Eboo Patel
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Eboo Patel is an American Ismaili of
Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...
Indian heritage and founder and president of Interfaith America (previously known as Interfaith Youth Core), a
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
-based international nonprofit that aims to promote interfaith cooperation. Patel was a member of President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
's inaugural Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships.


Biography

Patel grew up in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, where he attended Glenbard South High School. He attended the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
for his undergraduate studies and earned a degree in
Sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...
. He has a doctorate in the
sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...
of religion from
Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...
, where he studied on a Rhodes scholarship. Patel details his life and career extensively in his 2007 autobiography, ''Acts of Faith''. In the book, Patel notes that he became interested in religious diversity in college, where he noticed that conversations on multiculturalism and multiple identities did not involve religious identity. After graduating from college, he taught at an alternative education program for high school dropouts in Chicago and, inspired partly by
Dorothy Day Dorothy Day (November 8, 1897 – November 29, 1980) was an American journalist, social activist and anarchist who, after a bohemian youth, became a Catholic without abandoning her social and anarchist activism. She was perhaps the best-known ...
’s
Catholic Worker movement The Catholic Worker Movement is a collection of autonomous communities of Catholics and their associates founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in the United States in 1933. Its aim is to "live in accordance with the justice and charity of Jesus ...
, founded a cooperative living community for activists and artists in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. As an activist, Patel felt that diversity, service, and faith were important parts of civic life but found no community organization that touched on all three, specifically one that worked with young people. In response, he developed the idea for the Interfaith Youth Core, formulated through his relationship with Brother Wayne Teasdale and blessed by the
Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current D ...
, that would bring young people of different faiths together around service and dialogue. While a student at
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, Patel ran numerous interfaith youth projects in India, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. He officially founded IFYC in 2002 with a Jewish friend and a $35,000 grant from the
Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...
.Goodstein, Laurie. “An Effort to Foster Tolerance in Religion.” ''The New York Times''. June 13, 2011. Accessed August 9, 2012. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/14/us/14patel.html?_r=3. Today the organization employs approximately 30 people and has a $4-million operating budget. In addition to his work with IFYC, Patel has spoken at numerous college campuses and conferences across the country. Patel and IFYC partnered with White House officials in developing President Obama’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge, which invited schools across the nation to make interfaith cooperation a campus priority and launched in 2011. His second book, ''Sacred Ground: Pluralism, Prejudice, and the Promise of America'', was released in August 2012.


Work

* Patel has blogged for
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
,
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
,
USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...
, and
Sojourners ''Sojourners'' is a Progressive Christianity, progressive monthly magazine and daily online publication of the American Christian social justice organization Sojourners, which arose out of the Sojourners Community. It was first published in 197 ...
, among other outlets. * He is on the Religious Advisory Committee of the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Committee of the
Aga Khan Foundation The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is a private, not-for-profit international development agency, which was founded in 1967 by Shah Karim Al Hussaini, Aga Khan IV, the 49th Hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. AKF seeks to provide long-term ...
* He was on the Advisory Board of Duke University Islamic Studies Center. * Patel is an Ashoka Fellow, part of a select network of social entrepreneurs. * He is serving as Dominican University's Lund-Gill Chair in the Rosary College of Arts and Sciences for fall 2011. * Patel serves on the
Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...
’s Faith-based Advisory Council * He has spoken at
TED (conference) TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sa ...
, the
Clinton Global Initiative The Clinton Foundation (founded in 2001 as the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation, and renamed in 2013 as the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation) is a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code. It was es ...
, and the
Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiolog ...
Forum *He wrote "We Are Each Other's Business".


