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Honoring Tempe's Black History

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Honoring Tempe’s Black History

Tempe’s Black history reflects resilience, progress, and the power of community. By acknowledging the struggles and celebrating the contributions of African Americans, we honor the past while building a more inclusive future.

Honoring Black History Month

Black History Month began as "Negro History Week" in 1926, created by historian Carter G. Woodson. He chose February because it coincides with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, figures important to the fight for Black liberation. It evolved into a month-long celebration in the United States in 1976.

Black History Month is a time to reflect on the past while fostering a commitment to equality, justice, and progress. We want to recognize the African American Advisory Committee and the Tempe History Museum for their support, resources, and ongoing efforts in preserving Black history in Tempe.   

Aspects of Tempe's Black History

To Celebrate Achievements

Black History Month highlights the contributions of African Americans to society, science, politics, art, culture, and more. It acknowledges individuals like Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and countless others who shaped history. In Tempe, this includes honoring local trailblazers like Corey Woods, the city’s first Black mayor, and Berdetta Hodge, the first Black female councilmember.



To Educate and Raise Awareness

It serves as an opportunity to educate people about the often-overlooked stories and experiences of Black individuals, showcasing their resilience and achievements despite systemic racism and oppression. In Tempe, this includes reflecting on its history as a “sundown town” and the courageous efforts of African Americans to break those barriers. The African American Advisory Committee has been instrumental in highlighting and preserving Black history in Tempe, ensuring its recognition and lasting impact within the community. 

To Recognize and Confront Inequities

By reflecting on history, we better understand the origins of systemic racism and the importance of addressing these injustices in the present day. Like many American cities, Tempe has a history marked by racial segregation and exclusion. Once considered a “sundown town,” Black individuals were actively discouraged from remaining within city limits after sunset. This painful chapter serves as a stark reminder of the systemic barriers faced by African Americans and highlights the importance of continuing efforts to address inequality. Today, Tempe is on a journey of reckoning with its past while making meaningful strides toward equity and inclusion. View the Oral History Project- City of Tempe, Once a Sundown Town. 

To Honor the Struggles

Black History Month reminds us of the sacrifices made by those who fought for civil rights and equality.

To Inspire Change

Learning about the past inspires action in the present. Black History Month empowers individuals and communities to stand against racism and inequality and to celebrate diversity. The Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s impacted Tempe which continues to embrace this spirit by fostering leadership, diversity, and inclusive policies

To Promote Unity

It’s an opportunity for all people to come together, acknowledge shared history, and build a future of inclusivity and equality. Tempe celebrates the resilience and achievements of its Black residents, emphasizing the importance of unity in shaping a better future.

Tempe, Sundown Town

Tempe, Arizona, has a complex history marked by periods of racial segregation and exclusion. From its founding in 1871 until the early 1960s, Tempe was considered a "sundown town," where African Americans were permitted to work but were excluded from living within the city through discriminatory practices, harassment, and threats of violence.

This exclusionary practice began to change in the early 1960s, reflecting broader civil rights movements and societal shifts toward inclusivity. A significant milestone occurred in 1965 when Warren and Carrol Livingston became the first African Americans to purchase property in Tempe, marking a pivotal step toward dismantling the city's segregationist policies.

Tempe’s History

Historical Practices

  • In the early and mid-20th century, Tempe maintained policies and practices that effectively excluded African Americans from living in or being present in the city after dark. There were threatening signs displayed warning Black travelers and workers to leave in the dark.
  • Racially restrictive housing covenants were common in many areas, preventing Black families from purchasing or renting property in Tempe.
  • Police and other authorities sometimes enforced these unwritten rules, and social norms discouraged integration.

Exclusion from Opportunities

  • Black residents faced significant barriers to employment, housing, and public services in Tempe. Many were restricted to living in segregated communities outside the city, such as in South Phoenix or East Valley areas.
  • African Americans were not allowed to use Tempe Beach Park for over three decades.
  • Black students at Arizona State University were not permitted to live in campus dormitories or eat in the school cafeteria, further exemplifying systemic exclusion.

Resistance and Change

  • Over time, the Civil Rights Movement and local activism began to challenge these practices. Federal legislation, like the Fair Housing Act of 1968, made housing discrimination illegal, though systemic inequities persisted.
  • Organizations and individuals worked to dismantle the structures that upheld Tempe’s status as a sundown town, paving the way for a more inclusive city.

Tempe's Pioneers

While we can’t honor everyone, we wanted to recognize some Black Trailblazers who courageously fought for change. Their names and the years marking significant milestones in Tempe’s journey toward equality are proudly displayed. This is just the beginning, as we continue to uncover and share more of Tempe’s and Arizona’s rich history.

