With a name like mine, I never expected to be in politics.
My name is Dr. Oye Owolewa: that’s oh-WOH-leigh-wah. I’m a pharmacist, I’m DC’s only citywide elected officeholder from East of the River, and I’m running to represent you on the DC Council.
I’ll be honest — growing up, I didn’t see the point of public service. Kids bullied me for my name. I started picking fights. I got suspended from school. My parents, hard working Nigerian immigrants, wouldn’t tolerate that. They pushed me to get educated, to become a scientist, and to give back to my community.
I graduated as the only Black man in my doctoral program, so when I moved to DC, I started volunteering in classrooms. When I teach kids how to do science experiments — when they put on lab coats and call each other “Doctor” — they realize the potential they’ve got isn’t limited by their skin color, the zip code they live in, or how hard it is for other people to pronounce their name.
With a name like mine, I never expected to be in politics, but I take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way. As your U.S. Representative, I’ve worked to get drugs off the streets, helped returning citizens get good paying union jobs, and secured access to the Covid vaccine for thousands of Washingtonians (and even vaccinated some patients myself).
I don’t have a vote in Congress, but I don’t sit around. When I notice a problem, I don’t wait for somebody else to fix it — I build the solution.
I’ve seen what people can do when other people notice their problem, and when they get the help that they need. Maybe it’s easy to be noticed when you’re the Mayor’s biggest donor. But it’s not easy to be noticed when you’re an immigrant. It’s not easy to be noticed when you’re only used to politicians lying to you once every few years for your vote.
When I’m on the DC Council, you can count on me to notice. And just like I’ve been doing, I’ll keep fixing problems, keep standing up for working families, and keep building the solutions our city needs.
