Ugo Ugonwayi, an Igbo community leader and public health advocate, is running for a seat on the Brooklyn Park City Council, promising to bring a fresh perspective and “dynamic solutions” to the city’s most pressing issues. The candidate, who has lived in Brooklyn Park for over a decade, is well-known for her commitment to fostering community engagement and addressing public health disparities. She shares many similarities to her running mates but believes her focus on mental health and years of experience in that area is what sets her apart.
She is running for the Central District seat which is currently occupied by Councilmember Boyd Morson whose term is expiring at the end of the year. Morson has been redistricted to the East District where he will be on the ballot in November.
The other five she is running against are Steve Antolak, Martino Nguyen, Wole Osibodu, Shelle Page and Teshite Wako.
Because more than two candidates filed to run in the Central District, there will be a primary election on August 13 with the top two vote getters advancing to the November 5 general election.
“I am the only one of the six who has my experience,” Ugonwayi said, referring to her experience working with children as a social worker in the Osseo Area Schools District.
Ugonwayi has been in the city for 25 years, serving in many roles including a grant writer for Prairie Care Hospital and a licensed social worker in Minneapolis Public Schools and. Recalling some of the community’s stories, she becomes emotional: a local Igbo kid jumped from a bridge after being discriminated in school, and another girl hung herself after discovering her mom had complications from an aneurysm. Her grief over these losses drives her campaign.
“Mental health is huge,” she said. “I promise to address these issues when I’m elected.”
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Minnesota, approximately 1 in 5 Minnesotans experiences a mental illness each year. 1 in 6 youth aged 6-17 have a mental health disorder. Ugonwayi’s vast experience working with children’s mental health is at the forefront of her campaign, and she says she plans on leveraging her experience to create policies that will raise mental health awareness and make access to resources more accessible.
As a Nigerian social worker, Ugonwayi says she has seen how racism and cultural incompetence have impacted children in African schools. For example, many kids in Igbo culture are raised to not look a speaker in the eye during conversation, a behavior often seen as a sign of neurodivergence in the West. Ugonwayi says her experience bridges mental health and cultural competency and that she will take that experience to the city council to create a better learning environment for children of color.
“Schools are so quick to label our kids, but we learn differently, and we speak differently,” she said. “I bring a multicultural social work perspective.”
In addition to promoting mental health awareness, she wants to focus on bolstering the small business landscape in the city. There are approximately 1,500 businesses operating in Brooklyn Park according to Data USA. Ugonwayi wants to bring in new businesses so they can pay taxes in the city, but also support existing local businesses. She alsow ants more support for IgboFest, an annual festival that celebrates the culture and heritage of the Igbo people.
“When the Igbo Festival comes to town and it brings in 3 to 5,000 people,” she said. “Those people all support local hotels, putting money back into our economy.”
Ugonwayi may not be a politician, but she says her fresh perspective is “energizing the people.”
Early voting is already underway for the August 13 primary. We have an earlier story on how to vote early and getting ready to vote at this link.
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About Panashe Matemba-Mutasa, Mshale Reporter
Panashe is a general assignments reporter. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and a UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism Class of 2025.
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