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October 25, 2024, Adrian, Michigan – “You cannot discover lands that are already inhabited. You can conquer those lands, you can steal those lands, you can even colonize those lands, but you can’t discover them unless your church or someone else tells you that the people living there are not fully human.”

That was among the opening words of Mark Charles, a Native American activist, speaker, author, consultant, former Baptist minister, and 2020 independent candidate for U.S. President as he gave the keynote address of the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Indigenous Peoples Day Teach-in on October 14, 2024. The event was sponsored by the Congregation’s Office of Peace, Justice, and Integrity of Creation. 

Mark emphasized that the day was Indigenous Peoples Day and not Columbus Day. The United States is in a period of transition “from celebrating discovery and dehumanization to a culture and a people that’s celebrating Indigenous Peoples and their heritage and our presence on their lands,” he said. 

His talk focused on the Doctrine of Discovery, a series of papal bulls written between 1452 and 1493, encouraging European nations to conquer and colonize any land not inhabited by Christians. Mark spent much of his talk describing how the Doctrine of Discovery influenced the foundation of the United States. The information was new and could be troubling to many members of the audience, he said, but the goal is “to build a healthier community through the creation of what I like to call a common memory.”

The keynote address was followed by a panel discussion of members of the Peoples of the Four Winds of Lenawee, made up of local Native Americans and allies.

Watch Mark’s presentation and the response on the Adrian Dominican Sisters Video Library. 
 

Caption for above feature photo: Panelists from the People of the Four Winds of Lenawee give their feedback during the Indigenous Peoples Day Teach-in, while Mark Charles, the keynote speaker, listens via Zoom.