Mark Charles

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]

For the American singer and songwriter, see Mark Charles (musician).
Mark Charles
Mark Charles in 2019
Born
Gallup, New Mexico, U.S.
EducationUniversity of California, Los Angeles
Political partyIndependent
WebsiteOfficial website

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
  1. Mark Charles and Soong-Chan Rah (2019). Unsettling Truths The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery. InterVarsity Press.
  2. Silliman, Daniel (22 June 2020). "For Third-Party Christians, Some Things Are More Important Than Winning". Christianity Today.
  3. ABQJournal News Staff (April 13, 2009). "10:25am -- Navajo Speaker Calls for '51st Virtual State'". Albuquerque Journal.
  4. Bennett-Begaye, (May 30, 2019). Jourdan "'Yá'át'tééh ... I am running for president'". IndianCountryToday.com.
  5. Heinsius, Ryan (May 31, 2019). "Member of Navajo Nation Announces U.S. Presidential Campaign". KNAU.
  6. "Navajo man calls attention to U.S. apology". UPI. December 19, 2012.
  7. Merritt, Carol Howard (April 20, 2015). "Doctrine of Discovery". The Christian Century.
  8. Nuckols, Ben (March 10, 2017). "Opponents of Dakota Pipeline Bring Their Message to Trump". NBC4 Washington.
  9. "Denominations repent for Native American land grabs". Religion News Service. August 22, 2018.
  10. Horlyk, Earl (November 11, 2018). "Navajo Christian leader to speak at Northwestern College". Sioux City Journal.
  11. MC2020 |Campaign Announcement Video (Full) on YouTube
  12. Martin, Nick (August 19, 2019). "Indian Country Is Finally Getting the Political Attention It Deserves". The New Republic.
  13. "Mark Charles chooses Sedinam Moyowasifza-Curry as running mate". Independent Political Report. 25 July 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  14. "Dario Hunter and Mark Charles announce Running Mate Changes". Independent Political Report. 14 August 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  15. markcharles2020.com/vp2020
  16. Winger, Richard (August 9, 2020). "Thirteen Presidential Candidates Qualify for Colorado Ballot by Paying $1,000". Ballot Access News. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  17. "OFFICIAL 2020 PRESIDENTIAL GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS" (PDF). fec.gov. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  18. Jenkins, Jack (September 11, 2019). "Presidential candidate and former pastor Mark Charles confronts American history". Religion News Service.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.