Video by Pam Stevenson, Agave Productions Inc., for Historical League
Cloves Campbell, Sr. proudly broke barriers throughout his life and fought for the rights of those in need. Mr. Campbell came to Arizona in 1945 at the age of fourteen with his widowed mother, three brothers, and one sister. He grew up at the Matthew Henson Housing Project in central Phoenix, determined to become educated and help his family to live successfully in the West. While working numerous jobs, Mr. Campbell was also a star athlete in high school and college. After a stint in the U.S. Army, marrying, and starting a family, he graduated from ASU with a teaching degree in 1958.
Cloves Campbell, Sr. soon became involved in community affairs to improve his South Phoenix neighborhood. He was elected to a seat in the Arizona House of Representatives in 1962, and in 1966, he became the first African American elected to the Arizona State Senate. Throughout his ten years in the Arizona Legislature, he fought to improve education and job opportunities for his constituents. He was instrumental in the establishment of South Mountain Community College. As a member of the Arizona Consumer Council he worked for consumers to have bread and milk labeled with dates. Mr. Campbell introduced legislation in 1970 to create a holiday to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He said later, “Little did I know that the jury would be out in Arizona for twenty-three years.”
As a state legislator, Cloves Campbell, Sr. considered himself an independent Democrat and proudly stated, “I was unbought and unbossed.” He was proud of his reputation for shaking things up at the Capitol: “As an aggressive and articulate Black Senator who was outspoken . . . I did not believe in rocking the boat, I believed in turning the boat over and I wanted to see if the individuals who landed in the water could swim.”
Always active in community organizations. Mr. Campbell was board chairman of the South Phoenix Salvation Army, state president of the Arizona chapter of NAACP, and a coach for Pop Warner Football. Cloves Campbell, Sr. also worked 31 years for Arizona Public Service, beginning as a night janitor while he was in school, and later in Public Affairs when he created Project GO, a program that encouraged young people to turn their dreams into reality through education.
Cloves Campbell, Sr. was disappointed for many years that the Arizona news media did not cover the accomplishments and activities of the African American community. In 1969, he became owner and co-publisher of the Arizona Informant, using the slogan, “We Record Black History . . . 98% of Our News, You Won’t Find in Any Other News Media in Arizona.” For many years he was editor, reporter, and photographer. It was always a family business, first with his brothers and later with his sons. Today, the award winning Arizona Informant is the state’s oldest and largest African American weekly newspaper.
Throughout his life, Cloves Campbell made his home, raised four children, and ran his business in South Phoenix. He believed in working from within to improve the community. He told successful residents, “You, as leaders, need to stay where the teenagers are, to present an ‘image’ they can look up to.” He proudly titled his autobiography, I Refused to Leave the ‘Hood.
Historymaker Cloves Campbell, Sr. biography as published in 2005
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