TheGrio.com recently sat down with Joshua DuBois, who served as faith outreach director for the Barack Obama campaign in 2008, and in the Obama White House. TheGrio’s Joy-Ann Reid caught up with Dubois during the Congressional Black Caucus’ Annual Legislative Conference, and talked about his new venture, and his thoughts about the role faith has played in President Obama’s political life.
theGrio: Okay let’s start off with your history. Before you started with the Obama campaign, what were you doing?
Joshua DuBois: I started with then State Senator Obama when he was running for the U.S. Senate, [That’s] when I started communicating with him, so I actually go back to 2004 with him. Before that I was in graduate school and at Princeton working for Congressman Rush Holt from New Jersey. And I was working for an anti-poverty non-profit in New York called Seedco as well, and I was also associate pastor at a small church, so I was I think finding ways to try to combine my faith with the work that I wanted to do in public life.
And what was your capacity with then Senator Obama.
Yeah so I started with him as a legislative correspondent. I was the secondary guy on commerce and immigration issue. And then I led his work on trade and then I told him one day that I’m also a committed Christian and I’d love to engage the faith community on his behalf and he thought that was a good idea and we worked together on a speech in 2006; his first big faith speech called call to renewal. And once that came together and it went well we decided that he wanted to expand his profile in terms of engaging his values in a public way. And so we started formalizing our engagement with the faith community and moved to be the director of religious affairs on 2008 campaign after that.
How ironic was it for you guys on the campaign that he was constantly being accused of being a Muslim when he had so much prominent sort of Christian Orthodoxy even within his policy?
Yeah, it was fascinating how people could maintain two simultaneous beliefs; one inaccurate view on the president’s faith and claiming that he’s a Muslim when obviously he’s a committed Christian, and also attacking his Christian faith at the same time. But somehow, people were able to believe both things simultaneously, so you know it was a rough and tumble two years, but he obviously emerged from that in a successful place. And I think you know it strengthened our faith in the process to, certainly mine and the presidents as well. You know, anytime you go through a period of intense attacks like that it forces you to realize what matters most to you and so I think it was a bit of a defining period for both of us.
Talk a little bit about your work in the White House.
I led the White House office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. And our job was supporting both faith based and secular non profits around in the country in their work of providing services to people in need. A few areas of particular focus; one was on responsible fatherhood. So we equipped thousands of local non profits and churches and synagogues and mosques to help dads reconnect with their families. I also did a lot work on religion and global affairs; helping religious institutions and activists around the world partner with the United States Government on foreign policy objectives. And so that was a big thing. I led our work on mentoring; recruiting mentors, finding mentors around the country as well. And really tried to mobilize the voice of the faithful and working on the pressing policy issues like the Affordable Care Act and on immigration reform. So creating faith based coalitions on those issues was a big part of the job.
There’s a new pope leading the Catholic Church who is really getting a lot of attention because he’s really focusing the church back on issues of poverty. As a pastor and as somebody who has worked on public policy, what do you think that the American Protestant Church should be focused on?
I would say this is an exciting time for the American Protestant Church. Obviously there are a lot of significant and somewhat divisive debates now over abortion, over LGBT issues. But it’s also a time when the church is opening up to new issues of concern that were never on the radar before. For example, Evangelical Christians are engaging on immigration reform. There are massive interdenominational efforts on combating human trafficking. And so I think it’s a time for the church to begin being defined less by what they’re against and more by what they’re for. And if that continues to happen I think we could see [that] this a really a flourishing moment for American Protestants.
On that note, can you comment on the recent vote in the House to cut food stamps? Are we at a point where Christianity where unlike what’s happening in Catholicism, a certain segment of Christians are almost turning against the poor? A lot of these guys say they’re committed Christians, and yet there was this vote.
Well I am appalled by the vote in the House on SNAP — on food stamps. And fortunately millions of American Christians including some conservative Christians are disgusted along with me. People like Reverend David Beckman from Bread for the World, an Evangelical [anti]-hunger organization and others. And as you know this is just all based in complete fallacy. The vast majority of people on food stamps are either hard working individuals themselves, people who have recently lost a job and want to find employment, or senior citizens or children. And to look those folks in the eye and say that they’re not worthy of the most basic assistance we can provide. and that’s food, is I think a moral tragedy. And I think it’s hard for members of Congress to maintain that they are leading with their values if they can vote for more hungry people in this country.
And lastly, tell us what you’re doing now.
So now I’m excited to have a number of fun projects in the works. On October 22nd my book will launch; it’s called; The President’s Devotional. It’s based on the devotionals I send to President Obama every morning, so it’s 365 of those devotionals that have been meaningful to the President. And also to begin each month, there’s a longer essay with stories of faith in the White House; how my faith was strengthened, how the President’s faith was both tried and strengthened, and how the White House was a place of real vibrancy on issues of faith and values.
I also started a new firm called Values Partnerships where we help national nonprofits and foundations and private companies partner with the faith community to solve big challenges in the world — everything from climate change to fatherhood and a number of other areas as well. And working with Safiya Simmons and Michael Wear and others on that work. And then I’m doing some writing and commenting on issues that I care about and other things as well.
All right well I can’t resist, so I have to throw one more thing in as well. What’s the most memorable thing to happen in the White House, or your fondest memory in the White House?
There are so many! One was sitting down with the President and Billy Graham at Billy Graham’s home and just having that just tremendous experience being there while Billy Graham prayed for the president. And then as a surprise to all of us, the President started praying for Billy Graham, which was just something that I will never forget. Spending time with civil rights leaders and the president; folks like Rev. Joseph Lowery and C.T. Vivian and Dorothy Height, the quiet private moments that I was able to see them spend with President Obama. Particularly those like Dr. Height, who recently passed on, as you know, I’ll cherish for a lifetime. So there are lots of them. And then there were the moments of real tragedy, but things that I’ll never forget, like being with the president after the Sandy Hook Massacre, and seeing that moment of real brokenness in him and pain, but also seeing the president seek to comfort those families that had been through something that is just unimaginable. And so there were lots of poignant moments over the years and it’s an experience that I’m really grateful to have had.
Follow Joy Reid on Twitter at @thereidreport.