By Will Crossley As our country celebrates its 250th year, we face a question larger than commemoration: What story about our nation will we hand to the next generation? Too often, we push Americans to choose between two incomplete narratives: One denies the...
“The past should be a teacher, not a jailer. People don’t rise when they are taught helplessness. They are motivated to rise when they are shown examples of what is possible.” — Robert L. Woodson Sr., Wall Street Journal, May 25, 2026 Born during segregation,...
Bob Woodson had a rule for the people he looked for. They weren't in the press release. They weren't at the conference. They weren't applying for the grant or crafting the narrative that would attract the foundation funding. "The quality that makes them effective," he...
Our country still needs leaders who didn’t nurse grievances but chose the path of radical grace. By Robert L. Woodson, Sr. The 250th birthday of the United States presents a unique moment to celebrate beyond flag-waving, anthem-singing and praising the wisdom of the...
He challenged the civil-rights orthodoxy that the poor need big government to rise. By the Editorial Board The American civil-rights movement has many heroes, and one of the most unsung was Robert L. Woodson Sr. The native of South Philadelphia, who died Tuesday at...
A visionary leader whose life's work transformed communities from the inside out WASHINGTON, D.C. — May 20, 2026 — The Woodson Center is saddened to announce the passing of its Founder and President, Robert L. Woodson, Sr., who died peacefully in his sleep on May 19,...
There is a sentence near the beginning of the first episode of Resilience and Renewal that stops you cold. Bob Woodson is describing the South Philadelphia neighborhood where he grew up during segregation — a tight-knit, working-class Black community where his father...
He challenged black Americans in the 1960s and ’70s, then retreated into victimhood and grievance. By Robert L. Woodson Sr. At a memorial service for the Rev. Jesse Jackson, his son Jesse Jr. praised his “consistent prophetic voice.” There is truth to that. The Jesse...
By Will Crossley Black history is American history. The Black experience is the American experience. It’s an experience that rejects being bound down, rejects subjugation — whether from a British crown or an overseer’s whip — and embraces the freedom of self-reliance....
by Bob Woodson Where is our attention? Across the country, the loudest voices insist that America is tearing itself apart. Talking heads shout. Single-issue campaigns divide. Experts sort citizens into warring tribes. But beneath the noise, a quiet and shared sense of...
