The Culture Tube is extremely proud of the Africans who won at the midterm elections, which took place on November 8, 2022. We wish them a successful tenure.
Segun Adeyina
Georgia State Representative in District 110
Segun is an experienced information technology specialist. He is a strong professional skilled in databases, IT strategy, data center, management, and system deployment.
Segun Adeyina vied and won the seat as a Georgia State Representative. He contested under the Democratic Party to represent District 110.
Adeyina is committed to better education, health care, and infrastructure among other issues.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/segun-adeyina-2849bb3/
Gabe Okoye
Georgia State Representative in District 102
Gabe immigrated from Nigeria to pursue the American dream, and through hard work and the support of the community here in Gwinnett County, he has been able to achieve success as a small business owner of a civil engineering company.
He has lived in Lawrenceville since 1992. He and his wife, Agnes, are raising their children, who graduated from Gwinnett County Public Schools. A lifelong Democrat and former Chairman of the Gwinnett County Democratic Party, Gabe was integral towards bringing new diverse, and progressive elected leadership to Gwinnett County and protecting the voting rights of his community.
As a professional engineer, Gabe believes that every problem can be solved, and we need a thoughtful, collaborative approach to tackle the challenges we face.
He has served the diverse community on the Gwinnett County Planning Commission, and was once the Chairman of Nigerians in the Diaspora Organization in the Americas.
Solomon Adesanya
Georgia State Representative in District 43
Solomon Adesanya is a second-generation American and a Marietta resident. He has volunteered on several campaigns to ensure an inclusive society for democracy.
He is part of the Cobb County Democratic Committee At-Large Post Seat term 2018, where he votes on the party by-laws. He often talks about his father’s ideals which were hope and the belief in the American dream.
Solomon understands the everyday struggle of Georgians. His primary legislative focus is on economic development, quality public education, expansion of Medicaid, protecting women’s right to choose, and preserving our climate.
Solomon owns the Kale Me Crazy restaurant in Smyrna & East Cobb, a salad, juice, healthy food restaurant in Cobb County, and is constantly seeking ways to improve his community. He is married to Ashleigh Adesanya, and together, they are raising their daughters Grace and Joi in Marietta “The Gem City” of Georgia.
https://www.solomonforgeorgia.com/
Tish Naghise
Georgia State Representative in District 68
Letitia (Tish) Naghise has a BA in political science from Clayton State University. She completed her studies at Emory University to become a certified paralegal. She’s also a certified fraud examiner.
She will complete her Master’s degree in strategic leadership development in 2023, from Clayton State University, where she serves on the alumni advisory board. She was appointed by State Court Judge Jason Thompson, to serve on his advisory board for DUI/Drug and Veterans on January 1, 2022.
Her journey as a community service advocate began a long time ago during the re-election of President Jimmy Carter. For a while, she wasn’t heavily involved in politics other than encouraging family and friends to register and to vote. She re-entered politics after her parents passed away, her children had become independent, her business was succeeding, and her husband understood that she had to get involved.
Tish is a long time supporter of social equality and people-centered democracy, where her tax dollars are used to give her fellow men and women a hand when in need, and inclusive of all people. She is a native Georgian.
https://tish4georgia.com/about/
Phil Olaleye
Georgia State Representative in District 59
Phil is the son of working-class immigrants. Traveling two hours one-way to attend a good public school. Working multiple jobs as a teenager to help support a single-mother-led household. The challenges facing working families and communities throughout House District 59 are not just theoretical for him – he lived them.
Phil is the Executive Director of Next Generation Men & Women, an education non-profit closing the opportunity gap for under-resourced high school students in Atlanta. Before that, Phil served as the director of performance management at WorkSource Atlanta and as a U.S. Peace Corps children, youth, and family volunteer in the Philippines.
https://www.philforgeorgia.com/
Carol Kazeem
Pennsylvania State Representative in District 159
Carol Kazeem is a Chester resident, activist, mother, and wife. She has been working tirelessly to bring equal voting, education equity, homelessness reductions, gun violence prevention, youth mentorship, and other relevant resources to her communities in Chester and the entire 159th.
