Personality, Not Pigmentation: Remembering Jeffrey Campbell

Being a high school student in Nashua right now means you are one of two things—a Titan or a Panther. You’re at North or you’re at South. We get so caught up in that distinction and the (mostly) friendly rivalry that we sometimes forget we’re actually part of the very same long story. This Black History Month, I came across a story that honestly blew me away. The story of a local hero that I think every Nashua student (North or South) should hear. It’s about someone who paved the way for us back when we were just one school.

His name was Rev. Jeffery Campbell.

If you look back at the history of the original Nashua High, Jeffery was everywhere. He was a theater kid, a musician, and a member of the editorial staff of the Tattler, the old school’s yearbook. He was basically a normal student trying to make his mark. But while he was busy with rehearsals and classes in the 1920s, he was carrying a history that most of us can’t imagine.

Finding a Home in Nashua

Jeffery’s path to our city was born out of a tragedy. When he was only 12, his father was killed in a racially motivated attack in Boston. Looking for a safer life, his mother, Lillian, moved Jeffrey and his sister Marguerite here to Nashua around 1919.

As a resident of “The Gate City”, Jeffery was deeply involved in all aspects of Nashua life. He was a leader at the local YMCA and super involved in the church on Lowell Street. He was the kind of guy who cared about the small stuff, too. He once wrote a letter to the local paper just to protect a historic tree being cut down. He loved this city and treated it like home, even when the world wasn’t always kind to him.

Breaking Barriers (The Hard Way)

After he graduated from Nashua High, Jeffery became a pioneer. He was the first African American Student to attend the Theological School at St. Lawrence University. He wanted to be a minister and spend his life talking about peace and “universal love.”; the idea that everyone is part of one big human family.

But during the 1930s the United States was not a forgiving place, and Lady Liberty only shone her copper light on those whose skin shone alabaster. When Jeffrey went to be ordained, the committee only spent 30 minutes asking about his actual theological beliefs, but they spent four hours grilling him on his race. Even though he had stellar recommendations from people who knew his heart, he was constantly turned down for full time jobs just because of the color of his skin. Eventually, he switched to teaching but even while he was a full time English teacher, he never stopped looking for a full-time spot as a minister. He served in part-time “on-call” roles but was never able to land a permanent position.

“Personality, Not Pigmentation”

In 1940, Jeffrey wrote a piece called Personality, Not Pigmentation for a prominent Universalist journal called The Christian Leader. The essay had a simple core idea but it was pretty radical for the time period. He argued that people should be judged for who they are and not what they look like. This was over a decade before the Civil Rights Movement really took off, and he was saying it right here in our community.

His sister, Marguerite (Class of ‘34), was just as much of a powerhouse. She was an activist who fought for peace and stayed dedicated to her faith even when the church leadership sidelined her because of her race. They were a family of Nashua grads who just refused to let the world make them sour.

Why This Matters for Us

For a long time, the Campbells were kind of forgotten by history. They were actually buried in unmarked graves at Edgewood Cemetery, which is right by the North campus (3.4 miles away). It wasn’t until 2018 that people in Nashua finally came together to give them a headstone.

Today, we might go to different schools and wear different colors, but Jeffrey Campbell’s legacy belongs to all of us, especially currently enrolled students of color. He shows us what it looks like to face something unfair with grace and to keep speaking up for what’s right.

So, this month let’s remember that Black history is not only just a chapter in our yearbook but also a part of our halls and neighborhoods. Jeffrey Campbell was one of us and history reminds us what actually defines us—not our school, our side of town, or the color of our skin.

Sources and Further Reading:

• The Black Heritage Trial of New Hampshire
• The Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashua Archives
• “Personality, Not Pigmentation”: Originally published in The Christian Leader (Feb 24, 1940).
• “I Would Still Undertake The Call” (UU World, 2018).