StarSpace46 Chats: OKC Ward 2 Councilman James Cooper

James Cooper took the oath of office in April 2019 to start his first term on the Oklahoma City Council. He served previously in Oklahoma City Public Schools, specifically as an AVID middle school college preparation teacher, and is a published writer living in OKC's well-known Paseo neighborhood. Currently, Councilman Cooper works as an adjunct English professor at UCO and an adjunct Film Studies & Philosophy professor at OCU.

StarSpace46 Board Secretary Jeff Yenzer recently sat down with James Cooper to reflect on his time in office at the City Council, discuss inclusive economic development in central Oklahoma, and connecting communities through public transit. Councilman Cooper also serves as a trustee on the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority Board of Trustees. Councilman Cooper was born in Midwest City, where his mother, a retired registered nurse, still lives. He obtained a bachelor's degree in Film Studies with a minor in Political Science from the University of Oklahoma.

James' essay on the 2013 tornado that devastated Moore, "An Oklahoma Perspective on Tornado Alley," appeared in the Huffington Post. The Oklahoma Gazette published Cooper's 2011 two-part article on the history of Oklahoma City's LGBTQ population, "From Closet to Community." Recorded on July 20, 2021.