Meet Nigeria’s Yemi Mobolade, first elected black mayor in US municipality

By Efosa Taiwo

Blessing Yemi Mobolade was inaugurated as the 42nd Mayor of Colorado Springs on June 6, 2023, marking the beginning of his first four-year term.

His election comes historic, as he is the city’s first Black and immigrant mayor, as well as one of its youngest.

Originally from Nigeria, Mobolade immigrated to the United States at 17, following his brother in pursuit of the American Dream through education. Therein, he earned bachelor’s degrees in business administration and computer information systems from Bethel University in Mishawaka, Indiana. He furthered his education with master’s degrees in management and leadership from Indiana Wesleyan University and in theology-intellectual leadership from the A.W. Tozer Theological Seminary at Simpson University in California.

Yemi Mobolade relocated from Indiana to Colorado Springs in 2010 and quickly became an active member of the community. As part of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, he helped establish a church.

Recognising a lack of cultural gathering spaces in downtown Colorado Springs, he co-founded The Wild Goose Meeting House in 2013, becoming one of the first entrepreneurs to invest in the area following the Great Recession.

His passion for fostering community collaboration led him to serve as director of outreach and engagement at First Presbyterian Church, where he co-founded COSILoveYou. This nonprofit unites more than 100 area churches in a shared mission of serving the Colorado Springs community. Continuing his efforts to create welcoming communal spaces, Mobolade co-founded Good Neighbors

Meeting House in 2017 in the Patty Jewett neighborhood. Around this time, he also transitioned into a broader leadership role, serving as vice president of business retention and expansion at the Colorado Springs Chamber & Economic Development Corporation. In this capacity, he played a key role in supporting local businesses and attracting new companies during a period of significant job growth in the city.

In 2019, Mobolade joined the City of Colorado Springs as a small business development administrator. In this role, he spearheaded initiatives to assist entrepreneurs, launching tools such as COSOpenForBiz. com and Permit Partner, and facilitating collaboration between public and private sectors.

In March 2022, he stepped down from this position to focus on his mayoral campaign.

Source: Vanguard