Carole Coles-Henry is a retired Public Service worker. She devoted 27 years to directing various programs and organizations that advocate for both racial and economic justice.
Carole Coles-Henry was born in 1955 in a small Pennsylvania steel town. She spent her first ten years there before moving to the great city of Pittsburgh, to which she credits as her hometown. She is the youngest out of three children. Between the two of them, her parents worked five jobs. Her father worked as a steel worker while her mother started off cleaning homes and eventually worked her way up to Jr. Vice President of Pittsburgh National Bank. Coles-Henry thanks her parents for teaching her about determination, hard work, and giving back to your community. She is proud to be a product of Pennsylvania’s public school system having gone to public school for both elementary and high school, before pursuing her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree at the University of Pittsburgh.
Carole Coles-Henry moved from Pittsburgh to Phoenix in June of 1980. Her mother suffered a health condition in which doctors recommended she move to a warmer climate, in a decision between Arizona and Florida she (thankfully) chose Phoenix. So, she decided to join her mother on the cross-country move.
[Future Clip: 2:57, Childhood and Family Structure] [Future Clip: 22:43, The move to Phoenix]
At that time Phoenix was in a period of construction as she notes there were hardly any freeways, some were only small sections of what they are today. She notes that South Phoenix was a bit isolated at the time and looked very different from other cities surrounding Phoenix.
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Carole Coles-Henry’s contribution to South Phoenix history started in her very first job as director of the South Phoenix Youth Center, where she molded it to be an award winning facility. She is proud to have shaped the youth center into a pillar of the South Phoenix community where kids and adults alike can receive extracurriculars like music lessons, Disneyland trips, tutoring, fashion shows and much more.
(Courtesy Carole Coles-Henry.)
She did not stop there as her profession took her to meaningful positions around the city of Phoenix and surrounding areas over the span of her 27-year career. When reflecting on her time in Phoenix she always comes back to the mentors and the youth that she educated while working. Her fondest memories are of building everlasting connections with the youth and with not only Arizona leaders but leaders of our nation, including Calvin C. Goode and Rosa Parks.
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To Coles-Henry, South Phoenix is home. She believes that South Phoenix is full of opportunity and blessings to capitalize on. Her hope is that we embed public service and volunteer work into our young children, so that South Phoenix continues to flourish.
Narrator | Carole Coles-Henry |
| Birthdate | 1955 |
| Place of Origin | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Place of Residence | South Phoenix, AZ |
| Role | Retired Public Service Worker |
| Years active in South Phoenix | 1980- |
| Interview Date | October 23, 2023 |
| Location | South Mountain Community College |
| Duration | 1:28:32 |
| Interviewed by | Student Researcher: Ellie Gillespie Faculty Researcher: Summer Cherland, PhD |
| Story Written by | Student Researchers: Kayla Garcia |
South Phoenix Oral History Project 