LITTLE ROCK – Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a statement Tuesday that the legacy of Arkansas native and civil rights activist Ozell Sutton, who died Saturday in Atlanta, will “inspire generations to come.”
“I was saddened to hear of the passing of longtime civil rights activist, veteran and native Arkansan, Ozell Sutton,” Hutchinson said in the statement. “Mr. Sutton spent a lifetime promoting peace, equality and justice, from marching alongside Dr. (Martin Luther Jr.) King in Selma, Alabama, to aiding in the enrollment of the Little Rock Nine at Little Rock Central High School.
“He was a constant and unwavering advocate for civil rights across our nation, and his legacy will no doubt inspire generations to come. Mr. Sutton will be greatly missed.”
Sutton, a native of Gould, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor as one of the first African Americans to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps. After graduating from Philander Smith College in Little Rock in 1950, he worked as a reporter at the Arkansas Democrat and later served as an assistant to Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller.
Sutton later joined the Justice Department, working as a community relations director in Atlanta until he retired.
Sutton died Saturday in Atlanta. He was 90 years old.