By William Tauro

Andrea Campbell serves as Massachusetts’ Attorney General, a trailblazing figure who became the first Black woman to hold the position in 2023. Her journey to public office is marked by personal resilience, shaped in part by a challenging family history tied to Boston’s criminal underbelly during the 1960s.

Campbell’s father, Alvin Campbell, was part of a notorious sibling pair known as the Campbell brothers, alongside his brother Arnold. Active in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood, they were implicated in various illicit activities, including a high-profile 1968 shooting that left three people dead and two injured at the offices of a community organization called N.E.G.R.O. This group, ostensibly focused on grassroots initiatives, was allegedly a cover for schemes involving government funds for job training programs. The brothers, along with associate Dennis “Deke” Chandler, faced charges for the attack, which stemmed from disputes over misappropriated federal subsidies.

The case hinged on testimony from survivor Ronald Hicks, who identified the Campbells and Chandler as the perpetrators. However, in a twist that derailed the prosecution, Hicks was found shot dead in his vehicle in March 1969, just before the trial. Years later, Johnny Martorano—a feared enforcer for the Winter Hill Gang and admitted perpetrator of multiple homicides—confessed to carrying out the killing. His motive: to eliminate Hicks and shield the Campbell brothers from conviction. This act allowed Alvin and Arnold to walk free after their acquittal in June 1969.

Born in 1982, Andrea Campbell navigated the repercussions of her father’s repeated imprisonments and the early loss of her mother in a car accident. Despite these hardships, she pursued education and a legal career, transforming personal adversity into a commitment to justice reform. The entanglement between her father and Martorano highlights the enduring shadows of Boston’s mob era, contrasting sharply with Campbell’s own path of public service and advocacy.