Arniter Jamison loved politics and loved getting African-Americans active in the Republican Party.
“She had good political instincts and almost always knew the answer,” said Carolyn Metzler, a longtime Republican activist.
Jamison died Oct. 29 after a long battle with cancer. She was 75.
A service will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at New Beginnings Cathedral of Worship, 740 Chambers Road, in Aurora.
“Arniter had very strong convictions, and she didn’t deviate from them,” said Metzler. But she believed the party ought to be a “big tent” to include all Republicans.
Though she never ran for office, “she loved politics and knew how it operated,” said her daughter, Valerie Waldon of Centennial.
Her brother, Booker T. Graves, executive director of the Colorado Workforce Development Council, said all the family members are Republicans.
“There are a lot more blacks in the Republican Party than conventional wisdom or the media would lead you to believe,” he said.
He said his sister worked for candidates, mentored young people “to help them express their concerns,” and was a good speaker and fundraiser. “She had great people skills.”
“She was a hard worker and very personable,” said Pat Bayer, who had the state’s Republican Party as one of her public-relations clients.
“She loved being a Republican,” said Dawn Greenidge, president of the Colorado Black Republican Forum.
“She knew the facts and knew history, and when Arniter had something to say, people listened and learned,” Greenidge said.
Jamison helped found the Colorado Black Republican Forum and was active in the Colorado Federation of Republican Women. “She spent years in the trenches, trying to get people to be engaged and active in politics,” said Ryan Frazier, an Aurora city councilman.
Arniter Graves was born in Center Point, Ark., on Aug. 10, 1934. She moved with her family to Missouri when she was a child and graduated from Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo., with a degree in political science. She earned her master’s in public administration at the University of Colorado-Denver.
She married James Jamison II, and they later divorced.
She worked for the Denver Regional Council of Governments and for the city and county of Denver, in the telecommunications office.
Before that, she had been a social worker.
In addition to her daughter and brother, she is survived by her son, James Jamison III of Aurora; five grandchildren; and three step-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by another brother, Finos Graves, in 2001.
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Virginia Culver: 303-954-1223 or vculver@denverpost.com
