Now that Barack Obama has reached his goal of winning the White House, I believe we have found our next young political “star;” Mr. Joshua DuBois.
According to the New York Times, Obama has selected DuBois to serve as director of the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
Formerly known as the Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives, the office was established by the Bush administration in 2001 with the goal of providing funding and partnerships to faith-based organizations that offer vital social services.
Obama plans to reorganize the office so that it not only distributes grants, but also develops other ways to involve faith-based groups in addressing various problems.
At age 26, DuBois will definitely become perhaps the nation’s youngest director of a federal government department. His rise to success is inspiring to both young people and elders who had doubts about the direction of today’s generation. But don’t let his youth fool you into thinking that he’s inexperienced or untested.
The stepson of a minister, DuBois was born in Maine but raised in Nashville and Xenia, Ohio. He graduated cum laude from Butler University in 2003 with a degree in political science, and a master’s degree in public affairs from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and National Affairs in 2005.
Since age 18, he has been an associate pastor at Calvary Praise & Worship Center, a small congregation in Massachusetts affiliated with the United Pentecostal Council of the Assemblies of God.
In a few years DuBois “paid his dues” on the way up the political ladder. He worked for Rep. Rush Holt of New Jersey, and Rep. Charles Rangel of New York, the most powerful Black member of Congress. After three attempts, DuBois was hired as a Senate aide for Obama, then became the religious affairs director for Obama’s presidential campaign.
Perhaps more than any single person, DuBois was responsible for Obama’s aggressive outreach to the faith community. He organized thousands of “American values” house parties across the country, created a webpage for religious supporters of Obama and convened landmark meetings between Obama and conservative evangelical ministers.
This approach helped Obama become the first Democratic candidate in decades to crack the socially conservative voting bloc that usually supports the so-called “religious right.”
DuBois’ appointment has been welcomed by several Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders.
Like Obama, however, he has a very challenging task ahead of him. He must now establish the relevancy of an office that is still unknown to many people in the faith community, and make it financially effective during a time of economic uncertainty.
Fortunately, DuBois seems to have the creativity, energy and talent to get the job done.
Here are some quick suggestions for him:
* Conduct a strong public relations campaign to properly introduce the Office of Faith Based and Religious Partnerships.
DuBois can start from the top with the leaders of national religious organizations, and work his way down to churhes, mosques, temples and other local houses of worship, as well as faith-based social service oganizations. He can use television appearances, radio commercials, a new web site and a mail campaign.
* Engage the organizations
DuBois can invite faith-based organizations to beocme members of a national database maintaned by his office. Members will be able to receive, via paper mail or e-mail, monthly updates on new grants, programs and events available to them.
DuBois can also convene workshops and forums (sometimes featuring Obama) that will allow faith leaders to discuss and create solutions for pressing problems.
* Increase efficiency
In addition to the federal office of faith based program, there are several similar offices across the country on the state and local level. DuBois can offer state and local officials the opportunity to consolidate into the federal office, which will simplify processes for faith leaders and save taxpayer resources. In order to still be sensitive to the needs of a partuclar area, DuBois can still use regional representatives.
* Give away the money
Ok, so it goes against human nature to track people down just to give them money, but DuBois might want to consider conducting annual workshops in each state so faith based institutions may learn how to file for grants to fund their service programs.
“Joshua” must be a blessed name, because every person I know or have seen with that name has a special anointing on everything they do, from Joshua of the Bible to Joshua Allen, winner of the latest season of the Fox TV show “So You Think You Can Dance.”
Joshua DuBois carries a favored first name, plus the last name of a great Black activist, NAACP founder W.E.B. DuBois. No wonder this brother is so good at what he does; he has a double blessing! He’s what the old Pentecostal pastors used to call a “double portion” man.
All jokes aside, only time will tell whether or not Joshua DuBois will live up to the promise of his name, and whether the White House faith based program will finally become an effective part of the solutions in our communities.
Let’s keep him and our new president in prayer.
