Monday, October 22, 2012

Upcoming Events with Mark Charles


Please plan to attend two important & enlightening programs with Navajo speaker Mark Charles!



Reconciliation: How Teachings from a 2,000 year-old Book Can Bring Healing to a 500 year-old Wound
Friday, October 26, 2012
Neely Hall 10:00-10:50 am
Culture and Arts Convo Credit

Mark Charles is a Native American leader who lives at Fort Defiance, AZ, located on the Navajo Reservation. He seeks to understand the complexities of American history regarding race, culture and faith in order to help forge a path of healing and biblical reconciliation for the nation. Using the indigenous art of storytelling, Charles will share, both from the Scriptures as well as from his personal journey, insights he has gained into the depth of the Creator's heart for reconciliation.

*Co-sponsored by the Office of Spiritual Development and the Department of English



An Apology, an Appropriations Bill, and a Conversation That Never Happened

Friday, October 26, 2012
Beaman A & B 6:00-7:30 pm
Academic Lecture Credit

On December 19, 2009 President Obama signed the 2010 Department of Defense Appropriations Bill, H.R. 3326. Buried on page 45 of this 67-page document is sub-section 8113, titled "Apology to Native People of the United States.” The White House Press Release regarding this bill contained no mention of the apology and it was not read publically until a small ceremony six months later. This is not how a nation of immigrants apologizes to their indigenous hosts for centuries of disenfranchisement, broken treaties and stolen lands. This talk will present efforts currently underway to publically communicate this apology so a conversation regarding reconciliation can truly begin.

*Sponsored by the Communication Studies Department


Biographical Notes:

Mark Charles is a speaker, writer, and consultant from Fort Defiance, AZ, located on the Navajo Reservation. The son of an American woman of Dutch heritage and a Navajo man, Mark seeks to understand the complexities of American history regarding race, culture, and faith in order to help forge a path of healing and reconciliation for the nation. He partners with numerous organizations to assist them in respectfully approaching, including, and working with native communities. Mark is a graduate of UCLA.

He consults as a resource development specialist for Indigenous worship through Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. He is the primary investigator in a study conducted by Brigham Young University on the Navajo perception of time. Mark serves as a board member for Christian Community Development Association and the Christian Reformed Church of North America. He developed and coordinates the Global Discipleship Network project through Christian Reformed World Missions.

Mr. Charles is currently traveling across the United States in an effort, as he puts it, to “understand the complexities of our country's history regarding race, culture and faith so that I can help forge a path of healing and reconciliation for our people.”