Awards


Sandor Teszler Award for Moral Courage and Service to Humanity
Wofford College Wofford College is a private liberal arts college in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was founded in 1854. The campus is a national arboretum and one of the few four-year institutions in the southeastern United States founded before the America ...
,
Spartanburg, SC Spartanburg is a city in and the seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest city in the state. For a time, the Offi ...
, March 5, 2013
2012 Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize
2012 * Honoree at
Union Theological Seminary (New York) Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (UTS) is a private ecumenical Christian liberal seminary in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, affiliated with neighboring Columbia University. Since 1928, the seminary has served as Columbia's co ...
’s 175th Anniversary, 2012 * Named t
100 Most Powerful Chicagoans List
by
Chicago (magazine) ''Chicago'' is a monthly magazine published by Tribune Publishing. It concentrates on lifestyle and human interest stories, and on reviewing restaurants, travel, fashion, and theatre from or nearby Chicago. Its circulation in 2004 was 165,000, ...
, 2012 * Named to th
“YES! Breakthrough 15” List
by YES! Magazine, 2011 * Named to th
“Top 50 Power and Influence” List
by
The NonProfit Times ''The NonProfit Times'' (NPT) is a newspaper based in Morris Plains, New Jersey, covering the business management of non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, n ...
, 2011 * Feature article in
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

“An Effort to Foster Tolerance in Religion,”
2011 * University of Illinois Outstanding Asian-American Alumni Award, 2010
Common Ground Award
given by Search for Common Ground, 2010 *
University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one o ...
br>Grawemeyer_Award
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in Religion, 2010 * Young Global Leader, World Economic Forum, 2010
Roosevelt Institute’s Freedom of Worship Medal
(with Interfaith Youth Core), 2009 * Stanford University Muslim American Contribution Award, 2009 * Named one of Islamica Magazine'
10 young Muslim visionaries
shaping Islam in America * Named one o
“America’s Best Leaders”
by U.S. News & World Report, 2009 * Named a “Future Policy Leader” by Harvard Kennedy School Review, 2008
David Kellum
award from th
Baha'i House of Worship
in Wilmette for service to youth, 2005 * Ashoka Foundation Fellow, 2004 * Prime Mover/Hunt Fellow, 2004 * Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow, 2003


Honorary degrees

*DePaul University, June 16, 2013 *
Claremont Lincoln University Claremont Lincoln University (CLU) is a regionally accredited private nonprofit online university in Claremont, California. It offers a number of master's degree programs. History In March 2008, the Board of Trustees at Claremont School o ...
, May 21, 2013 * Doctor of Humanities,
Wofford College Wofford College is a private liberal arts college in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was founded in 1854. The campus is a national arboretum and one of the few four-year institutions in the southeastern United States founded before the America ...
,
Spartanburg, SC Spartanburg is a city in and the seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest city in the state. For a time, the Offi ...
, March 5, 2013 * Colgate University, 2012 * Dominican University (Illinois), 2012 *
Illinois Institute of Technology Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour Institute and Lewis Institute in 1940. The university has prog ...
, 2011 * Loyola University Chicago, 2010 *
Elmhurst College Elmhurst University is a private university in Elmhurst, Illinois. It has a tradition of service-oriented learning and an affiliation with the United Church of Christ. The university changed its name from Elmhurst College on July 1, 2020. Hist ...
, 2009 *
Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries t ...
, 2008


Bibliography

* * * * * * *


References


External links

* *
https://web.archive.org/web/20090211145215/http://ifyc.org/about_core/staff
Bio at IFYC *
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4989625
Eboo Patel on
This I Believe ''This I Believe'' was originally a five-minute program, originally hosted by journalist Edward R. Murrow from 1951 to 1955 on CBS Radio Network. The show encouraged both famous and everyday people to write short essays about their own personal ...
-
NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
, Nov. 7, 2005.
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12098469
Eboo Patel on
Talk of the Nation ''Talk of the Nation'' (''TOTN'') is an American talk radio program based in Washington D.C., produced by National Public Radio ( NPR) that was broadcast nationally from 2 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. It focused on current events and controversial i ...
-
NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
, July 19, 2007.
''Voices on Antisemitism'' Interview with Eboo Patel
from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum

Ismailis in the News - Eboo Patel named to Obama Inter Faith Council {{DEFAULTSORT:Patel, Eboo Ashoka USA Fellows Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American Ismailis American Rhodes Scholars American political consultants American male writers of Indian descent People from Glen Ellyn, Illinois University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni American people of Gujarati descent Recipients of the Four Freedoms Award