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Butch Ware

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Butch Ware
Head shot of Ware facing left
Ware in 2024
Born1974 (age 50–51)
United States
EducationUniversity of Minnesota (BA)
University of Pennsylvania (MA, PhD)
Political partyGreen

Rudolph "Butch" T. Ware III (born 1974), also known as Bilal Ware in the American Muslim community,[1][2][3][4] is an American associate professor and hip hop artist who was the 2024 vice presidential nominee for the Green Party. He is one half of the hip hop duo Slum Prophecy.

Butch was born in Washington DC and raised in Minneapolis, he is a father, a scholar of abolitionism, revolution, and social justice.

For the past two decades, Ware has been an active public scholar, especially in response to the George Floyd murder in 2020 and the ongoing genocide in Gaza.[5] He has organized teach-ins, community education curricula, and other organizing initiatives. Ware has been vocal  as a public intellectual, activist, artist, and organizer, and supports communities across the country and around the world to challenge imperialism, ethnic cleansing, and  war.[6] He advocates for building sustainable, peaceful alternatives rooted in African, Indigenous, and Abrahamic traditions.[7][8]

He is currently running for Governor of California in the 2026 Gubernatorial election[9][10]

Education

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Ware received his undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota in 1997.[11] He received his PhD in history in 2004 from the University of Pennsylvania where he was trained in African History, and Islamic Intellectual History.[12]

Career

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A historian of West Africa at the University of California, Santa Barbara, he first began teaching at Northwestern University, and later at the University of Michigan.[13][14]

Ware is also one half of the hip hop duo Slum Prophecy. Less than two weeks before he began running for vice president, Slum Prophecy released an album titled Aqsa Flood.[15] He is currently an associate professor in the department of History at the University of California-Santa Barbara,[16] and the founder and director of the Initiative for the Study of Race, Religion, and Revolution ("ISRAR")[17][18]

In August 2024, he was selected by Jill Stein as the vice presidential nominee of the Green Party in the 2024 United States presidential election.[19]

On November 11, 2024, Ware announced that he would be running in the midterms to become the Governor of California.[20]

Political positions

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Gaza war

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Ware has likened Hamas's 2023 surprise attack on Israel to Nat Turner's Rebellion, viewing Hamas as a resistance group against Israel's illegal occupation.[21]

On October 11, tweeted "...Oppressed people don't have a RIGHT to resist occupation, we have a RESPONSIBILITY to resist."[15]

Informed by Black radical tradition, Ware is an anti-Zionist and believes that Zionism is rooted in white supremacy.[22]

LGBT+ rights

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Dr. Butch Ware is a staunch advocate for LGBTQ+ civil rights, firmly committed to full inclusion, respect, and justice for all communities. He has repeatedly affirmed his support[23] for the life and dignity of LGBTQ+ individuals. Ware acknowledges the historical leadership of LGBTQ+ activists in the fight for social justice and remains dedicated to defending their rights in all spheres of society.

His campaign aligns with Green Party values of full bodily autonomy, gender justice, and anti-discrimination protections[24][25]

In an interview with YouTuber The Black Authority in late October 2024, when asked "do you agree with the idea of biological males playing in female sports",[26] Ware stated: "I don't think that biological males should play in female sports. I think it gives an unfair [...] competitive advantage."[27][28] Ware has stated that his comments were taken out of context by media outlets, Tweeting, "The remarks in question, presented in a hostile interview, were misrepresented through selective editing to suggest otherwise. In context, I was engaging in what I thought was a discussion of a nuanced policy on Olympic inclusion based on information shared by the IOC, not making a statement against trans inclusion."[29]

Abortion

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When questioned[a] on legal limits for abortion in the United States, Dr. Butch Ware affirms support for reproductive rights, aligning with Green Party values that recognize a woman's inalienable right to make decisions about her own body.[30][31] Ware believes that safe, legal, and accessible abortion is a fundamental right, and that restricting access disproportionately harms young, poor, and marginalized women.[32]

The Green Party's  platform to reproductive rights, which he esposes  includes expanding access to contraception, comprehensive sex education, and public health initiatives to reduce unwanted pregnancies.[33] They support government funding for reproductive healthcare, including abortion services, to ensure that economic barriers do not limit any woman's ability to make choices about her body.[34]

Climate Change

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Ware, is a firm advocate for aggressive climate action and a just transition to renewable energy.[35] Deeply aligned with Green Party values,[36][37] Ware views the climate crisis as a human-made disaster exacerbated by corporate greed and political complicity. He rejects the notion that wildfires, extreme weather, and environmental collapse are mere flukes, instead attributing them to decades of fossil fuel dependence and deregulation.[38]

Ware's gubernatorial campaign prioritizes ending California's reliance on fossil fuels, holding corporate polluters accountable, and investing in clean energy solutions.[39] He has criticized both major political parties for bowing to Big Oil, citing the millions of dollars in lobbying that have stalled real climate action. Ware also advocates for climate justice, recognizing that Black, Brown, and working-class communities suffer first and worst from environmental destruction. He has pledged to fight corporate real estate interests that exploit disaster-stricken areas and ensure that recovery efforts center community resilience, sustainable infrastructure, and long-term environmental protections.[40]

Through his campaign, Ware aims to dismantle the fossil fuel industry's grip on California politics and usher in a future where environmental policy is driven by science, justice, and public good—not corporate profits.

