo father and a Dutch-American mother, grew up in Gallup, New Mexico .[ 3] [ 5] He is a graduate of University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).[ 3]
Activism and career
As an activist, Charles is known for denouncing the doctrine of discovery and for his opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline .[ 6] [ 7] [ 8] [ 9]
Charles is a former pastor at the Christian Indian Center in Denver, Colorado .[ 5] He is a consultant for the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship , as well as the Washington, D.C. , correspondent for Native News Online .[ 10] Since 2008, he has written the blog Wirelesshogan: Reflections from the Hogan .[ 4] [ 10]
2020 presidential campaign
On May 28 2019, Charles announced via a YouTube video that he was running for President of the United States as an independent in the 2020 election .[ 4] [ 5] [ 11] On August 20, he spoke at the Frank LaMere Native American Presidential Forum, alongside major candidates including Bernie Sanders , Elizabeth Warren , and Kamala Harris .[ 12]
On July 25, 2020, Charles announced his choice of former Green Party Presidential candidate Sedinam Moyowasifza-Curry as his running mate.[ 13] Less than three weeks later, On August 14, his campaign released a statement saying that Sedinam Moyowasifza-Curry had been dropped as Charles' running mate.[ 14] On August 26, Charles announced that Adrian Wallace, Vice President of the Lexington NAACP and Chairman of the Kentucky State Conference of the NAACP, had been chosen as his running mate.[ 15]
Charles had ballot access in Colorado [ 16] with write-in access in several states. He received a total of 3,098 reported votes in the 2020 election, including 2,011 votes from ballot access and 1,087 reported votes from write-in access.[ 17]
Personal life
Charles is a Christian. He was a pastor for a Christian Reformed Church for two years.[ 18] [ 2]
References
^ Mark Charles and Soong-Chan Rah (2019). Unsettling Truths The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery . InterVarsity Press.
^ a b Silliman, Daniel (22 June 2020). "For Third-Party Christians, Some Things Are More Important Than Winning" . Christianity Today .
^ a b c ABQJournal News Staff (April 13, 2009). "10:25am -- Navajo Speaker Calls for '51st Virtual State' " . Albuquerque Journal .
^ a b c Bennett-Begaye, (May 30, 2019). Jourdan " 'Yá'át'tééh ... I am running for president' " . IndianCountryToday .com .
^ a b c Heinsius, Ryan (May 31, 2019). "Member of Navajo Nation Announces U.S. Presidential Campaign" . KNAU .
^ "Navajo man calls attention to U.S. apology" . UPI . December 19, 2012.
^ Merritt, Carol Howard (April 20, 2015). "Doctrine of Discovery" . The Christian Century .
^ Nuckols, Ben (March 10, 2017). "Opponents of Dakota Pipeline Bring Their Message to Trump" . NBC4 Washington .
^ "Denominations repent for Native American land grabs" . Religion News Service . August 22, 2018.
^ a b Horlyk, Earl (November 11, 2018). "Navajo Christian leader to speak at Northwestern College" . Sioux City Journal .
^ MC2020 |Campaign Announcement Video (Full) on YouTube
^ Martin, Nick (August 19, 2019). "Indian Country Is Finally Getting the Political Attention It Deserves" . The New Republic .
^ "Mark Charles chooses Sedinam Moyowasifza-Curry as running mate" . Independent Political Report . 25 July 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020 .
^ "Dario Hunter and Mark Charles announce Running Mate Changes" . Independent Political Report . 14 August 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020 .
^ markcharles2020.com/vp2020
^ Winger, Richard (August 9, 2020). "Thirteen Presidential Candidates Qualify for Colorado Ballot by Paying $1,000" . Ballot Access News . Retrieved August 21, 2020 .
^ "OFFICIAL 2020 PRESIDENTIAL GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS" (PDF) . fec.gov . Retrieved 2 February 2021 .
^ Jenkins, Jack (September 11, 2019). "Presidential candidate and former pastor Mark Charles confronts American history" . Religion News Service .
External links