Ozell Sutton
Title
Ozell Sutton
Subject
Sutton, Ozell, 1925-2015
Civil rights
Distinguished Alumnus
Class of
1950
Death Date
2015
Education
- BA - Political Science, Philander Smith College
- Certified in Conflict Resolution, Institution for Mediation and Conflict Resolution, Washington DC
- Certified Mediation and Dispute Settlement, National Center for Dispute Settlement of American Arbitration Association, New York, NY
Occupation
- Civil Rights Activist
- 1st Black Journalist at the Arkansas Democrat
- Regional Director, Southeast Region Community Relations Service, U. S. Department of Justice
- Field Representative, U. S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service
- State Supervisor for CRS, Arkansas
- Special Assistant to Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller, AR
- Assistant Director, Arkansas Council on Human Relations
- Director of Arkansas Council of Human Relations
- Relocation and Rehabilitation Supervisor, Little Rock Housing Authority
- U. S. Marine Corps (WWII)
- Justice Department Community Relations Service Official, Las Angeles, CA (Rebuilding after the LA Riots)
- Lecturer
- Author, "From Yonder to Here": A Memoir of Dr. Ozell Sutton
Affiliations
- Supported the Little Rock Nine by acting as decoy during the desegreation of Little Rock, Central High School.
- Marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama
- Was present at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN when Dr. King was murdered in 1968.
- Executive Board of the National Black Leadership Roundtable
- Chair, Great Issues Forum of the Interdenominational Theological Center, Chair, Executive Committee of the Voter Education Project
- Executive Board, NAACP, Atlanta Branch
- Board of Trustees, Friendship Baptist Church
- Board of Trustees, Philander Smith College
- Board of Directors, Metropolitan Atlanta Crime Commission
- Member, Public Safety Task Force
- 26th General President, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
- Chairperson, National Assault on Illiteracy
- Founding member of the Executive Board of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
- Co-Chair, Atlanta Black-Jewish Coalition
Honors and Awards
- Congressional Gold Medal, President Barack Obama, 2012
- Medal of Freedom, NAACP
- Arkansas Black Hall of Fame
- Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, Philander Smith College
- The Ozell Sutton Medal of Justice, Philander Smith College
- 100 Most Influential Black Americans, Ebony Magazine
- PSC Distinguished Alumnus, 1968
Source
Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. (2016). Ozell Sutton. Retrieved from http://arblackhalloffame.org/honorees/ozell-sutton/
Leovy, J. (2015, December 21). Ozell Sutton dies at 90; longtime civil rights activist. LA Times. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/lameozellsutton20151222story.
html 1/3
Ozell Sutton (1925-2015). Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. Retrieved from http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entrydetail.
aspx?entryID=4010&media=print
A call to courage. (2009, Fall/Winter). The Philanderian.
About the author. (1988, October 20). The Centennial Choir in Performance "The Black Experience in America" [Program]. PSC Digital Archive. Retrieved from https://pscdigitalarchive.omeka.net/files/show/291
Leovy, J. (2015, December 21). Ozell Sutton dies at 90; longtime civil rights activist. LA Times. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/lameozellsutton20151222story.
html 1/3
Ozell Sutton (1925-2015). Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. Retrieved from http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entrydetail.
aspx?entryID=4010&media=print
A call to courage. (2009, Fall/Winter). The Philanderian.
About the author. (1988, October 20). The Centennial Choir in Performance "The Black Experience in America" [Program]. PSC Digital Archive. Retrieved from https://pscdigitalarchive.omeka.net/files/show/291
Collection
Citation
“Ozell Sutton,” Philander Smith University Digital Archive, accessed April 26, 2024, https://pscdigitalarchive.omeka.net/items/show/464.