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Hayzel B. Daniels (1913-1992) or “Haze” as he was known, was an upstart, outspoken
and courageous man who dedicated his life to education and his country.
Haze attended law school on the G.I. Bill, and later graduated from the University of Arizona
Law School in 1948. After becoming the first African-American to pass the Arizona State Bar
examination, Haze opened a law office in Phoenix and became involved in politics and a
major supporter of the NAACP.
In 1950, Haze became one of the first two black elected state representatives in the Arizona
legislature. As a legislator, he fought for the integration of Phoenix’s public schools—then
still segregated by law.
With the support of the NAACP, Haze initiated lawsuits on behalf of black children attacking
the constitutionality of the statute. With no funding available, Haze along with attorney Herbert
B. Finn, volunteered his services on Phillips, et. al. v. Phoenix Union High School District.
Haze even paid the filing fee out of his own pocket. This turned out to be a wise investment
because Arizona Superior Court Judge Fred C. Struckmeyer, Jr., soon ruled that there was
no lawful authority for the segregation of black children in Carver High School.
Recognizing the limitations of this decision, on November 12, 1953, Haze and Herb Finn filed
suit against the Wilson Elementary School District in Heard et al v. Davis, et. al.. This time, in
a bold and direct decision, Arizona Superior Court Judge Charles C. Bernstein ruled
specifically that segregation in public schools was an unconstitutional deprivation of the
equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.
While the State’s appeal from that decision was pending, the United States Supreme Court
requested a copy of Judge Bernstein’s order. Although we will probably never know how
much the Court was influenced by the Heard decision, when the landmark decision of Brown
v. Board of Education was issued on May 17, 1954, striking down the concept of “separate,
but equal, ” the Supreme Court had concluded, just as directly as Judge Bernstein, that racial
segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.
In the spotlight once again, Haze made national news when he was appointed as a Phoenix
City Court judge in 1965, thus becoming the first African-American judge in the history of the
State of Arizona. Well respected, he served with distinction for 13 years, receiving numerous
awards and accolades, including the alumni distinguished citizen award from the University
of Arizona.
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