Op-Ed: Oakes’ story is a quintessential Brooklyn tale — one of struggle, community, and hope but it also challenges readers to stop waiting for outside saviors and broken systems to change, and instead to reclaim their own power and build community solutions.
I’ve proudly called Brooklyn my home for over a quarter century, working for much of that time at the nation’s first community development corporation, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, and more recently leading The HOPE Program, a citywide workforce development organization headquartered in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn. Throughout these years, I have witnessed countless stories of resilience and transformation. But meeting Cleveland Oakes at a recent HOPE alumni event truly brought my journey full circle. His story embodies the very mission I have dedicated my life to advancing: creating pathways for Brooklyn residents to reclaim their power and build better futures.
When Oakes first introduced himself, his warmth and confidence made me think he was a community partner or guest speaker. I soon learned he was a HOPE works alumnus, someone who had built a varied career — from blue-collar jobs to a longstanding role at NBC, later earning a master’s degree in mental health, and ultimately pursuing his calling as a counselor. His presence carried the quiet strength of someone who has overcome, learned and is now giving back.
In his book Waiting for White Jesus: Reclaiming Agency in a World That Tells You to Wait, Oakes shares his layered identities growing up as a Black male in a Jehovah’s Witness household in Bed-Stuy’s Sumner Houses during the height of the crack epidemic. He writes about the heavy legacy of redlining, mass incarceration and disinvestment — barriers that still weigh on many of our Brooklyn neighbors today. While the book documents obstacles and systemic issues, it offers lessons on how to confront your past, embrace your trauma and take concrete steps toward personal and professional growth. His journey from maintenance work to mental health counseling is a blueprint for how persistence, self-awareness and education can transform lives.
Oakes also honors community-based solutions like sou sous (community savings circles) and local credit unions, highlighting how residents have built safety nets and systems of care when traditional institutions failed them. This emphasis on collective resilience mirrors the work we do at HOPE and have long supported at Restoration — empowering individuals not only with skills and jobs but also with financial tools and a sense of belonging to break cycles of poverty.
One of the most striking aspects of the book is how Oakes interweaves messages from scripture with insights from mental health professionals, motivational coaches like Jack Canfield and Stephen Covey, and thinkers such as bell hooks and W.E.B. Du Bois. This rich tapestry lends depth to his message, offering readers multiple lenses to understand agency, hope and self-determination.
Despite its provocative title, Waiting for White Jesus is not a religious book. Rather, it is a call to action. It challenges readers to stop waiting for outside saviors and broken systems to change, and instead to reclaim their own power and build community solutions. Oakes’ story is a quintessential Brooklyn tale — one of struggle, community, and hope. As he shares,
“Every lesson shared in my book began with the foundation I received at HOPE. It was there I learned my history, began to embrace my trauma, and discovered a truth I now carry forward in my work and life.”
That commitment to lifting others up and “paying it forward” is exactly the culture we strive to nurture at HOPE.
I strongly urge you to read Waiting for White Jesus. Whether for yourself, someone you know who feels stuck or as a reminder for those of us in mission-driven work, it inspires us to believe in what is possible when agency, hope and community support come together to create lasting change.
Read the op-ed piece by our Executive Director, Tracey Capers, in BKReader.