Immigration

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Ware is a staunch advocate for immigrant rights and has centered his campaign on ending California's cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).[41] Ware has strongly condemned Governor Gavin Newsom's decision to veto AB 15, a bill aimed at limiting the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's (CDCR) collaboration with ICE.[42] He has criticized the long-standing racial profiling and civil rights violations by ICE, arguing that the agency's actions undermine constitutional protections and disproportionately harm asylum seekers and immigrants fleeing economic, ecological, and political crises—many of which he attributes to U.S. foreign policy and corporate exploitation.[43][44]

He believes that state cooperation with ICE not only disrupts immigrant communities but also erodes public trust in law enforcement, making neighborhoods more vulnerable to systemic injustice. As part of his campaign platform, Ware has pledged to enact policies that shield immigrant communities from federal overreach, advocating for a California government that serves all residents equitably, regardless of immigration status.[45][46][47]

Personal life

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Ware is a Muslim convert.[48] Ware stated in a podcast with The Thinking Muslim that he converted to Islam at the age of just 15 after being introduced to it by the autobiography of Malcolm X and then reading the Quran. He follows West African Sufi traditions and stated that "the Sufi tradition that I know tethers together spirituality with social justice".[49]

Electoral history

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[needs update]

Electoral results
Presidential candidate Party Home state Popular vote[50] Electoral
vote 		Running mate
Count Percentage Vice-presidential candidate Home state Electoral vote
Donald Trump Republican Florida 77,302,580 49.8% [b]312 JD Vance Ohio [b]312
Kamala Harris Democratic California 75,017,613 48.3% [b]226 Tim Walz Minnesota [b]226
Jill Stein Green Massachusetts 636,737 0.45% 0 Butch Ware California 0
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Independent California 619,232 0.43% 0 Nicole Shanahan California 0
Chase Oliver Libertarian Georgia 570,843 0.40% 0 Michael ter Maat Virginia 0
Other 498,132 0.35% — Other —
(Uncalled) — — — — 11 (Uncalled) — 11
Total 142,380,403 100% 538 538
Needed to win 270 270

Discography

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  • Aqsa Flood (2024)

Selected publications

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  • Ware, Rudolph T.; Wright, Zachary Valentine; Syed, Amir (2018). Jihad of the Pen: The Sufi Literature of West Africa. American University in Cairo Press. ISBN 978-977-416-863-5.[56]
  • Ware, Rudolph T. (2014). The Walking Qurʼan: Islamic Education, Embodied Knowledge, and History in West Africa. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-1-4696-1431-1. Project MUSE book 31232.[57]

