Judge Cody Williams is a former Council member for the City of Phoenix and a Justice of the Peace for Maricopa County, particularly the South Mountain Precinct. He served as a council member for 8 years and as a judge for 15 years.
Williams was born in Good Samaritan Hospital (now called Banner Hospital) in March of 1960. Born and raised in South Phoenix, Arizona, Williams considered it a fun and a great place to grow up. At the time, South Phoenix was a wide open space and young Williams spent his childhood riding bikes and horses, and enjoying fruit from various neighborhood orchards.
Idyllic though his childhood seemed, Williams grew up in a climate of postwar disparity and racism that defined Phoenix in the 1950s and 60s. His father, Travis L. Williams, was a war veteran who, bolstered by funds provided from the G.I. Bill, moved to Phoenix with a dream of owning a suburban home. But no one would sell him or any other Black veterans a home in Phoenix. The primarily white Phoenix real estate community collaborated to segregate and disenfranchise Blacks from living north of the Salt River, and owning property anywhere. So, Travis Williams built his own home. And he built hundreds for other aspirational Black families. He cofounded the Williams and Jones Construction Company – the first Black-owned development company – and set about building neighborhoods in South Phoenix from 24th Street to 16th Street, from Roeser to Broadway. Meanwhile, Cody’s mother was a teacher in the Roosevelt School District. Together, his mother and father set an example of civil rights, upward mobility, and community involvement that forever shaped Cody’s life.
[Insert video clip: 5.05. Post World War II Phoenix ]
As a student, Williams was dedicated, enjoying school and always striving to be first in his class. He graduated from high school in 1978 and was awarded a basketball scholarship at the University of Oklahoma. He graduated from OU in 1982 with a degree in Finance. He spent a few years working as a stockbroker in Oklahoma, but South Phoenix called him home in 1985.
During this time, Williams was visiting a friend at the Arizona Informant offices and caught a glimpse of a photograph of that year’s Miss Black Arizona. A few weeks later, he met that woman, Jeri Jones at a dance floor and the two fell in love. They married in 1990 and went on to have two sons, Alan and Cody.
[Insert video clip: 12.57 How I met my wife ]
Jeri and Cody Williams spent their professional and personal lives in South Phoenix, and their family made quite an impact on the community. Cody Williams continued to work in the finance industry, until he took a job working for the City of Phoenix. In that role, he began to shift his focus to improving the economic futures of South Phoenix residents, and a career in public service began. He ran for City Council in 1994, and served in that role until 2002.
During his time as Councilmember, Williams faced several challenges regarding the political and social landscape of South Phoenix. The south side of the city had a notoriety for being a dangerous place with no potential for growth, but he believed otherwise. In the 1990s, he organized a series of bus tours for real estate developers and city planners to attract development investment in South Phoenix. These bus tours eventually led to the creation and development of notable businesses such as the Target and Fry’s Marketplace on 24th Street and Baseline, the Raven Golf Club, the Legacy Golf Resort, and hundreds of housing developments.
[Insert video clip: 29.07 The Bus Tours ]
Following his term as City Councilman, Williams led the Greater Phoenix Black Chamber of Commerce. He was then appointed to Maricopa County Justice of the Peace, South Mountain Justice Court (SMJC). He was the only African American Justice in all of Maricopa County. His area of influence included South Mountain on the south, the Salt River on the north, 83rd Avenue on the west, and 48th Street on the east.
Judge Cody Williams’ commitment and dedication to South Phoenix has left a profound impression on the community. Both his ancestors before him and his descendants after him have shaped South Phoenix in more ways than one. His accolades and contributions are several. He has been honored and recognized for his vision and revitalization efforts in the City of Phoenix by many. He has shown that through hard work and commitment to serve the community, we can create a brighter future for everyone.
| Narrator | Cody Williams, The Honorable |
| Birthdate | 1960 |
| Place of Origin | Phoenix, AZ |
| Place of Residence | South Phoenix, AZ |
| Role | Former Justice of the Peace, City Councilman |
| Years active in South Phoenix | 1960- |
| Interview Date | Mar 23, 2023 |
| Location | Zoom |
| Duration | 1:26:22 |
| Interviewed by | Student Researcher: Hope Wilkinson Faculty Researchers: Summer Cherland, Liz Warren |
| Story Written by | Student Researchers: Josel Garcia and Faculty Researcher: Dr. Summer Cherland |
South Phoenix Oral History Project 