Jim Boozer

Jim Boozer spent thirty-two years as a Public Administrator for the City of Phoenix. He has received numerous awards for community development and public housing administration.

Jim Boozer was born on July 23rd, 1941, in Hempstead County, Arkansas. He and his family moved to Arizona to escape racial and economic depression. His mother stayed home with the children while his father went out and worked, and the family lived in the Okemah area. While they lived in that area, he and his siblings went to school in the Mesa area.

Jim’s father was the one that moved first down to Arizona and then the rest of the family had moved along shortly afterwards. His father had a sister down in the area and she lived around 40th and Broadway and the family ended up moving around there so they could all be close together. They had also stayed in the Okemah area because it was known to be a thriving community for African Americans. Jim loved their house, and he loved growing up in Okemah.

At the time heavy racism and segregation were occurring. It had affected Jim and
his family he had to go to school in the Mesa area when he lived in what’s now the Scottsdale area because schools were segregated there and in Tempe, and it was also hard transportation-wise because nobody would travel far enough towards that area so they were forced to walk miles wherever they needed to go.

After attending Phoenix College and later Arizona State University, Mr. Boozer worked different jobs for the City of Phoenix. Though he doesn’t call himself a teacher, Mr. Boozer is an educator in the best way. He is active in the community, sharing his story and the history of Okemah.

Mr. Boozer’s legacy will live on in South Phoenix history due to his impact as an educator and trying to spread his experience living here and helping to keep the history alive even today.

Jim Boozer Index

Narrator	Jim Boozer
Birthdate	July 23, 1941
Place of Origin	Hempstead, Arkansas; Okemah (South Phoenix), Arizona
Place of Residence	Phoenix, Arizona
Occupation	Educator, City of Phoenix
Years Active in South Phoenix	1940s-
Recording Duration	1:04:41
Date	February 22, 2024
Location	South Mountain Community Library
Interviewed By	Dr. Summer Cherland, Liz Warren
Story Written By	Student Researchers: Miranda Meza Faculty Co-Author: Summer Cherland