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“[The name Owolewa], to put it in English terms, translates to money and duty,” says Mr. Ayo Owolewa — the man who together with his wife, Bolade, have lived exemplary lives and have done well to pass on the very same African values that have brought them thus far to their five children. The very notable one being Rep. Oye Owolewa who has just recently been elected into office as an unseated member of the United States House of Representatives from the District of Columbia.
The Voice of Africa had the rarest opportunity and one we deem a privilege to dive into memory lane with the parents of Rep. Owolewa, Mr. Ayo and Mrs. Bolade Owolewa. We discussed how as immigrant parents, both from Nigeria, they have managed to do impressively well for themselves, and raise five (5) children who are all flourishing in their fields of endeavors after graduating from Ivy League Colleges with academic excellence. Not only that, they habitually lend opportunities for children and many more in their community in the USA and back home in Nigeria to excel by training them in soft skills and the discipline to succeed.
Mr. Ayo and Mrs. Bolade Owolewa met when they both studied at Northeastern University. Mr. Ayo moved to the US in 1975 from Kwara State and Ms. Bolade joined the university three years after from Ibadan, Oyo State. Fate had it that they became friends and eventually got married after school. They both grew up in homes where providing for the needs of an entire community formed a chunk of their families’ spending. Mr. Ayo comes after four (4) generations who equally showed deep concern for the betterment of their communities. The deeds of past generations are what is ascribed to the Owolewa name. Ms. Bolade was born to an attorney mother who was breaking the glass ceiling for women in her days. She started volunteering at the age of 10 years while in high school and would go to the home of motherless children and read to them.
Little did they know that these acts of kindness and selflessness demonstrated by their parents would become the guiding hand for them to excel even in the USA, where it was and still is arguably culturally different and averse to Africans. Though they encountered hostilities being Africans in 1970s America, their transcending values allowed them to see kindness and selflessness as the way to bridge perceived differences. They persevered when no one wanted to sit near Mr. Ayo in class. They persisted when Ms. Bolade was told point blank by a University Advisor to go back home to Nigeria after a few failed academic tests. The same values led Ms. Bolade to, in the blizzard of 1978, share her food with unprepared neighbors who before were not speaking to her. And Mr. Bolade would share his room with another who could not get home.
For Mr. Ayo and Ms. Bolade, it is crucial to instill kindness and selflessness not just in their own children but in everyone they encounter. It is the only way they saw their parents cause a change in their days. Ms. Bolade’s mother, who became the first Female Senior Advocate of Nigeria from the East, advocated for women who were victimized in divorce cases and fought for the handicapped. Because of her, churches and public buildings in Ibadan began to create entry access for the handicapped. Mr. Ayo’s grandparents and parents helped the entire community with their substance and affluence.
It is no surprise that today, they are paying it forward in the US and back home in Nigeria helping as many people as they are able to. Ms. Bolade Owolewa was conferred on the traditional title of Iyalode of Omu-Oran (Iyalode is translated as “the mother of all women”)—the highest-ranked female chieftain in Yoruba communities. She has already started soft skills training for women, 60 of them, and young people teaching them how to make coconut oil, and liquid black soap. She with support from friends is giving them money for the training and to acquire equipment. The next thing she plans will better situate the women and young people would be to provide access to capital which will give the women the means to scale their businesses.
[To help Mrs. Bolade Owolewa with her causes, kindly reach her through boladeowolewa@gmail.com]
The memories brought back were refreshing for Rep. Owolewa who is standing on the firm foundation laid by his parents to continue the generational Owolewa mandate of helping people.
He cited, especially, the advantage he has as a second-generation Nigerian American to have the duality of Nigerian values and an understanding of American culture. He is then able to navigate in ways that most people cannot. Knowing the background of his parents, he says leaves him no choice but to live to extend the same arm of kindness.
This advantage affords him the know-how on how to represent not only people in DC but people that come from his background, the Nigerian Americans, and also people who just entered the US. In his words, “My team and I are able to, every day, raise the level of consciousness of what we [immigrants] bring to the legislative process.”
Rep. Oye also acknowledged the impact of the Diaspora on the African continent and intends on going back home to contribute his quota.
The mandate of spreading kindness and hope to people of all backgrounds anywhere in the world is fundamentally a generational trademark for the Owolewa family and one Rep. Oye and his siblings are not willing to let go or let down.
