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African American Advisory Committee
Information and Events
In 2008, Edward Smith worked with the city of Tempe to form the African American Advisory Group (now: Committee) as a Tempe History Museum advisory committee. Its purpose continues as a way "to create a forum, to collect and preserve the African American history of Tempe, and to promote those stories for the benefit of the community of Tempe." The group's first task was to complete oral histories to document the stories of African Americans in Tempe. The committee worked with museum staff on a book on Tempe's African American history that was distributed to all Tempe Schools. This information was incorporated into the museum's permanent exhibitions and the AAAC continues to advise staff of elements within the exhibits.
The African American Advisory Committee meets monthly to plan events for Black History Month and Juneteenth. The group has formed a book club and hosts "Community Chats" which are forums to discuss topics of interest and importance to the African American community of Tempe.
Current initiatives of the committee include planning for 2023 events such as Black History Month and Juneteenth, and supporting issues important to the Black community such as keeping harmful substances out of the hands of children. This resolution was passed at the December 2022 meeting in support of a comprehensive ordinance to end the sale of all flavored tobacco and nicotine products within the City of Tempe.
If you are interested in visiting or joining the committee, please contact the museum at 480-350-5100 for the current schedule of meetings and events. Members of the committee must live or work in Tempe and be committed to advancing the mission of the committee.
2023 AAAC Committee Members
Left to right: Pastor Brenda Valdez, Lisa Groom, Kim Dartez, Ahmad Daniels, Dr. Felicia Durden, Yvonne Rich, JoAn Cooks (Vice Chair), Vera Brooks (Founding Member), Robert Brooks (Founding Member), Willie Mae Crosby (Chair), Willetta Mitchell.
Not pictured: Michelle Weil, Dr. Johannah Uriri-Glover (Treasurer), Paula Johnson Hutchinson (Secretary)
African Americans have contributed to the community of Tempe since the early historic settlement period. Pioneer settler Mary Green was in the area around Tempe in the late 19th century. In the 1920s the Tempe Normal School (now ASU) admitted African American students. Yet African Americans were often omitted from early official historical records. They were also noticeably absent from school textbooks and published histories. The story of African American history in Tempe is one of perseverance for freedom and progress.
In 2013, the Tempe History Museum and the African American Advisory Committee published a booklet on the history of African Americans in Tempe. It was published with a grant from the Arizona Humanities Council (now called Arizona Humanities).
It is out of print at this time, but here is a pdf version of the African American Experience in Tempe booklet.
A panel exhibit featuring information and images from the book was created. Click here to explore the African American Experience in Tempe exhibit.
Oral Histories
In 1970, members of the Tempe Historical Society began taping interviews with some of the oldest long-time residents of Tempe. This effort to preserve the community's remembered history continues today. Volunteers and interns at the Tempe history Museum have conducted over 300 recorded interviews to date, and most of these have been fully transcribed. The originals are kept in the Tempe History Museum research library and are available for research by appointment.
Gus Edwards
Click here to read the oral history of playwright and ASU professor, Gus Edwards.
Excerpt: “I have said to ethnic students, Latinos and stuff, when we talk about the changes, “If you really want to see change, you have to take over this university.” And what I meant, I didn’t mean armed resistance or rebellion; I meant study, become presidents, become provosts, become vice presidents. And I suspect in the future, that’s what we will see. We will see a Latino, we’ll see a Native American, who will be president of ASU, that sort of thing. We’re seeing the possibility of an African-American President (of the U.S.), and things move very quickly in the country, and I think that’s a healthy thing for America. And those are the good things that I see.” -Gus Edwards.
Ken Hollin
Click here to read the oral history of ASU Faculty and first African-American Student Body President in the State of Arizona, Ken Hollin.
Excerpt: “So I went out there to teach because she wanted to throw some diversity out at Saguaro HS, so that’s where I did my teaching. And really, it was fun. And I was teaching a Social Studies type class, and I remember my supervising teacher, he was there for the first class, and then after that he said, okay you’re really on your own…he never really came back in. So I did what I wanted to do. And I brought in some books, my own books, that I wanted kids to read to do for book reports. And it was like “Soul on Ice”, “Malcolm X”, all these, you know, Chicago 6…8, whatever it is. All these radical type books, I brought in. And these kids ate it up, did reports on them and stuff.” -Ken Hollin
Gene Grigsby
Click here to read the oral history of inspirational artist and educator from Arizona State University (ASU), Gene Grigsby.
Excerpt: “[W]e were the first black family to move north of Van Buren Street. Before then, blacks were relegated to places in South Phoenix mainly.” -Gene Grigsby
Walt Richardson
Click here to read the oral history of beloved local musician, Walt Richardson
Excerpt: “I think one of my most favorite stories is, there was a drummer who was from Crosby Stills & Nash, who was playing music with Hans Olson, and Hans Olson was playing at Chuy’s in downtown Tempe. And I’m trying to think of his name, I can’t remember it, it might come up to me as I’m telling this story. But anyway, he had a little motorcycle that had a sidecar. And this guy was known for his craziness.