Mary Green (1888): Mary Green, who came to Arizona in 1868, is the first Black pioneer to file a Homestead claim in Tempe. In 1888, she claims 160 acres at the northwest corner of the modern intersection of Rural Road and Warner Road. Several of Ms. Green’s six children would call Tempe home over the years, including Moses, Ada, Fred and probably also Jack.  

Moses Green, Fred Green and Jack Gray (1890s-1930s): Pioneer Black ranchers of Kyrene district (south Tempe/Chandler). These men are three of Mary Green’s six children, and all were born in Arizona (Jack was adopted by a family close to the Greens). Fred died unexpectedly in 1917 and was the first member of the Green family buried at Double Butte Cemetery.

Ada & Joseph Lewis (1896): The first marriage of a Black couple recorded in Tempe. Born in Phoenix in 1874, Ada was one of pioneer Mary Green’s children. Ada’s oldest children – Archie and Susie – were the first African Americans born in Tempe.

Sergeant Lee Preston (1917-1918): Sergeant Lee Preston was a Buffalo Soldier with the 25th Infantry Regiment, U.S. Army, whose nearly 30-year career included World War I service. He spent his final years with family in the community of Okemah at the west edge of Tempe. Sergeant Preston died in 1962 and was buried at Double Butte Cemetery.

Troop M of the 10th Cavalry, Buffalo Soldiers (1885-1887): The 10th Cavalry, one of the U.S. Army’s four Buffalo Soldier regiments, arrives in Arizona in 1885 for the campaign against Geronimo’s Chiricahua Apaches. After Geronimo is captured, the Regiment’s Troop M is assigned to Fort McDowell from 1886 to 1887.

Tempe Crimson Rims (1890s – 1900s): Tempe’s talented Crimson Rims baseball team was named after the Crimson Rim bicycle (a popular model of bike sold by the team’s sponsor, The Bicycle Store at Mill Avenue and 5th Street). Unusual for Salt River Valley baseball teams in the 1890s, the lineup represented diverse backgrounds that included Black, Anglo-European, and Mexican players.

John Wesley Boggs (early 1900s): Early Black pioneer, businessman and health seeker who came to the Salt River Valley with his family in the early 1900s. John Wesley Boggs is the first known Black Tempean buried at Double Butte Cemetery. His death in January 1912 was likely due to the all-too-common malady of tuberculosis.

Theodore C. Thomas (1906): Black Tempe pioneer businessman who opened a very successful barbershop at 312 S. Mill Avenue in 1906. Originally from Texas, Theodore Thomas learned the barbering trade at an early age, and owned shops in Texas and Phoenix before making his home in Tempe. He and his wife, Maggie, were the first black residents to own property in downtown Tempe, their first acquisitions being in 1906.  

“Mother” Maggie Thomas (early 1900s): Tireless, civic-minded Black Tempe pioneer who originally settled in Phoenix with husband, Theodore, around 1890. Sometime after moving to Tempe in the early 1900s, Maggie and Theodore began leasing cottages to Black students at the Normal School (ASU) who otherwise might not be able to find housing in Tempe, which was fast becoming a “sundown town” for Black people. These young students came to know Maggie as “Mother” Thomas.

Benton James (1924): In 1924, Phoenix native Benton R. James became the first Black student to graduate from Tempe Normal School (ASU). The following year, the young teacher successfully applied for the job of principal of the Paul Laurence Dunbar Colored School in Tucson. Mr. James continued with his career in teaching after moving to California, although he eventually hired on with the Southern Pacific Railroad.

Elizabeth Crump (1952): A lifelong professional educator, Phoenix native Elizabeth Crump was among the first ASU students initiated into the Alpha Sigma Kappa scholastic honor society in 1952. Long before she earned her Master’s degree at ASU, Ms. Crump graduated from Storer College at age 17 in the year 1919 – the school was a prestigious historically Black University in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. She began her teaching career after graduating from the Flagstaff Normal School in 1926.

Estella “Stella” Rochelle McHenry (1925): In 1925 Stella McHenry graduated from Tempe State Teachers College (ASU), becoming the first Black woman to earn a teaching certificate at the school. A native of Clifton, Arizona, Ms. McHenry was a hard-working, gifted scholar who came from a family that valued education very highly. Hired shortly after graduation by the Douglas Grammar School for Colored Students in Phoenix, she taught pupils there for over two years before succumbing to influenza at age 23 in 1928.  

Love Hatton Jordan (1928, 1939): Prescott resident Love Hattan Jordan was a tireless lifelong educator and one of the first Black women to graduate from Tempe State Teachers College (ASU), earning her teaching certificate in 1928. Not long after she began teaching, Ms. Jordan returned to Arizona State to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Education in 1939. She worked a schools around Arizona – including Gila Bend, Coolidge and Safford – and her career took her overseas to Europe in the 1950s. A mother of seven, Ms. Jordan returned to ASU in 1957 to pursue her Masters in Education.

