Prominent black conservative leader Robert Woodson dies at 89

Robert L. Woodson Sr., a prominent Black conservative leader, died on Tuesday in his Silver Spring, Maryland, home. He was 89. 

Over a 50-year span, Woodson fought racism, poverty and crime with a conservative approach that favored self-help over government programs. He rose to prominence alongside civil rights protestors of the 1960s, and he was part of Washington's inner circle in the 1980s, The New York Times reported. 

He consulted Republican presidents, was often quoted in news media, and was considered for a deputy Cabinet post. 

He was also an outspoken critic of New York Times Magazine's "1619 Project," which attempted to reframe American history by recasting its founding on the arrival of the first African slaves in 1619, as opposed to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 

Woodson opposed affirmative action and promoted Black economic development. He was the founding president of the Washington-based National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, which created programs using grassroots activists to address problems of crime, drugs, unemployment and housing. 

He also founder and was president of the Woodson Center, a non-profit research group that supports neighborhood-based initiatives to revitalize low-income communities.