The Wild Reed: Green Party Vice Presidential Candidate Butch Ware in Minneapolis

This past Sunday in Minneapolis, my friend Joseph and I attended a meet-and-greet with Green Party vice presidential candidate Dr. Rudolf “Butch” Ware III, who, although residing in California, spent much of his childhood and youth in Minneapolis.

This event was organized by the Green Party of Minnesota. Along with Dr. Ware, two Green Party candidates running in local elections – Rachel Braaten and Toya López – were also present, and at one point a pre-recorded video message from Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein was shared. Also shared was a delicious meal from Baba’s Hummus House and Mana’eesh Bakery.

As I’m not a U.S. citizen but rather a Green Card holder (or “legal resident”), I’m unable to vote in the upcoming presidential election, or any election for that matter. This hasn’t stopped me from supporting and working on a number of political campaigns over the years, both at the federal and local levels. I even had a summer of supporting progressive down-ballot candidates in 2020. The campaigns and candidates I’ve supported – Ralph Nader, Bernie Sanders, Marianne Williamson – have definitely been on what some would call the “left” end of the political spectrum. In reality, though, I believe what they represent is quite mainstream; centrist even. It’s just that decades of “voting lesser evil” and other concessions to the right have skewered the Overton window in such a way that the policies that the majority of Americans actually want are viewed and labeled as “far left” by the two major corporate-back political parties and the corporate media. It’s bizarre, I know.

Back in 2016 I noted that if I could vote, I would vote for Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein. At the time, a friend challenged me on this, saying that “the time to build the movement for a third party is not during an election season, especially one that’s close and where one of the candidates (Trump) wants to move us back fifty years.” I responded by noting that, actually, the only way for a third party to gain “major political party” status and thus help build a viable movement is during an election season, by securing a certain percent of the vote. I also invited my friend to consider that voting for an alternative, people-powered (as opposed to corporate-backed) party is actually the moral thing to do, given the level of corruption and dysfunction of the two corporate-backed major parties.

I would vote the same way this year, i.e., for Jill Stein, if I were a citizen. And I would do so because in good conscience I could not vote for either Trump or Harris due to their support for Israel’s ongoing genocidal project in Gaza and the West Bank. There are other reasons too that come into play, but the two corporate-backed major parties’ support of genocide, and in the Democrats’ case, their active support, is the main one. The Green Party, on the other hand, represents not only an all out challenge to genocide but also to empire and oligarchy.

Following is an excerpt from American Muslim Today’s September 4 interview with Jill Stein and Butch Ware.

Dr. Jill Stein and Butch Ware represent the Green Party’s historic ticket for the 2024 U.S. presidential election, uniting a Jewish woman and a Black Muslim man in a shared commitment to fight against genocide, endless wars, and climate collapse. Stein, a Harvard-educated physician and environmental health advocate, has dedicated her career to championing causes related to public health, environmental justice, and peace.

Meanwhile, Rudolph “Butch” Ware III, a historian and professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, brings his extensive experience as an activist and scholar focused on empire, colonialism and genocide.

Their campaign, seen as a bold challenge to the political status quo, emphasizes the importance of addressing critical global issues, particularly the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and the need for transformative domestic policies.

AMT: How is your campaign progressing, and what feedback are you receiving from voters on the ground? Do you view this as one of the most pivotal elections in recent history? Additionally, can you tell us how many states you’re on the ballot?

Stein: We are currently on the ballot in nearly 40 states, with an additional eight states where voters can write us in, meaning we are effectively on the ballot in all but two states. Unfortunately, our political system often limits voter choices, pushing them towards two parties that many feel have not adequately served the public.

Before the campaign even began, polls showed that a record number of voters wanted more options. A Gallup poll revealed that 63% of voters believe the two major parties are failing to meet the needs of Americans. People are searching for alternatives, and we’ve seen that on the campaign trail.

Today, we are facing unprecedented levels of economic insecurity. Over 60% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, and nearly half are severely stressed, with 50% spending a significant portion of their income on rent. Medical and student debt, along with the struggle to afford basic healthcare, are everyday concerns for many. Meanwhile, our government continues to allocate half of its congressional budget to wars, including the war on Gaza, leaving domestic needs neglected.

The recent massacres in Gaza have only deepened Americans’ frustrations. Many are demanding an end to endless wars and the reallocation of tax dollars to address pressing domestic issues. Despite facing significant obstacles, including legal challenges and attempts to undermine our campaign, the response from the public is clear: they want a fairer future.

AMT: What motivated you to join this ticket? Do the policies of the Green Party align with your values, and would you say it feels like a natural fit for you?

Ware: As a practicing Muslim, I never saw myself in politics, and I still don’t think of this as traditional politics. The Green Party isn’t about being politicians — they’re public servants. My decision was influenced by a profound spiritual experience.

I had a conversation with my Lord, and I was shown the Day of Judgment. God asked me, “Where did I ever offer you a weapon that you could use to defend your brothers and sisters in humanity, and you refused it?” Turning down this opportunity would mean refusing a chance to stand for peace and justice.

I had to set aside my books, my students, and my personal interests to stand alongside Dr. Jill Stein, an anti-Zionist Jewish woman committed to redirecting American resources to domestic needs and ending the misuse of tax dollars through foreign wars for companies like Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing.

. . . I grew up learning about the Green Party’s values through my friend Sean Young, whose mother was one of the first Green Party elected officials in Minnesota. This partnership [with Stein] was meant to be, and it’s grounded in our collective resistance to militarism and genocide.