by Terry Phelps
In his 2013 book 鈥淏ig League City: Oklahoma City鈥檚 Rise to the NBA,鈥� Mayor David Holt (JD 鈥�09) chronicles the city鈥檚 recent renaissance. One of the key players in that renaissance in recent years is James Cooper, an 蜜桃影像AV adjunct instructor and recipient of 蜜桃影像AV鈥檚 Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (鈥�15).
Cooper is a member of the City Council and, as Holt says, 鈥渋s an important voice in our city and speaks for groups that have not historically had a seat at the table. He鈥檚 the first openly LGBTQ member of the council, the first non-white member of the council outside of Ward 7. He represents some history in that regard and the transition of the city.鈥�
A big factor in the renaissance has been the MAPS (Metropolitan Area Projects) initiatives, which began in 1993, followed by MAPS 2, MAPS 3, and MAPS 4, to improve life in the city. Mayor Holt says, 鈥淐ooper鈥檚 leadership on MAPS 4 was valuable in the City Council. He really helped us get to a 9-0 unanimous vote.鈥� MAPS 4 was then approved by city voters with 16 projects, including parks, public transportation, recreation, and centers for youth, seniors, mental health and the homeless.
Holt spoke to Cooper鈥檚 Arts & Human Values class about the Oklahoma City renaissance. In that class, Cooper tries to make a connection between the arts and life. They watch various movies from different time periods, seeing how they reflect life in those times. They read 鈥淏oom Town: The Fantastical Saga of Oklahoma City, Its Chaotic Founding鈥ts Purloined Basketball Team, and the Dream of Becoming a World-Class Metropolis,鈥� and then watch TV episodes of the documentary 鈥淢edici: Godfathers of the Renaissance鈥� and compare the Italian renaissance to the Oklahoma City renaissance.
Cooper also teaches classes in philosophy, film and English. He says, 鈥淚 hope students leave my classes understanding the stakes of acquiring knowledge and always being ready to revise knowledge 鈥� that life itself might very well be about the pursuit of knowledge, the pursuit of open-mindedness. I want students to understand how to communicate their thoughts, to be able to understand what a liberal arts education is. To read, write and think so someone can鈥檛 pull the wool over their eyes. To understand that education is lifelong.鈥�
Novelist and MFA instructor Lou Berney says, 鈥淛ames was a terrific student. His creative thesis for me was a literary crime novel based on the Oklahoma City steakhouse murders of the 1970s. His fiction is hugely ambitious and also 鈥� a rare combination 鈥� beautifully executed. And he鈥檚 one of those writers (also rare) with a genuinely open mind, a strong desire to learn and get better. Those valuable qualities have also served him exceptionally well in his life of public service.鈥�
Former MFA classmate Mark Stewart, 蜜桃影像AV adjunct English instructor, praises Cooper鈥檚 involvement in their classes.
鈥淚n workshops he had so many ideas that elevated everything about wider issues that all tied into what we were talking about,鈥� Stewart said. 鈥淚t was like he threw a line out and reeled in all these interesting ideas and brought them into the pond with us. James always brings all of himself to whatever happens, and he totally engages in it and adds to the tapestry. Always had perceptive ideas in discussions.鈥�
Cooper has championed several causes on the City Council. He authored a resolution for six public safety proposals, which passed unanimously. His experience as a teacher in a low-income middle school inspired him to promote the MAPS 4 youth centers to provide after-school and summer programs in arts, athletics, family, health and education. As a trustee of the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority, he strongly endorsed the upcoming rapid transit system, which will go from downtown to the Northwest Expressway and Meridian Avenue.
This NW Bus Rapid Transit (NWBRT) will travel along Classen Boulevard near 蜜桃影像AV and provide students easier access to points all across the city. Working with Mayor Holt, Councilwoman JoBeth Hamon, and the Embark public transit authority, Cooper ensured MAPS 4 funds for two additional BRTs, which would prioritize expanding and connecting the upcoming NWBRT to Northeast and South Oklahoma City.
Cooper is very visible in mass media. In a 2018 New York Times video on Oklahoma politics, Cooper talks about lack of communication between political parties, and he extols the nonpartisan election of City Council members as the video shows him campaigning for City Council and talking with voters at their homes about their concerns.
In the Huffington Post he had an article, 鈥淎n Oklahoma Perspective on Tornado Alley,鈥� in which he discusses the 鈥淥klahoma Standard鈥� 鈥� resilience in the face of adversity 鈥� demonstrated after the 1999 tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, as countless people and organizations volunteered, contributed and supported victims, similar to the Murrah Building bombing of 1995.
鈥淲e help because that鈥檚 who Oklahomans are,鈥� Cooper said. 鈥淲e are a resilient folk. It鈥檚 our DNA, from the Native peoples who first settled this land to the Dust Bowl to this very moment. We stare horror in the face, and we persevere because we know that the skies will clear again. That鈥檚 what being an Okie is all about.鈥� He has published frequently in the Oklahoma Gazette, including articles about the history of the Oklahoma City LGBT community, about the LGBT Pride Festival, about the Keystone XL fuel pipeline, and about Oklahoma鈥檚 Promise, a program for students from families with income under $60,000 to earn college tuition scholarships.
When he first ran for City Council, the Oklahoma Gazette published an article about Cooper, in which he says, 鈥淚 believe that my base is young people, LGBT folks, senior citizens, women, African Americans, young professionals, all types of people. Maybe I鈥檓 being just too optimistic, but I think we are all invested in this city鈥檚 future, no matter the demographic, and I relate to them all.鈥�
Cooper鈥檚 perspective about the diversity of his constituency is reflected in comments by Mayor Holt that Cooper 鈥渟till tries to find common ground rather than have it be an antagonistic fight between different groups. He recognizes that in recent decades Oklahoma City鈥檚 political culture has best succeeded when people work together and set aside things that divide them. And even though he's passionate about many things, he still recognizes that the people he represents are not going to see better outcomes unless he is willing to sometimes accept incremental progress.鈥�
