Bob Woodson Lived a Life Dedicated to the Least, the Last, and the Lost

Robert L. “Bob” Woodson passed away earlier this week at the age of 89, leaving behind a rich legacy of faith, service, and patriotism. 

Born in Philadelphia, Woodson and his four siblings were raised by their mother after his father died when he was nine. He quit high school at 17 and joined the Air Force, a decision that foreshadowed a career dedicated to causes bigger than himself.

In the decades that followed, he became active in the civil rights movement and worked for the National Urban League in the 1970s before becoming a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

In 1981, Woodson founded the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise to strengthen and support local organizations in low-income and working-class communities. That organization would later become known as the Woodson Center and grow into one of the most important institutions in the country.

I met Bob in 2021 and quickly learned why he was such a revered figure in conservative circles. He was genuine, selfless, and committed to applying biblical principles to his community work. He had a deep appreciation for history but used the darkest moments in our national story as an engine to power him forward, not keep him stuck in the past.

He often described his political philosophy as “radical pragmatism,” but his practice of realpolitik never included compromising his values. He believed that every person is imbued with dignity and capacity, a worldview that often was at odds with the progressives who attempt to paint themselves as champions of the poor and downtrodden.

Bob’s goal when working in low-income neighborhoods was to empower leaders from those communities, not push programs that kept them trapped in the cycle of dependency.

He understood the former benefits the people who live in neighborhoods struggling with crime, drugs, and despair, while the latter primarily benefits the politicians, bureaucrats, and service providers who manage the poverty economy.

He was proud of the work he did to help end a gang war in one of DC’s most notorious neighborhoods and help prisoners turn their lives around. But Bob was equally invested in the people who bear the brunt of violent crime in the inner city.

That is one reason he launched Voices of Black Mothers United to advocate for families who lost loved ones to homicide—in part as a direct response to the progressives who called for defunding police departments after the death of George Floyd.

At his core, Bob was a teacher, and the public square was his classroom.

From him, I learned about the partnership between Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald, president and owner of Sears, Roebuck and Company. The civil rights leader and philanthropist partnered to build over 5,000 schools across the South for black children between 1914 and 1931. Unsurprisingly, Bob emphasized the fact that the black communities that benefited from the schools contributed millions toward the construction of the schools. This made perfect sense the more I listened to him speak.

When it came to the issue of race, Bob consistently made the case that agency mattered more than equity because he understood, on a deep human level, that uplift can never be outsourced. He rejected the self-serving victimhood of Ibram X. Kendi and the self-flagellating paternalism of Robin DiAngelo. He saw how both exploited America’s complex racial history for personal gain and like me, understood the danger of the symbiotic relationship between white liberals seeking absolution for sins they didn’t commit and black liberals seeking compensation for injustices they didn’t endure.

Bob, like Washington, was a leader who believed in building institutions. He supported the Piney Woods School in Mississippi, one of the oldest African American boarding schools in the country. The Woodson Center also created a curriculum focused on the lives of black Americans “whose tenacity and resilience enabled them to overcome adversity and make invaluable contributions to our country.”

The animated videos that accompany these education resources are critical learning tools at a time when some on the political left cry foul when history lessons are too patriotic and insufficiently focused on slavery and some on the political right seem intent on discrediting any contribution black historical figures have made to the country.

At a time when influencers focused on building their personal brand constitute a growing share of the modern conservative movement, Bob Woodson was a needed reminder of the good that can be accomplished when a person is dedicated to a cause bigger than himself.

It was an honor to call him a friend and mentor. He was someone who saw the nation, in the course of his lifetime, become a more perfect union by living up to its founding principles. He was also someone who believed that upward mobility for the least, last, and the lost is impossible without the cultivation of both agency and virtue.

There are future generations of young people who will be able to reach higher and see further because they stand on his shoulders. And for that, we should all be grateful.