Joe Island (1936): Joe Island was the first Black athlete to earn a varsity letter at Arizona State Teachers College (ASU), when he became a member of the Bulldogs (now Sun Devils) baseball team for the 1936. Graduation came after the 1937 season, and he continued his baseball career with the Phoenix Broncos, a team of all-Black players in the semi-pro Arizona State League. Mr. Island was one of the earliest African American officers in the Phoenix Police Department, and he was trained by the department’s first Black officer, Jack Gray, who was one of pioneer Mary Green’s children.

Emerson Harvey (1937): Emerson Harvey smashed through numerous color-barriers as a star player for the Arizona State Bulldogs football team (now Sun Devils) beginning with his first season in 1937. Born in Texas and raised in Sacramento, California, he was recruited to play college football at a time when few Black athletes had such opportunities beyond historically Black Universities. Mr. Harvey settled down in Phoenix in the years after his seasons at Arizona State, and he became an industrial arts teacher with Phoenix schools, a coach, a civic and community leader, and a role model for budding Black athletes in the Phoenix-area. He earned respect from his peers by taking a lot of bumps, bruises and punches beyond that of his fellow players, clearly showing his toughness and determination to play the game at a time when Black players were often not welcome – even outright excluded – from predominately White colleges.    

The Dunbar Social & Literary Society (1934): The Dunbar Social & Literary Society was established at the Arizona State Teachers College in 1934. Named after Paul Laurence Dunbar – one of the earliest Black poets to gain renown in the U.S. and overseas – the club focused on providing social connections for Black students at Arizona State. Members of the club included athletes, like Joe Island and Emerson Harvey, as well as students from old local families, like Phyliss and Louise Oby, whose grandmother was pioneer Mary Green. Active into the 1950s, the club put on dances, hosted speaking events and picnics, made donations for various causes, and provided a variety of other services for the benefit of Black students and the wider university community

Doc F. Benson and Howard H. Pullins (1942): Doc F. Benson and Howard H. Pullins established the Arizona Sun newspaper in Phoenix in 1942, and their paper was the only African American newspaper in publication in Arizona through most of the 1940s and 1950s. Focused on the interests, betterment, and general welfare of Black Arizonans, the paper’s first decade witnessed the state’s African American population leap from around 15,000 in 1942 to 60,000 by 1949 in the years after World War II. The paper remained in publication until 1965, but it made important contributions to Arizona’s Black community and the state’s journalistic history in general.

Daisy Nelson Moore & Marietta Cooper Bryant (1951-1952): Daisy Nelson Moore and Marietta Cooper Bryant were Arizona teachers who successfully challenged their dismissals from tenured teaching positions in 1951. Both longtime friends and natives of Oklahoma, Daisy Moore and Marietta Bryant were dedicated, career educators in the Globe and Miami school districts respectively. When a new state law ordered integration of Arizona schools by Fall 1951, the Globe and Miami school districts closed their all-Black schools – the Dunbar Elementary School where Ms. Moore taught, and the Jefferson Elementary School where Ms. Bryant taught. In the tug-of-war that followed, the school boards twice dismissed these teachers – claiming initially that their services were no longer needed because their schools were shuttered, and then claiming that the dismissals were necessary to cut costs. With the support of the Arizona Education Association, these ladies hired a capable attorney who successfully made cases for wrongful termination. Daisy Moore and Marietta Bryant were re-hired in early 1952 and received backpay for their lost classroom time. Both ladies resumed lifelong teaching careers – Ms. Moore herself taught Globe students until retiring in 1975.    

Lincoln Johnson Ragsdale Sr. (1946): Lincoln Johnson Ragsdale Sr. was a veteran pilot – a Tuskegee Airman – of the U.S. Army Air Corps, a businessman, and prominent civil rights leader in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1946, he and his wife Eleanor moved to Phoenix, where they became influential in the struggle for civil rights and equality. In June 1964, he hosted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when the esteemed civil rights leader came to Arizona to give his “Religious Witness for Human Dignity” speech at ASU.

Geneva Epps Mosley (1960): In May 1960, Geneva Epps Mosley became the first African American hired to teach in the Tempe Elementary School District No.3. A graduate of Carver High School in Phoenix, Ms. Mosley earned a B.A. from Arizona State University in 1959, and was working on her Master’s in education at the time that she started teaching in Tempe. Ms. Mosley was also the mother of seven children, who she raised with her husband in the historic Black farm community of Okemah, located at the west edge of Tempe.

