In November 2003, he was elected the first gay African-American mayor of Palm Springs, California, after serving eight years on the city council.

He attended Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, earning a Bachelor of Arts in History, Sociology, and Theology.

[10] In 1990, Oden moved to Palm Springs, California, to begin teaching at the College of the Desert as an adjunct Sociology instructor.

Concern about educational and social issues motivated Oden to enter politics, and in 1995, he was elected to the Palm Springs City Council.

He wanted elected officials to disclose their income and its sources, a response to allegations of "conflict of interest between the current mayor Steve Pougnet and a private developer."

Finally, Oden acknoweledged that he had been out of politics for several years, and said he "hopes to channel Frank Bogert," the city's first directly elected mayor, who successfully "came back for seconds" almost three decades later.