door. That incident led to the desegregation of the cafeteria. In 1966, Brother Sutton was hired by the Community Relations Service of the Justice Department. Following the slaying of Dr. King, Brother Sutton went back to work for Winthrop Rockefeller, then Governor of Arkansas, this time as Director of the Governor's Council on Human Resources and special assistant. In 1969, he rejoined the Community Relations Service as State Supervisor for Arkansas. In 1972, he was appointed to his present position as Director of the Southeast Region, including the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.
Brother Ozell Sutton
Brother Sutton left the Democrat, and his journalism career, shortly before the desegregation of Little Rock's Central High School. He was one of the persons who assisted Mrs. Daisy Bates, head of the Arkansas NAACP and leader in the fight to allow Black students to attend Central. Ozell and three or four others were given the job of recruiting eligible students to make the bold attempt. Despite the fear, nine of their charges remained when the time came . . . "The Little Rock Nine."
Brother Sutton began his professional career in human relations after leaving the newspaper — working first with the Little Rock Housing Authority and as a personal assistant to Winthrop Rockefeller. In 1961, he became Associate Director of the Arkansas Council on Human Relations, an interracial group working for equal rights. He was The Sphinx / Winter 1980
appointed Executive Director of the council in 1964.
Brother Sutton led sit-ins of college students and others at downtown establishments. Under his leadership, the group negotiated with businessmen and civic leaders; and most of the theatres and restaurants were integrated prior to passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Elected officials of the state, however, were still resistant — as Ozell found out. While gathering data for a voter registration drive, he found himself going to the cafeteria in the State Capitol because he was hungry. He was refused service, and his protests citing the recently enacted Civil Rights Act didn't impress the management. While arguing he was approached by two large white men who, after Brother Sutton still refused to leave, picked him up, swung him back and forth, and tossed him out the
As you can well imagine, this position keeps him plenty busy. The Community Relations Service works as a mediator in racial and ethnic disputes through the region. As Brother Sutton has noted, "We serve as sort of a barometer on the extent of equal opportunity, and the racial climate, in the region. We try to prevent conflict, as well as resolve it." His job puts him in face-to-face debates with leaders of the Ku Klux Klan; involves negotiations with community groups; puts him in the forefront of the crusade to curb excessive use of force by policemen . . . in short, his professional career is aimed at helping others overcome barriers to equal opportunity similar to those he has had to overcome each day of his life. <
Brother Sutton has had a long and distinguished career in service to Alpha Phi Alpha. He served as State Director of Arkansas and, later, was elected to the Board of Directors as Southwestern Vice President. He served in that position until 1972, when he moved to Atlanta. A Life Member, he immediately became active with the Fraternity in that Continued on page 8 7