Being black in Phoenix, Arizona in 1953


Walk with me. It's 1953, and we're black people in Phoenix, Arizona. And if you're wondering how many there are of us in Arizona, it's right there in the Sun newspaper, 60,000.

It's a time of segregation. A time when we can be denied service at restaurants, and thousands of other indignities based on the color of our skin. It's a shameful time, a time that isn't even talked about by many people, as if talking about it would make it seem as if it never happened. But it's also a hopeful time.


If you've never seen, or even heard of, the Arizona Sun newspaper, it's not surprising. It isn't the typical kind of thing that you find in light and airy articles about the history of Phoenix. But let's take a look. The country is about to change, and one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

In Phoenix a judge at the Maricopa County Superior Court ruled school segregation in Phoenix high schools was unconstitutional. In 1954 integration in Phoenix schools began. There's still a long way to go, but together we will get there.

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