Conversations with Chandler's Historic Black Families: Rev. Willie Arbuckle

Jan. 31, 2022
| by:
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Division

Meet Rev. Willie Arbuckle, one of Chandler's historic Black families, as he shares his story of life in Chandler, dating back to his family's arrival in the late 1930s. 

Rev. Arbuckle was one of the first Black students to graduate from Chandler High School he stepped foot on the campus as a junior in 1949 — five years before the Brown vs. Board of Education case (where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled segregation in public schools unconstitutional). 

The City of Chandler was delighted to have Erica Maxwell from the City’s Human Relations Commission speak with Rev. Arbuckle as he shared some of his memories and his family’s legacy with us.