One day he was standing outside, and I said, “Man, that’s a nice bike you got right there; I love the sidecar.” He says, “You want to go for a ride?” And I said, “Yes.” And I got in that thing, and I’m telling you, we were zipping around all the little streets in Tempe—and back at that time, there was a lot of them—we were zipping around these back neighborhoods and little offroad areas and things like this; it was crazy. We got back to the club and I said, “You know what, note to self, I’ll never do anything that crazy.” His name was Dallas Taylor, that’s what it was, Dallas Taylor. But I said, “No, no, no, no more craziness with Dallas.”- Walt Richardson
Walt Richardson at Long Wong's circa 1990
Click here to see the full image in the eMuseum
African American Advisory Committee Book Club
Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 5 p.m.
We welcome all participants to this book club series that meets once a month to discuss books written by Black authors.
Dr. Felicia Durden will lead a session featuring the book The Truths We Hold: An American Journey by Kamala Harris; the discussion will take place on Nov. 20. This will be the third and final session for this title. Find a copy of the book at your local bookstore or library and plan to join us via Zoom.
Faith in Action Prayer Breakfast
Friday, Feb. 2 | 9-11 a.m.
Wyndham Phoenix Airport/Tempe Hotel
The African American Advisory Committee of Tempe History Museum invites you to join in the Faith in Action Prayer Breakfast to unite faith and civic leaders for the good of our city. Breakfast will be held at the Wyndham Phoenix Airport/Tempe Hotel, tickets are $25 and are available via Eventbrite.
Black History Month Family Activity Day
Saturday, Feb. 10 | 12-3 p.m.
Tempe History Museum
Join the African American Advisory Committee of Tempe History Museum for a fun, interactive kids' day to celebrate Black History Month! This fun, free event is for the whole family.
Most events take place at Tempe History Museum and are free to attend unless otherwise noted.
Community Chats
Please join us for the AAAC's 2024-2025 season of Community Chats! These events feature film clips, audio recordings and facilitated group discussion about topics of interest and importance to the African American community of Tempe.
Building Community Resiliency Against Hate and Violence
Wednesday, November 20 at 6 p.m.
Did you know that the FBI’s most recent hate crime report identified 11,862 hate crime incidents in 2023, the most since the bureau started collecting the data in 1991? We also know the majority of hate or bias motivated crimes go unreported. It requires a community effort to encourage the reporting of these crimes so they can be prevented. Dr. Felicia Durden will interview Dr. Velicia Humes to learn more about what you can do to help. Come receive information to help you and your community develop the resiliency to identify, prevent and safely respond to hate and bias crimes. This conversation is important now, more than ever! This free event will be held in the Tempe History Museum’s Community Room.
11th Annual Juneteenth Celebration
Sat., June 15 | 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Tempe History Museum
Join the African American Advisory Committee (AAAC) for a Juneteenth Celebration! This free, family-friendly event will feature hands-on activities, performances, vendors, story time, first responder vehicles, food trucks and more!
Click here to visit the 2024 Juneteenth Celebration event page
JoAn Cooks
Myrale JoAn Cooks was born in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, and graduated from JFK Memorial High School in her hometown. She enrolled in Harris Teachers College in St. Louis for a year. Friends there introduced her to her husband-to-be, Charles E. Cooks.
JoAn earned a bachelor’s degree in clothing and textiles in business from Arizona State University, a master’s degree in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University, and a certificate in Visions Career Development from Maricopa Community Colleges.
JoAn worked as an advertising coordinator for the Phoenix-area Cloth World stores and worked as a Store Manager for Uptown Plaza Cloth World. Later, she taught clothing construction at South Mountain Community College. She took a full-time job in the childcare center at Mesa Community College to gain experience working with young children. JoAn built her career at Mesa Community College working in the childcare center, then at the Student Activities Office, the Adult Re-Entry Program and finally at the Academic Advisement Center, where she spent the remainder of her career.
For two years, JoAn was secretary of the East Valley NAACP under the leadership of then-president, Rev. Helen Hunter. Additionally, she was vice president of the East Valley’s family support group of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI). At Mesa Community College, she was club adviser for the African American Unity Coalition and was honored as the Club Adviser of the Year.
JoAn spent more than 15 years as a pianist at Holy Trinity A.M.E. Church. The church honored her with awards for excellence in lay pastoral work in 2010 and again in 2020. In 2017, she traveled to Thailand to provide a vacation bible program for children whose parents were attending the East Asia Pacific Conference. The NAACP recognized her for her participation in the 2008 African American Youth Leadership Conference. She was named Woman of the Year at Holy Trinity in 2009.