Notes

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  1. ^ 48:57 [...] [Interviewer:] do you believe there should be any limits on
    49:03 abortion then[?] [Ware:] of course there should be limits on everything there there isn't there's almost nothing that should be
    49:08 left you know completely un unregulated um you know uh but you know I think that that a lot of the kind of common sense
    49:15 um you know uh uh uh regulations that most Americans agree on as a you know
    49:21 essentially 6040 issues you know something like 16 weeks and and and other such you know I won't go into kind
    49:28 of the the the fine points on it but of course there have to be um limitations there have to be regulations of of of
    49:34 abortion without any question [...][26]
  2. ^ a b This tally only reflects projections made unanimously by ABC,[51] Associated Press,[52] CBS,[53] CNN,[54] and NBC.[55]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Dr. Bilal Ware".
  2. ^ "Ep. 79: Slavery and Islam Part 2: Islam & the Abolition of Slavery - Bilal Ware – Studio". www.almadina.org.
  3. ^ Ebbiary, Alyaa (November 16, 2022). "Prof. Rudolph Bilal Ware". Journal of Education in Muslim Societies.
  4. ^ "Hub Foundation". www.hub-foundation.org.
  5. ^ "Meet Our Nominees: Jill Stein & Butch Ware". Green Party US. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  6. ^ "Stream Now: 94.1 KPFA Hard Knock Radio | Butch Ware on Culture, Resistance & Building Power". B.Ware For Governor. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  7. ^ "Dr. Butch Ware Launches Campaign For California Governor". Green Party US. February 6, 2025. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  8. ^ "Meet Our Nominees: Jill Stein & Butch Ware". Green Party US. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  9. ^ "Dr. Butch Ware Launches Campaign For California Governor". Green Party US. February 6, 2025. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  10. ^ "Watch Now: Dr Butch Ware On Building Revolutionary Change Through Electoral Politics". B.Ware For Governor. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  11. ^ "Meet Butch - Jill Stein 2024". Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  12. ^ "Butch Ware – Department of History, UC Santa Barbara". Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  13. ^ "EIHS Lecture: 'Visionaries: Second Sight and Social Change in West Africa Since 1800'". U-M LSA Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies (Press release).
  14. ^ Ebbiary, Alyaa (November 16, 2022). "Prof. Rudolph Bilal Ware". Journal of Education in Muslim Societies. 4 (1). doi:10.2979/jems.4.1.14. ISSN 2641-0052.
  15. ^ a b Staff, J. I. (October 28, 2024). "Jill Stein's running mate celebrated violence against Israelis". Jewish Insider. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  16. ^ "bware – Department of History, UC Santa Barbara". Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  17. ^ "bware – Department of History, UC Santa Barbara". Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  18. ^ "The Initiative for the Study of Race, Religion, and Revolution's Winter 2021 Schedule – Department of History, UC Santa Barbara". Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  19. ^ Buchman, Cassie (August 16, 2024). "Green Party candidate Jill Stein selects Dr. Butch Ware as running mate". NewsNation. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  20. ^ "Butch Ware, former Green Party VP nominee, announces next run for office". TAG24. November 11, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  21. ^ Flegenheimer, Matt (October 23, 2024). "Jill Stein Won't Stop. No Matter Who Asks". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 4, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  22. ^ How exemplary violence is used by colonisers and is being used in Gaza | Rudolph Ware | UNAPOLOGETIC. Middle East Eye. May 11, 2024. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via YouTube.
  23. ^ "'I am neither a Pro-life "abortion banner" nor a transphobe'". Green Party US. November 4, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  24. ^ "Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression". Green Party of California (GPCA). Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  25. ^ "Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity". Green Party US. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  26. ^ a b The Black Authority (October 30, 2024). Butch Ware Calls The Black Channel. Event occurs at 50:32 and 48:57. Retrieved November 7, 2024 – via YouTube.
  27. ^ Ring, Trudy (November 1, 2024). "Jill Stein's running mate, Butch Ware, makes transphobic remarks". The Advocate. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  28. ^ Hansford, Amelia (November 4, 2024). "Jill Stein's Green Party running mate opposes trans inclusion in women's sport". PinkNews. Archived from the original on November 4, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  29. ^ Ware, Buch (November 2, 2024). "My full statement as a single thread". Twitter. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  30. ^ "Reproductive Rights". Green Party of California (GPCA). Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  31. ^ "Green Party Calls For Mass Mobilizations To Protect Reproductive Rights". Green Party US. June 27, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  32. ^ ""I am neither a Pro-life 'abortion banner' nor a transphobe."". Green Party US. November 4, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  33. ^ "Green Party Calls For Mass Mobilizations To Protect Reproductive Rights". Green Party US. June 27, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  34. ^ "Protect and Expand Access to Abortion Services". Green Party US. May 31, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  35. ^ "Climate Change — Media". B.Ware For Governor. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  36. ^ "III. Ecological Sustainability". Green Party US. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  37. ^ "Green New Deal". Green Party US. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  38. ^ "Watch Now: Dr Butch Ware's Vision for California in Exclusive Tavis Smiley Interview". B.Ware For Governor. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  39. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  40. ^ "Dr Butch Ware (Green Party) Launches Campaign For California Governor 2026". B.Ware For Governor. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  41. ^ "Dr. Butch Ware Takes a Stand Against Governor Newsom's ICE Collaboration". B.Ware For Governor. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  42. ^ "AB 15- INTRODUCED". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  43. ^ admin (March 21, 2025). "'The Only Way to Resist is to Resist': Eight Takeaways from Butch Ware's FloodGate Interview". Palestine Chronicle. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  44. ^ "Dr. Butch Ware Takes A Stand Against Governor Newsom's Ice Collaboration". Green Party US. February 25, 2025. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  45. ^ "Stream Now: 94.1 KPFA Hard Knock Radio | Butch Ware on Culture, Resistance & Building Power". B.Ware For Governor. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  46. ^ "Watch Now: Dr. Butch Ware Calls for Organized Resistance & Hope at the Peace and Justice Center". B.Ware For Governor. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  47. ^ "Watch Now: Breaking the Duopoly and Building Third Party Power on Across The Spectrum". B.Ware For Governor. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  48. ^ Anderson, Brooke (August 17, 2024). "US: Jill Stein announces Muslim convert as VP running mate at online event". The New Arab. Archived from the original on November 4, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  49. ^ The Thinking Muslim (November 1, 2024). US Elections: Why We Must Be Radical - Professor Butch Ware. Retrieved November 7, 2024 – via YouTube.
  50. ^ "2024 Presidential Election by State", The Green Papers, November 8, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  51. ^ "2024 US Presidential Election Results: Live Map". ABC. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  52. ^ "2024 Presidential Election Results". Associated Press. November 5, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  53. ^ "Presidential election results 2024 data". CBS. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  54. ^ "Presidential election results 2024". CNN. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  55. ^ "Presidential Election 2024 Live Results: Donald Trump wins". NBC. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  56. ^ Reviews of Jihad of the Pen:
  57. ^ Reviews of The Walking Qur'an:
[edit]
Party political offices
Preceded by Green nominee for Vice President of the United States
2024 		Most recent
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