The Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins has made his mark in government, religion, and media. The former director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Biden, has also served as director of Interfaith Outreach for the Democratic National Committee, where he also led faith outreach during the 2012 reelection campaign of President Barack Obama. For decades, Derrick combined these prominent government roles with the one-on-one contacts with individual congregants required of an ordained pastor. And he brings the insights only this background can provide to State of Belief, Interfaith Alliance’s weekly radio program and podcast.

In this wide-ranging conversation with State of Belief host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, President of Interfaith Alliance, Derrick explores how the political climate has deteriorated since the Obama presidency, and how the oft-maligned term “Woke” actually represents an essential value. But you’ll also hear how contact with ideological opposites and the resilience he’s seen in so many people he’s served, particularly in African-American communities, give him hope and enthusiasm to keep pushing forward as the 2024 election cycle begins.