She is a current board member of the Tempe History Society and has served in various roles in the African American community, including as chairwoman of Tempe History Museum’s African American Advisory Committee.
This fun event with music, comedy and support of the African American Advisory Committee is available to view on the Tempe History Museum's Facebook page. Listen to music by Marc Norman and Walt Richardson, laugh with Comedian Lady Que, and provide support through direct donations through our non-profit partner. Donations go toward events such as Black History Month and the annual Juneteenth Celebration.
Past AAAC Book Club Discussion Recordings
Recordings link to YouTube unless otherwise noted.
2023
Black Cowboys of the Old West: True, Sensational, and Little-Known Stories From History by Tricia Martineau Wagner (Oct-Nov 2023)
10/25 Black Cowboys of the Old West ... recording. [Coming Soon]
The African American Experience in Tempe by Jared Smith (Aug-Sep 2023)
9/27 African American Experience ... recording. [Coming Soon]
8/23 African American Experience ... recording. [Run time: 1 h, 2m]
Diva 2.0: 12 Life Lessons From Me For You! by Sheryl Lee Ralph (May 2023)
5/24 Diva 2.0 ... recording [Run time: 59 m]
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison (March-April 2023)
3/29 Song of Solomon recording [Run time: 1 h, 4 m]
4/26 Song of Solomon recording [Run time: 44 m]
The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama (Jan-Feb 2023)
1/25 The Light We Carry recording [Run time: 1 h, 4 m]
2/22 The Light We Carry recording [Run time: 1h, 8 m]
2022
Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelou (Nov-Dec 2022)
11/30 Letter to My Daughter recording [Run time: 52 m]
12/28 Letter to My Daughter recording [Run time: 46 m]
Isn't Her Grace Amazing! The Women Who Changed Gospel Music by Cheryl Wills (Aug-Oct 2022)
8/31 Isn't Her Grace Amazing! ... recording [Run time: 45 m]
9/21 Isn't Her Grace Amazing! ... recording [Run time: 58 m]
10/26 Isn't Her Grace Amazing! ... recording [Unavailable]
Will by Will Smith (May 2022)
5/26 Will recording [Run time: 58 min.]
It's Not All Downhill From Here by Terry McMillan (April 2022)
4/28 It's Not All Downhill From Here recording [Run time: 52 m]
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry (March 2022)
3/24 A Raisin in the Sun recording [Run time: 1 h, 3 m]
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (Jan-Feb 2022)
1/27 The Underground Railroad recording [Run time: 37 m]
2/24 The Underground Railroad recording [Run time: 46 m]
2021
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead (Oct-Nov 2021)
10/28 The Nickel Boys recording [Run time: 45 m]
11/18 The Nickel Boys recording [Run time: 59 m]
Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick by Zora Neale Hurston (Aug-Sep 2021)
8/26 Hitting A Straight Lick ... recording [Run time: 52 m]
9/30 Hitting A Straight Lick ... recording [Run time: 54 m]
Just as I Am by Cicely Tyson (May-June 2021)
5/21 Just As I Am recording [Run time: 30 m]
6/24 Just As I Am recording [Run time: 45 m]
A Promised Land (APL) by Barack Obama (Jan-Apr 2021)
2/25 A Promised Land recording [Run time: 36 m]
3/24 A Promised Land recording [Run time: 28 m]
4/28 A Promised Land recording [Run time: 54 m]
2023 Black History Month Events
Faith in Action Prayer Breakfast
Friday, Feb. 3
The 2023 Faith in Action Prayer Breakfast was held from 9-11 a.m. on Friday, February 3, 2023 at Wyndham Phoenix Airport/Tempe Hotel. The theme was Inspired By the Past, a Vision For the Future. This was a ticketed event.
Tempe History Society Lunch Talks
"Overcoming: Growing Up in the South" by Rosemary James
Wednesday, Feb. 8
Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes, but by the opposition he or she has overcome to reach his or her goals----Dorothy Height
What is it like to grow up in the south as a black person? Come along with me as I take you on an abbreviated, firsthand experience of my life in the south during the forties, fifties, and the Civil Rights era. You will surely leave this talk saying, “It was as if I had been there.” You may even be changed a bit if you open yourself up to what you hear. Watch the recorded talk on Tempe History Society's Facebook. [Run time: 1 hr 41 min]
Black History Month Family Program
Saturday, Feb. 11
The African American Advisory Committee of Tempe History Museum presented a fun, interactive program to celebrate Black History Month! We kicked-off with an African dance and drum performance from Kawambe Omowale, and continued to groove with a basic ballet and hip-hop class. Kids were invited to make a colorful magazine bead craft.
