Charter for Compassion is an international networking effort to advance its conception of compassionate action and thinking. It supports several left-leaning priorities, including adopting restorative justice, addressing racism in a manner consistent with the Black Lives Matter movement, reducing inequality, promoting inclusion, and supporting left-of-center notions of social justice. Its donors include major left-of-center organizations.

The organization hosts the Charter for Compassion document, which is an agreement to act with compassion and live by the “Golden Rule,” the maxim that one should treat others as one would want to be treated. Its focus is to promote the Charter and increase the number of cities, communities, and partners that acknowledge and support the Charter by providing educational resources, organizing tools, and communication channels to those in the network.

Originally known as Charter for Compassion International, the organization changed its name to Charter for Compassion in 2018. ¹

Background

The Charter for Compassion organization hosts the Charter for Compassion document and supports the Charter by providing educational resources, organizing tools, and communication channels to those in the network. It organizes and sponsors conferences and initiatives to connect communities that also support the Charter. ²

In February 2008, religious historian and author Karen Armstrong was awarded the TED Prize and worked with TED on a project to launch and propagate a Charter for Compassion. ³ A draft was published online and over 150,000 people from 180 countries contributed recommendations. ⁴ It was finalized by a Council of Conscience made up of leaders from Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. The charter was launched November 12, 2009, in 60 locations around the world in synagogues, mosques, temples, and churches. ⁵

The effort was also sponsored by Compassionate Action Network, ⁶ which provided startup assistance, including staff, fundraising support, and strategic planning. ⁷

The Charter is a document that calls for compassion and is based on the “Golden Rule,” namely the maxim that we should treat others as we would want to be treated. It has been signed by prominent figures such as Pope Benedict XVI, the Dalai Lama, the Desmond Tutu, Deepak Chopra, and Muhammad Ali. ⁸

As of the end of 2022, Charter for Compassion claimed over 300 volunteers, 3,000 partners, and a network of over 450 “Compassionate Cities.” ⁹

Programs and Events

Compassionate Communities was launched in April 2010 when Seattle, Washington became the first city to sign the Charter of Compassion. ¹⁰ In September 2021, the California State Legislature passed “Compassionate California” declaring California as the first “compassionate state” in the nation and a leader in the movement. ¹¹

The group promotes the annual events 40 Days of Peace, Annual Compassion Days, and Golden Rule Day to provide virtual presentations, panel discussions, documentaries, courses, and other compassion-related activities. ¹²

The Charter Education Institute offers in-person and online courses that present the concepts of compassion and how to cultivate it. Courses include Essence of Compassion, Charter for Compassion, and Creating a Compassionate Action Plan. ¹³

Organization

Charter for Compassion is organized into three divisions: Charter Teams, a board of trustees, and a Global Compassion Council.

Charter Teams are a mix of staff and volunteers that are geographically aligned. These teams are responsible for the operations of the organization and work with local cities and communities on projects and events. ¹⁴

The board of trustees is the organization’s executive committee and includes representatives from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. ¹⁵ United States board members include Starita Boyce Ansari, founder of The New 3Rs, an online education program that teaches Critical Race Theory; Vance Blackfox, the director of Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; and Gard Jameson, founder and chair of Children’s Advocacy Alliance. ¹⁶

The Global Compassion Council was formed in 2014 as an advisory group to the board of trustees ¹⁷ and has 37 members. ¹⁸

Sectors

The Charter for Compassion focuses on 12 sectors: arts, business, education, environment, gender partnerships, health, peace, restorative justice, RISE (religion interfaith spirituality for everyone), science and research, social justice, and social services. ¹⁹

In the education sector, Charter for Compassion plans to launch an education project, “Compassion Rising,” targeting youth. It incorporates many left-leaning concepts such as the critical race theory-influenced concept of structural racism as aligned with the Black Lives Matter movement, inequality, climate change, diversity, inclusion, and collective action. ²⁰

In the gender partnerships sector, Charter for Compassion partners with Our Pride on LGBT Pride events ²¹ to help address perceived racism, oppression, colonialism, criminalization, discrimination, police brutality, and transphobia affecting LGBT people. ²²

Restorative justice is a left-aligned practice of addressing criminal behavior through mediation and conflict resolution between offenders and victims and avoiding the criminal justice system. ²³ The Charter for Compassion has identified this as a focus sector. ²⁴

The social justice sector highlights the book Dangerous Memories – Invasion and Resistance Since 1492 ²⁵ which describes “resistance throughout the Americas to the invasion and the ongoing seizure of land and people.” ²⁶ It is recommended by the Zinn Education Project, which seeks to promote left-leaning interpretations of history for the K-12 educational system. ²⁷ Additional resources in the Social Justice sector include Ungovernable 2017 which described a resistance to the “Trump regime,” declaring its refusal to “accept the wanton reintroduction of white supremacy, right wing populism and fascism, state sanctioned patriarchy, and the expansion and consolidation of a neo-Confederacy” ²⁸ and “Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda.” ²⁹

Donors

Donors include left-of-center foundations and organizations such as Skoll Foundation, Schwab Charitable Fund, ³⁰  and League of Women Voters of Washington County. ³¹

Leadership

Founder Karen Armstrong is a religious historian and author. She became a nun when she was 17 and left the convent after seven years. She then earned a degree in literature. At the age of 38 she became a full-time freelance writer and broadcaster focusing on religion, also producing television shows based on religion. From 1983 to 2019 she published ten books, all with religious themes. ³²

Marilyn Turkovich is executive director. Previously she was the former director of the Urban Education Program for the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, chair of Columbia College’s Graduate Program in Multicultural and Global Education, and director of the Voices in Wartime Education Project. ³³

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