Jesse Wilmer Jones (1963): When Jesse Wilmer Jones earned his PhD at Arizona State University, he achieved two “firsts” – he was the first African American to receive a PhD at ASU, and he was the first student (of any background) to receive his PhD in chemistry at ASU. After completing his program at ASU, Dr. Jones returned to his native Texas to teach at Texas College – an historically Black University – and Baylor University, dedicating more than three decades to teaching future chemists.

Warren and Carol Livingston (1965): In 1965, Warren and Carol Livingston were among the earliest African American families to purchase a home in Tempe in the post-World War II era, helping to break racial barriers in the city's housing market. (The pioneer Green and Thomas families had owned properties in incorporated Tempe or the surrounding agricultural district between the late 1880s and 1930s.) Warren Livingston had star power that probably helped leverage their home purchase – he was a defensive back for the Dallas Cowboys from 1961 to 1966. Even so, the Livingstons’ still ran into discrimination and related challenges in their efforts to buy a home in Tempe for their family.  

John Ford Smith (1965): In 1965, John Ford Smith – a retired baseball player and Army Air Corps veteran of World War II – began service with the Arizona Civil Rights Commission. Established in to administer the Arizona Civil Rights Act of1965, the Commission’s primary task was to work toward eliminating discrimination throughout Arizona. Aside from his vital years on the Commission, which included several years as Chairman, John Ford Smith’s life was remarkable on many levels. Smith had a remarkable career playing baseball – he was the only Arizonan known to have played Negro League baseball. In the 1930s, he developed his skills as a pitcher, batter and all-around player with the Phoenix Union High School Monarchs and then with the semi-pro Arizona Compass team, an all-Black club based in Phoenix. Between 1939 and 1948 (with the exception of several years military service during World War II), he played with the Chicago American Giants, the Indianapolis Crawfords and the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues. He played in Puerto Rican baseball league before being recruited by the New York Giants in 1949. Although severe pneumonia cut short his time with the Giants, he continued to playing until 1954, ending his career in baseball with the El Paso Texans in the Arizona-Texas League. John Ford Smith led a remarkable in many ways, and his accomplishments on and off the baseball field underpinned a life of service, dedication, and focus on the betterment of the world in which his children grew up.          

Legacy and Importance of Acknowledgment

While Tempe has made strides toward inclusivity, acknowledging its history as a sundown town is crucial for several reasons:

  • Education: Understanding this history helps residents recognize the systemic barriers that African Americans faced and continue to face.
  • Accountability: It ensures that the city takes active steps to address the lingering effects of this exclusionary past.
  • Community Healing: Honoring the struggles of marginalized communities fosters a more united and equitable Tempe.

What’s Being Done Today?

  • Public Recognition: Events, educational programs, and public art projects in Tempe now seek to acknowledge and address its history of racial exclusion.
  • Inclusive Policies: Tempe has adopted initiatives promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in housing, employment, and community spaces.
  • Community Advocacy: Organizations and leaders are working to ensure that Tempe's history is not forgotten while pushing for continued progress toward equity.

Today, Tempe acknowledges this painful chapter in its history and strives to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within the community. Efforts such as the establishment of the African American Advisory Committee at the Tempe History Museum purpose to educate residents and honor the contributions of African Americans to the city's development.

Tempe’s Black history tells a powerful story of resilience, perseverance, and significant contributions. By honoring this legacy, the city fosters awareness, unity, and a commitment to preserving this vital history for future generations.


How to Celebrate Black History in Tempe in 2025

  • Attend the Downtown Tempe Barber Battle at any of the the 2nd Sundays on Mill event series. Check out this story to learn more about the purpose behind the Barber Battle and the connection for improving mental health in communities of color.

  • Attend the 2nd Sundays on Mill event on February 9, 2025 for a Mardi Gras theme. The event is FREE and takes place from 10am a.m. - 3 p.m. and includes an outdoor market, homemade goods, live music, entertainment, vendors, and NOLA inspired activities. Here is the Instagram Post for more details.
  • Take a stroll down 5th Street (between Forest and Ash Avenues) to honor and recognize the civil rights pioneers who are proudly displayed on banners installed on the lamp posts through February.
  • Attend the Juneteenth Block Party event in Downtown Tempe on June 14, 2025. This event is free, open to the community. 
  • Visit the Vault, Downtown Tempe's public art gallery, located on ground level of the 100 Mill building. This gallery features public art created at Downtown Tempe events, including pieces from the 2024 Juneteenth event, the Multicultural 2nd Sundays on Mill, and Tempe Blooms.
  • Attend the Faith in Action Prayer Breakfast at the Tempe Center for the Arts on Friday, February 7 from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. Tickets are $25 (plus fees) and include breakfast. Details found here.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO: 

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