Uncrowned Community Builders

Anita Golden Arnold was born in Tecumseh, Oklahoma and grew up in Oklahoma City. She graduated from Douglass High School in Oklahoma City in 1957. She received an Associate's Degree in Computer Science from Oklahoma State University, Summa Cum Laude, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Production Management with a double major in math and computer science from Memphis State University, Summa Cum Laude, and did advanced work on a Master of Science degree in Engineering Management at the University of Oklahoma. She was a pioneer in the fields of Computer Science, Management and Engineering and was the first person of color in all of her classes and in her work.

Her career included working for Western Electric Company, South Central Bell Telephone Company, AT & T, Southern Region office in Memphis, Tennessee and the national office of the U. S. Postal Service, Washington, D. C. She began work at the Postal Service at the highest level for any woman of color in the United States and in two years, she was promoted to Program Manager of the Real Estate and Buildings Department of the national office of the U. S. Postal Service, becoming the second highest ranking female in the United States Postal Service.

Leaving the Postal Service to return to the Bell System, Anita made history again by being selected as an Achiever in Industry by Western Electric Co. in the Harlem YMCA Black Achiever in Industry Program. She was recognized for her achievements in New Jersey as a professional band manager recording the group's first album and for developing the first National Account Management Course for selling in trade shows for the Bell System. The course was put into the Account Management Training Institute at Dublin, Ohio and became required training.

Promoted later at AT & T as District Manager in the Consumer Products division, Ms. Arnold, founded an organization called The Committee of AT&T Black Managers that later became the National Alliance of A T & T Black Employees with more than 30,000 members nationwide. As the first president of the organization, she led a committee made up of seven members of the Alliance and CEOs of the AT&T companies to structure the new AT&T after the break up of the Bell System. Through this committee, she impacted promotions of African Americans in the company through new policies and practices. Her work led to the first Black President of AT&T South African and other promotions of African Americans from mid-management jobs to upper management jobs, inclusion of African Americans in the AT&T stockholders meeting and numerous other changes.

Mrs. Arnold was the only African American appointed by the President of AT&T to work with the consulting firm hired to create the AT&T Foundation, ensuring that African Americans received fair consideration for program requests. This paved the way for The Teen Pregnancy Program of Plainfield, New Jersey to receive $150,000 in funding that it has received annually since the mid '80's. The employee organization founded by Mrs. Arnold was used as a model by other Fortune 500 companies including Johnson & Johnson Company.

In 1984 she took early retirement from AT & T and returned to Oklahoma City to pursue her interests in real estate, becoming a Real Estate Broker and owner of ARGaS Properties, a property management company founded by her and owner of Investment Brokerage Company, a real estate firm that she purchased.

In 1984 she was appointed, by the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, to serve a four term on the Democratic Site Selection Committee for the 1988 National Convention in Atlanta becoming the first and only person from Oklahoma to do so. As a speaker, some of her speaking engagements included Keynote for the International Conferences of Mayors and the National Urban League Conference. She has conducted numerous workshops locally and nationally. Ms. Arnold was a member of the Black Business Council headed by Earl Graves and included among others, John H. Johnson and Robert Johnson. She served on the National Finance Council of the Democratic National Committee. Anita has met and dined with Presidents such as Robert Mgabe, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandella and many other famous people. Mrs. Arnold's travels, both business and personal, have carried her to Africa four times, China, Greece, France, England, Italy, Spain, New Zealand, Australia and many other places. She was appointed by Oklahoma City Mayor Ron Norick to serve as a Co chair of the Archives Committee of the Oklahoma City National Memorial Task Force in 1995.

Currently, she is serving as Executive Director of Black Liberated Arts Center, Inc. where she has opened many doors for organizations and individuals in Oklahoma. She brought arts integration to Oklahoma with the John F. Kennedy Center's Partners in Education program, bringing several schools from the State's Low Performing List, and in one case, to one of the top ten schools in the City in less than 5 years. She was first to bring the Smithsonian Institution to Oklahoma City with the 100th anniversary of Duke Ellington exhibit. She served a 3-year term on the Advisory Committee for The Kennedy Center where she was, recently, recognized for her service.

Arnold is recognized as a leader in preserving African American History and Culture in her state through her writings that have been referenced by international authors in 7 books on Charlie Christian, Ralph Ellison and The Blue Devils. Also, she was narrator for the Tellie Award winning documentary, The Music of Second Street. Mrs. Arnold is author of three cultural history books, has written numerous business and cultural articles for newspapers and magazines in Oklahoma and New Jersey. She has been the subject of many articles and has been on the cover of several magazines and recipient of numerous awards.

See a recent book review by Peggy Brooks-Bertram, Co-Founder of Uncrowned Queens Institute, of Arnold's Images of America: Oklahoma City Music, Deep Deuce and Beyond. See Anita Arnold currently featured in Kudos to Queens.

In November 2013 Anita was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.

Anita is the mother of three children who are high achievers. In her spare time, she loves to travel and read books. She is a member of the Disciples of Christ Denomination where she loves to study The Word. She considers herself a community activist with a passion for excellence in living.