Stephen Campbell was an

Arawak The Arawak are a group of Indigenous peoples of northern South America and of the Caribbean. The term "Arawak" has been applied at various times to different Indigenous groups, from the Lokono of South America to the Taíno (Island Arawaks), w ...

an Guyanese politician and political activist, and the first

Amerindian In the Americas, Indigenous peoples comprise the two continents' pre-Columbian inhabitants, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with them in the 15th century, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with the pre-Columbian population of ...

member of Parliament in Guyanese history.

Biography

Stephen Joseph Campbell was born to Tiburtio A. Campbell and his wife, Maria dos Santos, in Santa Rosa,

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies. It was located on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first known Europeans to encounter Guia ...

, on 26 December 1897. Both of Campbell's parents died when he was young, and he was subsequently raised by his grandmother. He was brought up as a devout

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He studied at Santa Rosa Mission School, and subsequently worked for many years as a teacher and as a

catechist Catechesis (; from Greek language, Greek: , "instruction by word of mouth", generally "instruction") is basic Christian religious education of children and adults, often from a catechism book. It started as education of Conversion to Christia ...

in various regions of Guyana. Campbell married Umbelina Da Silva on 9 February 1928. On 10 September 1957, Campbell became the first Amerindian member of Parliament in Guyanese history, when he was elected onto the Legislative Council of British Guiana. He subsequently joined the National Labour Front. In 1961, Campbell changed parties to The United Force. In 1964, he became Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs. Campbell went to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

for medical treatment, and died there on 12 May 1966, just two weeks before Guyana won

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

from Great Britain. He was buried in Canada.

Legacy

Campbell is widely regarded as a hero by Amerindian communities in Guyana, and his achievements are celebrated on 10 September every year as a part of Amerindian Heritage Month. Campbelltown has been named after Stephen Campbell. In 2018, the building of the Ministry of Citizenship was renamed after Campbell.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Stephen Arawakan people Guyanese politicians People from Barima-Waini 1897 births 1966 deaths Politicians from British Guiana Indigenous politicians of the Americas