??? Are there any black people in Mesa AZ?

[AJLady]

San Tan Valley area (East Queen creek) is richly diverse and has many blacks... but not too much night life, though. Maybe try 'The Gym' on Hunt Hwy? Yep... pretty boring all around for night life in the East Valley. AJ has nightlife, but it's mostly Cowboy types, Snowbirds, and ridiculously old musicians

I get pretty bored here, but I'm starting to appreciate the solitude more and more as I age ))))

[~PaperMoon~]

LOL That's one thing that's different about Arizona, there are no black nieghborhoods. In other cities and states especially like in philly you have black neighborhoods, but there are no black nieghborhoods in Arizona from what I've seen. There are blacks here, but not that many, and spread out. I see mostly mexicans, indians and whites.

[~PaperMoon~]

Originally Posted by mosesmoses

I dont know why the Mormons would think Cain was black.
Cain was not black, and none of his 30 brothers was black,
and none his 30 sisters was black.

Originally Posted by saffordpastor

The "mark of Cain has been a handy excuse for folks to practice their already inbred bigotry...

If we are just referring to Bible...(not the Book of Mormon, or the Quoran...or any other such book)...it is evident that most likely Cains descendent's all perished in the flood anyway....so no "mark" of Cain could have been passed down.

Katspur is correct on one thing...racism exists in all Faiths....and although the LDS church has a very rich history of prejudice...(seeing it was written in their doctrine)...they seem to have put that pretty much behind them....Thank goodness for that.

However the stigma remains because it has been in very recent times that they have sworn that off and the catalyst for that was a very irate Stanford Athletic director in 1969 I believe it was that suspended any sporting events with BYU because their racial policies.

Several other schools had been making noise..(UTEP, U of Wyoming..)...and Mormon President Kimball decided to do away with the rule that blacks could not hold the priesthood. (1978)

Again the problem that the LDS church has to deal with is that it is very recent AND this was not just an unwritten policy but one that had been preached by their greatest leaders....Brigham Young did teach that dark skin was the mark of Cain.
Still a big hurdle for the LDS church to deal with.

However having said that...I do believe that the Mormons are doing their best to erase the sins of the past and move on without the stain of racism....and I commend them for that.

Yeah I was going to say that whatever people thought concerning Cain is irrelevent anyway because all of Cain's descendants died in the flood. Everyone here now comes from Noah and his sons.

[phx78]

For black culture for the younger set in PHX you need to remember the following, like most things in PHX its not in one place and it may more around from time to time. With that in mind….
The black area downtown is along Washington and a Jefferson st. There are a number of Black churches, business and bars/clubs in that area. The churches are Pilgrims rest, 1st institutional Baptist and Tanner AME.
Businesses in the Wash/Jeff corridor include Miss Whites Golden Rule Café, Bobby C’s, Esquire Barber shop among many others.
PHXsoul.com and the Arizona informant newspaper are your best news sources about happenings in the PHX black/African community. PHXsoul has a lot of happenings posted on it, I would try one of the slam poetry sessions meet some people then go from there.
As for black people in Mesa, there are not many… but that doesn’t not mean Mesa is not a welcoming place. I moved to Mesa when I 1st came to AZ, and I made many friends. Keep an open mind, try some new outlets and discover what AZ has to offer.

[Goober13]

I was born and raised here. In the Phx metro, the black population is spread out. There are about 200,000 blacks in Maricopa County.Mesa per se is about 3% black but not much nightlife there. All the major comics and R&B and hip hop concerts come here, as well as black comics. As far as urbanwear, Fiesta mall Macys and Chandler Dillards sell it as well as Desert Sky Mall Dillards and Metrocenter Macys. There are over 3 dozen black beauty and Barbershops, and about 15 black beauty supply shops.

BBB fashion on Alma School and 8th Ave in Mesa, BBB at 51st Ave and Indian School, Sonny's at Alma School and Baseline in Mesa.This store stocks all top of the line hair and is black owned.Grand Mart at 7th Ave and Southern and 35th Ave and Camelback, United Beauty at 27th Ave and Camelback, Mid K at 16th St and Southern and 67th Ave and Thomas, and Yes Beauty Supply at 3rd Ave and Baseline, Wigland at 48th St just north of Baseline, are just some of the black beauty supply places. Wal-mart on I-10 and Elliot in tempe (1/2 mile east at Kyrene Rd has a huge black hair section as does the store at 15th ave and Bethany Home in Phx.

Get a Write Up paper. it is a free paper that comes out around the 15th of the month. It is a young urban publication. You can get it at Grand Mart and other black beauty supply places and restaurants.

Soul food. Mrs Whites at 8th St and Jefferson. been there for YEARS. They have the other black newspaper there called the Arizona Informant. Lolo's Chicken and Waffles at S. Central and Yuma St (1/2 block west) and on Scottsdale Rd, just south of Thomas on the east side of the street.Honey Bears BBQ has 3 locations, Stacys Soul Food and BBQ on 17th St and Indian School is good. Some other soul food places will be listed in these papers. There are about 6-7 more.

Much of the nightlife and concerts will be listed in those papers. Club Central in the old park central mall in the 3000 block of North Central is open weekends. Mabel Murphys in downtown Scottsdale is good. Bobby C's is a nice little black owned spot on Washington and 11th St with a good all black clientele but a little older. The black scene moves around a bit but there are at least a dozen or more spots with good music. The downtown clubs around 2nd Street and Jefferson in Phx are good and have a mix of customers black, hispanic and a few white, and hip hop music. Jillys in Chandler is ok too but haven't been for awhile.

All the black sororities and fraternities are in Phx and have been for years. there are LOT'S of black churches. Pilgrims rest on 14th St and Jefferson is a HUGE church with a younger pastor which pulls blacks in from all over the country if you are in to church.

Phoenix had a stong black community on the south side which became diluted as mexicans and blacks moved to the westside of Phx to the Maryvale area. You will see blacks scattered all over in this metro unlike where you are from, an older city with a firmly entrenched "hood". I have lived in the SF Bay area which is older,then moved back to Phx, and currently travel for my business, working 8 weeks on the road in rural america, and and home for 4 weeks at a time when back, but know this city well and am black myself.

I would avoid Am Vet, and Elks type of places as they are kind of ghetto. Most things you are used to exist in the Phx metro but as I said, the black population is scattered. Some fun black venues will be in upscale predominately white areas like Scottsdale. Hair salons are scattered around like this too. West Mesa is where most blacks live, and in Tempe and southeast Phx.

Get the 2 black papers and "test the waters" and you should find most of what you are used to here.

Hope this helps.

[ArizonaColor]

I am considered black (or "woman of color"). LOL. I lived in mesa for 1 year. I love Mesa. There are lots of black people. Its is a nice mixture. I come from the east coast, where we had neighborhoods (segregated) and mixed neighborhoods.

Coming to Mesa, AZ was not a culture shock as people said it would be. There are more latin/hispanics than african americans. As far as ethnic stores for blacks, they sell our products in the latin community. You will find more stores owned or managed by blacks in Chandler, South Phoenix and the west side of Phoenix.

To answer the original question: Yes. Its July 2011 and there are blacks here. The population of blacks is growing as more transient folks move in. I will never move back East because I love the desert here and this is where God called me to be.

I loike being black in Mesa (East valley of Phoenix). I like the culture, climate and shopping. Not a problem to me.