Unveiling the deeper roots of our systemic ecological and social injustice (interview with mark charles, 2020 independent presidential candidate, part 1)
Mark Charles (@wirelesshogan) is a dual citizen of the U.S. and the Navajo Nation who is running as an Independent candidate for President of the United States in 2020. His campaign vision is to build a nation where 'We the People' truly means 'All The People'.
Mark is also a speaker, writer, and consultant on the complexities of American history, race, culture, and faith. He is the author of the blog Reflections from the Hogan, and his book, Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery, is set to be released in November 2019.
Mark was the Washington, DC, correspondent and columnist for Native News Online and has served on the boards of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) and the Christian Reformed Church of North America (CRCNA).
In this podcast episode, Mark sheds light on why our social and environmental injustices are even more deep-rooted than the systems that we've set up; how the U.S. constitution, primarily serving the interests of white, land-owning men, has influenced the ways that our dominant society views and treats nature; and more.
To start, get a glimpse below into the conversation between Mark and Green Dreamer Podcast's host, Kamea Chayne.
“We need our Indigenous peoples to stand up and reclaim our space as the Indigenous hosts of this land.”
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This is a conversation on Green Dreamer with Kamea Chayne, a podcast and multimedia journal illuminating our paths towards ecological balance, intersectional sustainability, and true abundance and wellness for all. This preview has been edited for clarity. Subscribe to Green Dreamer Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or any podcast app to stay informed and updated on our latest episodes.
On the root causes of our social and environmental injustice:
"This is one of the challenges we face as a nation. It's not just that we have some bad policies; we have a worldview that's been shaped, framed, and formed by this doctrine of discovery.
This leads us to have a deep-seated belief that our role is to exploit and profit from the environment instead of to live sustainably with it."
On how Indigenous peoples can reclaim their role as hosts of the land:
"We need, in some very real and practical ways, this 300-plus million group of people to understand that they are guests in someone else's house. We need our Indigenous peoples to stand up and reclaim our space as the Indigenous hosts of this land.
That's what happened at Standing Rock—you had, for the first time in history, tens of thousands of native people, hundreds of tribes coming together, committed to the teachings of our elders, committed to prayer and peaceful protest in a unified voice saying to this nation: ‘You cannot drink oil and water is life.’"
This is part one of a two-part conversation. Stay tuned for part two in episode 180.
