Marlon D. Green

Marlon D. Green, from El Dorado, Arkansas, flew B-26’s in the U.S. Air Force after World War Two. He then applied to a number of commercial airlines for a position but got nowhere. In 1957, he applied to Continental, this time leaving his race undeclared. Green suspected that, as an African American, it was his color that was preventing him from landing his dream job. He was the only African American in last six finalists and only one of two not hired. Green fought a legal battle that culminated in a favorable decision by the U. S. Supreme Court in 1963. Continental hired Green in 1964 and he flew his first commercial flight the year after. Green’s efforts integrated the formerly “whites only” skies and paved the way for many other African American pilots to follow. I’m John Kirk of the UALR History Department and this has been an Arkansas moment.