AR HMR1003

House Memorial Resolution honors John W. Walker, Sr. (June 3, 1937 – October 28, 2019), a civil rights attorney and Arkansas State Representative who served from January 2011 until his death

Walker was the first Black undergraduate student admitted to the University of Texas after Brown v. Board of Education (1954), though still denied attendance due to race; he earned degrees from University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, New York University, and Yale Law School

In 1968, Walker opened one of the first three racially integrated law firms in the South and was personally involved in most reported racial discrimination cases in Arkansas, including the Little Rock School District desegregation battle

Walker successfully brought the only nationwide racial discrimination case ever won against Walmart, Inc., involving Black truck drivers

Upon adoption, the Chief Clerk of the House will present a copy of the resolution to Walker's family; Walker's body lay in state in the State Capitol rotunda and his picture remains in the House Quiet Room