Ron Oden just wanted to serve his local community, but his election as mayor of Palm Springs, California, made headlines.
A native of Detroit, Michigan, Oden become the first Black person in 1995 to be appointed to the Palm Spring City Council. In 2003, Oden made history again, becoming the first openly gay Black man elected mayor of an American city after running on a campaign slogan, “Time for Change.”
“It meant more to people than ever I would have imagined,” Oden told CNN in a phone interview reflecting on the attention his election received. “The reason that I ran was to serve my community.”
His historic ascent broke a glass ceiling for gay Black Americans and signaled a shift in the politics of the somewhat conservative community experiencing an increasing gay population and tourism.
Oden said that personally, the election “meant that I had an opportunity to serve and to show the community the level of competence and expertise that a person of color, a Black man, can provide for the city.”
He would not have run for office or won without the support of the minority Black population of Palm Springs, he said, and added that during his time in office he faced opposition because of his political views and his race.
“When you have this paint job, there’s always opposition and because so many subtle nuances of racism that are there,” Oden said. “You will be surprised how much your race comes in when people don’t see you as being cooperative or a puppet.”
Oden served years as pastor of a Seventh-day Adventist Church in several cities but left the ministry in 1988. After a divorce, he moved to Palm Springs where he taught sociology at the College of the Desert. He said he was “well prepared” to transition from pastoring to politics, telling CNN that, “There is nothing more political than church.”
Oden’s political ascent paved the way for the election of an all-LGBTQ Palm Springs City Council in 2017.
Since leaving office, he has continued to push for equality and in 2007 was recognized with a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. In February 2020, Oden received a community service award from The City of Palm Springs Human Rights Commission.
Now 72 years old, Oden has returned to teaching at the College of the Desert and is spending time with his grandchildren.
He believes LGBTQ rights and other rights are in jeopardy in the US and that there is “a concerted effort to tell people who they can love,” but there has also been a lot of progress, he said.
He said he was fortunate to have the support of his family when he told them he was gay, also encourages younger people, particularly those who are Black, to not be nervous to open up about their sexuality.
“What a great time to be alive because, in my generation, we didn’t have anybody to go to … there are so many outlets that let them know that one day, you can marry the person that you love,” he said. “The world knows now that they can be who they want to be … you can be you better than anybody else on the planet, so no need in trying to be like somebody else.”
