“Staying Informed is a Form of Resistance”
Joshua Doss knows how to translate complex data into viral cultural moments, but at the 57th NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors in Los Angeles, he also knew how to win the blue carpet. The 30-year-old data scientist, pollster, and nationally featured TV commentator stepped out in style, bringing his grandmother, Ann Jackson, as his date for the evening.
Nominated for a 2026 NAACP Image Award, Doss represents a new generation of public intellectuals. With over 2 million followers across platforms and a resume that boasts work with national leaders like Kamala Harris and the Black Economic Alliance, he is redefining what a political commentator looks and sounds like.
While celebrating Black excellence at the L.A. Live Event Deck, Doss took a moment to reflect on the event’s theme, “We See You,” tying it directly to the current political climate.
“I think this is a time period where we need to be seeing each other, right?” Doss shared on the carpet. “Not to get too political, but we got an administration that doesn’t see us. And so for us to be seeing each other where we are, I think increases safety in our spaces.”
Before his analysis was regularly featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and on networks like CNN and NewsNation, Doss had to learn to trust his own unique approach to data. When asked what lesson he wishes he had learned earlier in his career, he offered a gem for anyone feeling like an outsider in their industry.
“I wish I would have learned that even if you’re not doing something the way that somebody wants you to do it, it doesn’t mean you’re bad at it,” he admitted.
Doss recalled starting his career at a massive polling firm in New York and feeling like he just didn’t fit their traditional mold. “I didn’t fit their style, so I thought I was not very good at it. But then I found some other support, and I realized that the things that I did that I thought were wonky were actually what ended up making me a pretty good political communicator.”
When it comes to getting Black men more involved in the political space, Doss’s advice is practical and barrier-free. You don’t have to immediately run for city council or lead a massive rally to make an impact.
“My advice is that getting involved can start really small,” Doss explained. “It can start slowly. It can start at like, just open up your phone and see what somebody who’s running for office is talking about. And then doing a little bit of an extra search.”
While he fully supports traditional on-the-ground activism, he wants people to know that it is not the only way to be politically active.
“I would love for you to be out there, to be clear. I’d love for you to be protesting, putting your body on the line, but you ain’t got to be doing all that,” he emphasized. “Staying informed is a form of the resistance. And I think that that is a message I would say to Black men.”
Photo Credit: Earl Gibson III for NAACP
