At a Glance
Bob Woodson’s heart is to see impoverished inner city black communities discipled. He has dedicated his entire life, from his first experiences growing up during Jim Crow to leading civil rights marches in the ’60s to today serving black America to “empower community-based leaders to promote solutions that reduce crime and violence, restore families, revitalize underserved communities, and assist in the creation of economic enterprise” (Woodson Center, Mission). Woodson is a man we can all learn from. He often tells stories of resilient black Americans who rose above their circumstances to love and serve their neighbors. However, as you listen to this episode, you’ll hear how his own testimony is marked by resiliency. Born during the Depression into a single-parent household, Woodson has gone on to advise presidents, build businesses, counsel leaders in academics, media, politics, and recently millions on the Dr. Phil show.
What You'll Hear
- Introduction (1:17)
- Bob Woodson’s story (4:08)
- The real history of Black America (12:39)
- Elijah McCoy and Robert Small (21:20)
- 1776 Unites and The Woodson Center (24:11)
- The importance of education (29:44)
- Persuasion through testimony (32:21)
- How to question the dominant race narrative? (38:24)
- Are you hopeful about the future of combating the race hustlers? (42:27)
- Conclusion (52:57)
Robert L. Woodson, Sr. is Founder and President of the Woodson Center, 1776 Unites and Voices of Black Mothers United. He is an influential leader on issues of poverty alleviation and empowering disadvantaged communities to become agents of their own uplift. Woodson is a frequent advisor to local, state and federal government officials as well as business and philanthropic organizations.
Using the link above, you can read the transcript, listen along, and adjust the speed of the podcast while you listen.
"America is a country of redemption. None of us should be judged by what we used to be in the past."
Bob Woodson (13:03)
It's an embrace of white supremacy for anybody to say that black people can't achieve until white people give them permission. That's white supremacy.
Quotes
- 11:05 “I think the opposite of segregation is desegregation and not integration. Integration is an individual matter.” Bob
- 11:41 “The civil rights movement was not conscious of the need to help people who are poor. And I realized the civil rights movement was really driven by middle class people just pursuing black middle class interest… So I left the movement and worked on behalf of low income people of all races.” Bob
- 13:03 “America is a country of redemption. None of us should be judged by what we used to be in the past.” Bob
- 13:37 “Delano Squires, one of my young colleagues said, ‘the whole nation is being driven by guilty whites who are seeking absolution from crimes they never committed. And entitled rich blacks are seeking absolution from injustices they never experienced.’ So there are people who are driving this agenda who are ill-informed, and those who are ill-intentioned, and so it is important for us to lead with agape love.” Bob
- 14:39 “When racism was enshrined in law, blacks had the highest marriage rate of any group in society because of our Christian faith. Our elderly was safe and our children were secure. But all of that changed with the ‘60s poverty programs, when the affairs of the poor were transferred from institutions like the church, neighborhood, and families – that authority was transferred to the federal government.” Bob
- 31:27 “It’s an embrace of white supremacy for anybody to say that black people can’t achieve until white people give them permission. That’s white supremacy.” Bob
- 32:37 “I believe that experience will always trump an argument. And a witness is more powerful than an advocate.” Bob
- 40:05 “And a lot of Christians are guilty of this, too. The kind of help they offer is humiliating to the people that they’re serving. They don’t understand that help must be given with grace. We must do it in a way that ennobles the person.” Bob
- 42:13 “You can injure somebody with the helping hand. It’s better to go in assuming that there’s already agency and capacity. What you’re seeking to do is augment that which is already there.” Bob
- 47:27 “80% of black Americans are against defund the police. You wouldn’t know that, and 60% of blacks polled said that racial animus is not a barrier to their success.” Bob
Before the government’s poverty programs of the 1960s, black Americans had the highest marriage rates. Their elderly were safe and their children were secure. Join Bob Woodson to consider what has changed.
Go Deeper
Red, White, and Black: Rescuing American History from Revisionists and Race Hustlers
Robert L. Woodson Sr., editor
An indispensable corrective to the falsified version of black history presented by The 1619 Project, radical activists, and money-hungry “diversity consultants.”
In the rush to redefine the place of black Americans in contemporary society, many radical activists and academics have mounted a campaign to destroy traditional American history and replace it with a politicized version that few would recognize. According to the new radical orthodoxy, the United States was founded as a racist nation—and everything that has happened throughout our history must be viewed through the lens of the systemic oppression of black people.
Rejecting this false narrative, a collection of the most prominent and respected black scholars and thinkers has come together to correct the record and tell the true story of black Americans in all its complexity, diversity of experience, and poignancy.
Collectively, they paint a vivid picture of black people living the grand American experience, however bumpy the road may be along the way. But rather than a people apart, blacks are woven into the united whole that makes this nation unique in history.
Should We Allow Reparations to Black Americans?
Dr Phil Season 21 Episode 130 with Bob Woodson
60 Minutes featuring Housing Activist
Some of Bertha Gilkey’s proposals that produced major changes include: public safety for children, vigilant residents, and private security. “It takes more than money, it takes attitude to change neighborhoods.”
Why Social Justice is Not Biblical Justice: An Urgent Appeal to Fellow Christians in a Time of Social Crisis
By Scott David Allen
“Highly recommended!” – Wayne Grudem, PhD, Distinguished Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies, Phoenix Seminary
“I urge you to read and share this book immediately and widely!” – Kelly Monroe Kullberg, author of Finding God Beyond Harvard: The Quest for Veritas
“We have long needed a book like this. Every serious Christian—especially every pastor—should read and heed the wisdom it contains.” – Tom Ascol, Senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church (Cape Coral, Florida), President of Founders Ministries
“We are a wounded nation now, and Christians need to bind up wounds and not make new ones. Instead of scorning those who push for social justice, we should recognize that leftist ideologues have twisted the concept of social justice, and some Christians have naively gone along with the distortion. Scott Allen offers an alternative that’s crucial to consider.” – Marvin Olasky, Editor in chief of WORLD magazine
Prepare yourself to defend the truth against the greatest worldview threat of our generation.
In recent years, a set of ideas rooted in postmodernism and neo-Marxist critical theory have merged into a comprehensive worldview. Labeled “social justice” by its advocates, it has radically redefined the popular understanding of justice. It purports to value equality and diversity and to champion the cause of the oppressed.
Yet far too many Christians have little knowledge of this ideology, and consequently, don’t see the danger. Many evangelical leaders confuse ideological social justice with biblical justice. Of course, justice is a deeply biblical idea, but this new ideology is far from biblical.
It is imperative that Christ-followers, tasked with blessing their nations, wake up to the danger, and carefully discern the difference between Biblical justice and its destructive counterfeit.
Why Social Justice is Not Biblical Justice aims to replace confusion with clarity by holding up the counterfeit worldview and the Biblical worldview side-by-side, showing how significantly they differ in their core presuppositions. It challenges Christians to not merely denounce the false worldview, but offer a better alternative—the incomparable Biblical worldview, which shapes cultures marked by genuine justice, mercy, forgiveness, social harmony, and human dignity. Learn more or download the free study guide.
