Voice of America
07 Jun 2023, 15:05 GMT+10
colorado springs, colorado - After a history-making victory, Nigerian immigrant Yemi Mobolade was sworn in on June 6 as mayor of Colorado Springs, the second-largest city in the western U.S. state of Colorado.
Colorado Governor Jered Polis said he is inspired by Mobolade's story.
"Somebody who has dedicated his life to making Colorado Springs and America a better place, whose story we can all identify with, who came here, who started businesses," Polis said at the inauguration ceremony.
Mobolade moved to the U.S. 27 years ago as a student and became a U.S. citizen in 2017. He started a family, opened two restaurants and a church, and then won election in this traditionally conservative city as its first elected Black leader.
"I wake up every morning and I think it's a dream, and then I realize, no, this really happened," Mobolade said.
But what earned him the trust of many residents, some said, is his stint as the small business development manager for Colorado Springs from 2019 to 2022.
Some residents told VOA that Mobolade's electoral victory sends a message that their state is welcoming to people from all walks of life.
"Colorado Springs is lavishly hospitable," Michael Lipede told VOA. "If the natives of Colorado have not received us with an open heart, there is no way we will accomplish all we have accomplished," said Lipede, a lead pastor at Redeemed Christian Church of God Living Faith Sanctuary in Colorado Springs.
In a city of nearly 500,000 people that is more than 75% White, residents found hope in the fact that so many voters were willing to support someone from a different background.
"Coloradans ... don't believe in ethnicity, they believe in competence and capacity and capability, and they found out that Mr. Yemi has it all." Olawale Akinremi, a Colorado Springs resident told VOA.
"I feel hopeful about today. I love our new mayor, Yemi Mobolade. He is a man of strength, faith, character, and courage. And we are so fortunate to have him leading our city," Cindy Aubrey, Colorado Springs resident said.
Another resident, Nkechi Onyejekwe said "I think it is something that is very amazing to celebrate and I think it is something very timely as well," she told VOA, adding that "Colorado Springs has a very diverse population and I think that their legislative bodies should also reflect that."
Ami Bajah-Onyejekwe, a Pueblo Colorado resident said it is important for people to see someone they can look up to in positions of leadership. "Just by seeing someone who looks like you, who has similar background to yours and see where that person has reached, and the goals they have achieved," she said, "gives hope and says, 'I can do it as well.'"
Mobolade has pledged to be a leader for all of Colorado City's increasingly diverse population.
"I think today matters for a lot of young black kids because it tells them that the sky's the limit, that they too can step into the arena and lead," he said.
This story originated in VOA's Hausa Service.
Get a daily dose of Oakland Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Oakland Times.
More InformationWASHINGTON, DC - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he believed God was behind his election loss in 2020, even though he has...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Passenger numbers at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey have dropped sharply, according to...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: New single-family home sales in the U.S. rose sharply in April to their highest level in over three years as builders...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: A Florida mother, Megan Garcia, is suing Google and AI startup Character.AI, claiming their chatbot played a role...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. Army plans to change the records of transgender soldiers to list only their sex at birth, according to a...
MINNETONKA, Minnesota: UnitedHealth shares took a sharp hit this week, after a report by the UK's Guardian alleged the healthcare giant...
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he believed God was behind his election loss in 2020, even though he has...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Passenger numbers at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey have dropped sharply, according to...
BRUSSELS, Belgium: European Union antitrust regulators are examining fees imposed by payment giants Visa and Mastercard, Bloomberg...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. Army plans to change the records of transgender soldiers to list only their sex at birth, according to a...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said this week that it will require airlines to reduce the number of flights...
GAZA - The home of a doctor working in the emergency room at the Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza was struck by Israel Air...