Ralph Campbell Sr.

Ralph Campbell Sr. (August 4, 1915 – May 15, 1983) was an American postal worker and civil rights activist and organizer active in Raleigh, North Carolina. His wife June was also influential.[1] He worked for the post office. Their son Ralph Campbell Jr. continued their work and was elected state auditor. Another son, Bill Campbell, served as mayor of Atlanta.[2][3]

Ralph Campbell Sr.
Campbell at Raleigh City Hall in 1982
President of the NAACP Raleigh Chapter
In office
December 18, 1960 – February 21, 1965
Personal details
BornAugust 4, 1915
DiedMay 15, 1983
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseJune Elizabeth Kay
Children4 (including Bill Campbell and Ralph Campbell Jr.)
Professioncivil rights activist, postal worker

He served in World War II and in the Korean War.

Campbell served as president of the Raleigh Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People from December 18, 1960[4] until February 21, 1965.[5] He participated in the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.[6] In the early 1960s, he and June began hosting meetings of civil rights activists at their home. Often sitting around an oval glass-topped table, this group became known as the "Oval Table Gang". Its members strategized to desegregate schools, support black political candidates, and organized protests. The meetings continued until Campbell died.[7]

Campbell and his wife petitioned the Raleigh School board to allow their children to attend white schools. The board agreed to allow Bill, the youngest child, to enroll at the Murphey School, making him the first child to desegregate a school in the city.[8] Campbell worked in a post office and was threatened with dismissal if he accompanied Bill to school, so his wife took Bill to the Murphey School on his day of classes.[7]

After his death in 1983, he was commemorated in a joint resolution by the North Carolina General Assembly.[9] His wife died in 2004.[7] They are buried at Raleigh National Cemetery. In 2005, he and his wife were inducted into the Raleigh Hall of Fame.[10]

References
  1. "Ralph & June Campbell: Prominent Leaders During the Civil Rights Movement in Raleigh, NC". August 6, 2018.
  2. "Campbell, mother to NC state auditor, former Atlanta mayor, dies". AccessWDUN.
  3. Schlosser, Jim. "ATLANTA'S MAYOR REMAINS UPBEAT". Greensboro News and Record.
  4. "NAACP of City Names R. Campbell As New President". The Carolinian. Vol. 20, no. 11. December 24, 1960. pp. 1–2.
  5. "Ralph Campbell Cited For Service". The Carolinian. Vol. 24, no. 16. February 27, 1965. p. 1.
  6. "Capital City Represented in 'March'". The Carolinian. Vol. 21, no. 44. August 31, 1963. p. 1.
  7. Smith, Jesse Carey (2009). "Oval Table Gang (1960s)". Freedom Facts and Firsts: 400 Years of the African American Civil Rights Experience. Visible Ink Press. pp. 214–215.
  8. "Political pioneer Ralph Campbell dies". WRAL-TV. Capitol Broadcasting Company. January 12, 2011. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  9. https://ncga.state.nc.us › PDFPDF general assembly of north carolina
  10. "2005 | Raleigh Hall Of Fame". www.raleighhalloffame.org.
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