Profiles of Roothbert: Ola Ojewumi
Ola Ojewumi wears many titles: public speaker, executive director, writer, political commentator. However, first and foremost, Ojewumi identifies as a disability rights activist. “All of my work centers on disability rights”, stated Ojewumi. “I believe we are more than just our disabilities. We are people who deserve all the freedoms afforded to the able-bodied.”
Ojewumi received the Roothbert Fellowship in 2011 for her studies in Government & Politics at the University of Maryland - College Park. Ojewumi resonated directly with the Fund’s emphasis on spirituality manifested through action. “Given that I’ve survived a heart transplant, a kidney transplant, and cancer, I’m very spiritual. My faith helps me in my work; it helps me see the greater purpose of my work. I feel that all of us were put on this earth specifically to make some sort of impact.”
“I still remember my first Pendle Hill retreat”, reflected Ojewumi. “It was eye-opening. We talked about the ten-year anniversary of 9/11 and how it affected us, especially as millenials. I’ve lived in the Washington, DC area my entire life. The Pentagon was my backyard.” Within the Roothbert community, Ojewumi found a collective committed to civic engagement and social justice.
By her sophomore year of college, Ojewumi had already established herself as an organizational leader. Ojewumi founded Project ASCEND, an organization geared towards equitable access to education, started with a college refund check. “I decided to invest a refund check for $500, and I was able to turn this into $5,000 within three months.”
Today, Project ASCEND centers on grants and scholarships to people from marginalized communities as well as nonprofit organizations. “Education is a great equalizer and increasing the number of students able to attend and pay for college is one of my greatest passions,” commented Ojewumi. Project ASCEND has distributed over $30,000 in grants and scholarships to students across the DC area.
Ojewumi is also the founder of Sacred Hearts Children’s Transplant Foundation. “Through Sacred Hearts, we give about 500 teddy bears, stuffed animals, and gifts to children seeking organ transplants in hospitals across the United States each year.” Ojewumi exemplifies creativity and resourcefulness, cultivating her organizations to help an ever-larger amount of people. “During Sacred Hearts’ initial years,” began Ojewumi, “one of my professors offered extra credit to classmates who would bring in stuffed animals to donate and support our cause.”
Ojewumi’s experiences, from navigating the U.S. healthcare system to everyday life as a person with both visible and invisible disabilities, inform her advocacy work. Ojewumi has spoken alongside Senator Cory Booker in defense of the Affordable Care Act, provided political commentary on several major media outlets, and most recently published a series through NBC highlighting the prevalence of disabilities among society’s most influential people.
“The campaign is called ‘The Disabled Black History Campaign’. For 28 days, I highlighted black people with disabilities who made an impact. From Martin Luther King to Halle Berry to Amanda Gorman, it’s important for everyone to know about the impact of people with disabilities, particularly black people with disabilities.”
Ojewumi’s scope in her advocacy work for people with disabilities is thorough and rooted in political engagement. In clarifying certain freedoms and privileges often overlooked by able-bodied people, Ojewumi illuminated voting rights, public transportation access, and employment discrimination. “It is legal to pay people with disabilities sub-minimum wage,” shared Ojewumi. The provision of accessible polling places, let alone ensuring the ability to leave one’s home, continue to be overlooked and taken for granted.
Ojewumi continues to advocate for multiple communities through multiple means. Whether transforming a college refund check into a well-established non-profit organization, offering her perspective and insight across several major news networks, or highlighting the impact and intersectionality of ability and race in the United States, Ola Ojewumi incarnates the power of spirituality manifested into action.
