WHEREAS:    Roy C. “Bill” Lewellen was born in Lee County and raised in Marianna, Arkansas;

WHEREAS:    Senator Lewellen was the second Black person to serve in the Arkansas Senate in the 20th century;

WHEREAS:    In 1991, Senator Lewellen was the lead sponsor of the law that created the Arkansas Minority Health Commission, a body whose mission is to increase access to affordable and preventative health care and work to prevent diseases and conditions that are   prevalent among minority populations;

WHEREAS:    In 1992, Senator Lewellen served as an attorney for the historic Lake View School District in Phillips County—a case that ultimately led to how Arkansas adequately funds public education; 

WHEREAS:    In 1993, Senator Lewellen was the lead sponsor in the State Senate for the Arkansas Civil Rights Act of 1993, a culmination of the work of the Governor’s Task Force on Civil Rights;

WHEREAS:    Upon his passing, former Governor Mike Huckabee, a Republican, who served in office at the same time as Senator Lewellen, a Democrat, said of Lewellen: “he was foremost a true public servant and a statesman.”

WHEREAS:    The people of Arkansas are inspired by the leadership and legacy of Senator Lewellen and will never forget his commitment to making Arkansas a better place to live, work, and raise a family for all our citizens;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, acting under the authority vested in me as Governor of the State of Arkansas, do hereby order that the United States flag and the state flag of Arkansas be flown at half-staff throughout the State from sunrise to sunset on Saturday, April 8, 2023, the day of internment, in tribute to the memory of Senator Roy C. “Bill” Lewellen. 

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Arkansas to be affixed this 6th day of April, in the year of our Lord 2023.