VIDEO: American Legion Post 65 Hosts South Phoenix Black History Brunch

Dozens of community residents gathered together on Monday, Feb. 20 at the Travis L. Williams American Legion Post 65 to discuss the impact that South Phoenix has had on the entire Valley of the Sun over the last century.

What a fitting place to break bread and talk about some of the political, religious and business leaders who guided the Black community in Phoenix through many of the injustices we faced and overcome in the past.

Although we still have a long way to go in the Valley, we can certainly thank people such as Travis Williams, former Phoenix City Councilman Calvin C. Goode, entrpreneur and civil rights activist Lincoln Ragsdale, and Cloves Campbell, Sr., one of the founders of The Arizona Informant for their efforts.

Political leaders such as Mary Rose Wilcox, former Phoenix City Councilwoman/Maricopa County Supervisor; Cody Williams, former Phoenix City Councilman/Justice of the Peace; Art Hamilton, former Arizona State legislator; and Michael Johnson, former Phoenix City Councilman spearheaded a powerful, informative talk about those trailblazers and other important topics.

Click on the videos and links below for more in-depth details about the historical figures and places discussed in this article.

American Legion

Travis L. Williams

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a612b9f72b7e452cb1932a39b052008b#ref-n-0nGlej

Calvin C. Goode

https://www.phoenix.gov/newsroom/article/1679

Cloves C. Campbell, Sr.

https://www.historicalleague.org/historymakers/cloves-campbell-sr