Events

Unsettling Truths: An Evening with Mark Charles

The Seattle School is excited to host Mark Charles, Native American activist, public speaker, pastor, and author on campus for a lecture at 7:00 pm on Thursday, December 12, 2024.

During this evening with Mark Charles, we will unpack the far-reaching, damaging effects of the “Doctrine of Discovery,” as described in his book, Unsettling Truths, co-authored with Soong-Chan Rah, a prophetic blend of history, theology, and cultural commentary that has guided many of our professors at The Seattle School. 

Mark will discuss how injustice has plagued American society for centuries and our inability to move toward being a more just nation without understanding the root causes that have shaped our culture and institutions. The lecture will be followed by a panel discussion with Seattle School professors Dr. Paul Hoard, Dr. Jermaine Ma, and Dr. Ron Ruthruff. 

Join us on campus in Seattle or watch via livestream. Register to receive more information. A $15 donation is suggested to help cover the costs of this event. 

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Mark Charles is passionate about creating common memory as he works to build a healthier national community, especially across racial lines. The son of an American woman (of Dutch heritage) and a Navajo man, Mark is a graduate of UCLA (B.A. History) who works as an author, speaker, podcaster, activist, preacher and consultant. He is one of the leading authorities on the 15th-century Doctrine of Discovery and in 2019 co-authored the award-winning book Unsettling Truths – The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of  Discovery.

Mark co-founded a national conference for Native students called “Would Jesus Eat Frybread” and in 2012 he hosted, in front of the US Capitol, a public reading of the national “Apology to Native Peoples of the United States” that the 112th Congress gave but then buried in the 2010 Department of Defense Appropriations Act.

In 2020 Mark ran as an Independent candidate for President of the United States with a platform of building a nation where “we the people” actually means all the people.

Mark is a dual citizen of the United States and the Navajo Nation and works tirelessly to initiate a national dialogue on race, gender, and class, a conversation he hopes will be on par with the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions that took place in South Africa, Rwanda, and Canada.

Mark is currently writing his second book, Decolonizing Faith; his TEDx talk “The Truth Behind ‘We the People’ – the Three Most Misunderstood Words in US History” has over 300,000 views; and he has been featured on numerous media outlets including PBS NewsHour, CNN, Esquire, The Guardian, Voice of America, the Karen Hunter Show, Native News Online, Indian Country Today and the recently released documentary Bad Indian: Hiding Out in Antelope Canyon.

Mark is a gifted communicator who loves a good cup of coffee and he regularly combines these passions as he interviews guests and shares his paradigm-shifting perspectives on his podcast My Second Cup of Coffee.