In addition to her work as a trauma outreach specialist, she actively works in other communities internationally, to raise awareness to combat global poverty.
Carol’s impact reaches from the United States to different regions in Africa, allowing her non-profit to sponsor school-aged children and schools to maintain their access to equal education.
Carol Kazeem resides in the 159th district, where her activism and outreach efforts are well-known by her community. She has worked in healthcare for over 10 years as a caregiver, medical coder, and behavioral and mental health specialist. Currently, she serves as a trauma-informed outreach worker and violence interrupter.
Dr. Oye Owolewa
US Representative for the District of Columbia
Representative Adeoye “Oye” Owolewa is a proud Nigerian-American born in Boston, Massachusetts. His parents, born and raised in Nigeria, raised him with two guiding principles—a value in community service and an early exposure to science. This exposure became a love for science, culminating in him achieving a Doctorate of Pharmacy.
Rep. Oye has dedicated his energy to educate and advocate for DC Statehood and Equality. He participated in the historic March 2019 Lobby Day which resulted in a majority of the House of Representatives supporting DC Statehood for the first time in American history.
Esther Agbaje
State Representative for District 59B for Minneapolis
Esther’s parents came to Minnesota from Nigeria, to further their education, but she was born in St. Paul, lived in Brainerd, and went to high school in Faribault. After law school, she moved to downtown Minneapolis in 2017 to contribute to the place she calls home.
Esther advocates for environmental justice, serving on climate groups through TakeAction Minnesota and St. Mark’s Cathedral to promote renewable energy. Throughout her work, she makes sure to center the voices of low-income people and communities of color.
As a negotiator, as a lawyer, and as a former program manager, Esther knows how to advocate for the district and find common ground with other legislators in St. Paul.
Wala Blegay
State Representative for District 6 for Minnesota
Wala Blegay has been a Prince George’s County resident for over 10 years and is an advocate of civil rights, women’s rights and workers’ rights. She is currently counsel for the DC Nurses Association, a talk show host for the Chat With a Lawyer TV Show, which provides free legal advice to the residents of Prince George’s County, Maryland, and an adjunct professor at American University Washington College of Law.
Wala Ms. was born and raised in Washington DC and is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated. She is a first generation Liberian and Nigerian-American; a graduate of University of Maryland, College Park with a B.A. in government and politics; and earned a J.D. from the American University, Washington College of Law.
Wanika Fisher
County Council for District 2 for Maryland
Wanika is a proud daughter of immigrant parents. Her spirit of public service was evident at an early age, when she distributed petitions to build sidewalks in her neighborhood, so kids could walk to school.
She has served in the Maryland General Assembly since January 2019. She’s a prominent private attorney as well as a community advocate.
She is a member of the Lewisdale Civic Association, active in her congregation at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Hyattsville, and a major fan of Maryland Terps football and basketball.
Wanika is extremely involved in her local community and is passionate about families, women’s rights, equality, and equity for all.
Will Jawando
County Council in Maryland
Will Jawando is a civil rights attorney and formerly served in the Obama White House as associate director of public engagement.
He’s proud to serve his home county as an At-Large member of the Montgomery County Council. He was first elected in 2018 with the support of a diverse coalition from across the county, and currently serves on the education, culture and planning, housing and economic development committees. Through his work on the council, Will strives to ensure his county is a safe, vibrant, and inclusive community with great schools and a strong economy.
Will and his wife Michele are raising their four children in Montgomery County.
Yemi Adetola
Democratic Central Committee for District 32 in Maryland
Yemi Adetola is a long time Anne Arundel County resident “Best Place for All”, a devoted husband, and a former US Army reservist. His experience as a former US Army reservist, church leader, mentor, project manager, and community leader prepared him for this great opportunity.
He feels that he is fully prepared and ready to work for all families and communities in District 32.
He and his wife, Kemi Adetola, are co-founders of African Diaspora Affairs of Anne Arundel County. He serves as vice-chairman of the Laurel Race Course Impact Fund. He is currently a member of the inter-faith advisory council for Anne Arundel County. He also serves as an elder in the Harvest Intercontinental Church, and a minister with the National Association of Christian Ministers.