Community Chats
Minister Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Were Their Struggles the Same?
Tuesday, Feb. 21
Ahmad Daniels reviewed the common ground shared by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Minister Malcolm X. Facilitated by Ahmad Daniels.
Principles of Wealth Creation
Saturday, Feb. 25
Many middle-class Americans have been misinformed and miseducated when it comes to how money works in this country, and as a result, the majority of Americans retire poor or return to work after retirement. Dr. Aimee Uwimana educates middle-class Americans on principals the wealthy elites use to build, protect and preserve their wealth, which leads them to retire and stay retired with dignity. This program was presented in partnership with World Financial Group and the Tempe History Museum’s African American Advisory Committee. The event was free and open to the public.
Pre-2023 Black History Month Events
Did You Know? Presents S.T.E.M.
AAAC's Yvonne Rich highlights African American S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) innovators who pioneered the devices, technologies and treatments that we still use today.
Watch "Did You Know? Presents S.T.E.M." trivia. on the Tempe11 YouTube channel. Click here to view the mobile S.T.E.M. exhibit.
2022 Faith in Action Prayer Breakfast
Watch the FB recording of the Feb 2022 FIA event [Run time: 2hr 20min]
2022 Event Sponsors
Architekton: Architekton.com
Tempe History Society: TempeHistory.org
Tempe Firefighters Local 493
2021 Faith in Action Prayer Breakfast
Watch the FB recording of the Feb 2021 FAI event [Run time: 1hr]
2021 Event Sponsors
Architekton: Architekton.com
Tempe History Society: TempeHistory.org
Past Community Chats
Recordings and videos link to YouTube unless otherwise noted.
The Life of Paul Robeson as told by DL White
Watch "The Life of Paul Robeson ..." recording [Run time: 1 hr 7 min]
DL White shares his memorabilia and insight on the legacy and life of the great Paul Robeson. Paul Robeson (April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American concert artist and stage and film actor who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for his political activism.
On Juneteenth, Valley residents share history of African Americans in Arizona
Watch the video on ABC15.com [Run time: 3 min 11 sec]
Historical Trauma's Impact on African Americans
Presented by Ahmad Daniels
Watch "Historical Trauma's Impact ..." recording [Run time: 1h 9min]
This Community Chat program addresses the subject of historical trauma. This is a one-hour recorded presentation by Ahmad Daniels. Ahmad Daniels, M.Ed., is a transformation facilitator and life coach with more than thirty years’ experience in community outreach programs, diversity training and African American History. He is the founder of Creative Interchange, an organization whose mission is to enhance personal and community social capital through changed philosophies, personal empowerment and self-actualization.
What Can White People Do?
A Conversation with Ahmad Daniels, M.Ed. and Pastor David Felten.
Watch "What Can White People Do?" recording [Run time: 24 min]
The conversation between Ahmad Daniels, M.Ed. and Pastor David Felten is one we all need to be having right now about racial injustice. Daniels and Felten discuss White fragility, the importance of honest, open communication between White people and People of Color (POC), and the question that White people should be asking themselves “What does it feel like being White?” to help them find humility, humanity, and a willingness to have often difficult and uncomfortable dialogues about race.
Past Juneteenth Events
2022 Juneteenth Celebration
The June 18, 2022 Juneteenth Celebration saw the return of a fully in-person event - the first since 2019. Below is a list of event highlights:
- Indoor Stage
- Presentation of AAAC scholarship and other awards
- Live performances by community singers and performers
- Table Displays and Information
- Children's Hands-On Projects; Hands-on activities inside Tempe History Museum and outside in a Video Game Trailer
- Food Truck
- Historical information about Black Officers and Staff of the Tempe Police Department.
2021 Juneteenth Hybrid Celebration
The June 18, 2021 Juneteenth festival was a hybrid virtual and in-person event. Click here to watch the 2021 recorded event
2020 Juneteenth Digital Festival
The June 27, 2020 Juneteenth festival went virtual and was live-streamed through the Tempe History Museum's Facebook. Click here to watch the 2020 recorded event
Virtual content for Juneteenth 2020
On Juneteenth, Valley residents share history of African Americans in Arizona
Watch the video on ABC15.com [Run time: 3 min 11 sec]
Our Stories - Their Actions Made a Difference
Get to know community members in a new way by viewing these images of select Tempe residents, past and present, who have made a difference. This display was created by the African American Advisory Committee as an annual tribute. New honorees are added to each year's Juneteenth Celebration. Click here to view the Our Stories panels (PDF 2MB)
Did You Know? Presents S.T.E.M.
Discover African American S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) innovators who pioneered the devices, technologies and treatments that we still use today. Click here to view the mobile exhibit.
Our Stories
Updated on 11/03/2023 3:03 PM