Longtime civil rights activist Ozell Sutton has passed away in Atlanta, he was 90.

Sutton played the role of the unsettled days of school desegregation, helping nine African-Americans students at Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas back in 1957. Sutton joined many activities including the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in the historic March on Washington in 1953 and later in 1965; he marched for equal rights in Selma, Ala.

Sutton was one of the first African-Americans to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps, which was a distinction that earned him a Congressional Gold Medal in 2012 from President Barack Obama. He was also director of the U.S. Justice Department's Community Relations Service in Atlanta until he retired in 2003.

Sutton is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and served as the 26th General President of the organization. He worked for Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller and as the director of the Governor's Council on Human Resources. He was a journalist for the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

Sutton received his undergraduate degree in 1950 from Philander Smith College and also received an honorary doctorate in 1962 from Philander Smith College in recognition of his political activism in the civil rights movement.

"HBCU Campaign Fund organization is sadden in learning of the death of lifetime civil right activist Ozell Sutton, who was phenomenally historical and legendary to the black community. Sutton played a tremendous role in the betterment of civil rights and justice for Blacks today. Ozell Sutton and others activism have impacted the reasonings on the current enrollment of blacks at an all-white educational institution. Sutton legacy will always be forever remembered in our hearts for his timeless sacrifices for the black community and black culture. HBCU Campaign Fund sends our deepest prayers and condolences out to the family of Sutton during this time of bereavement." statement by Demetrius Johnson Jr., president and founder of HBCU Campaign Fund after the learning of Ozell Sutton's passing.