LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has ordered that the U.S. and Arkansas state flags be flown at half-staff on Saturday, October 26, in memory of Thelma Mothershed Wair on the day of her interment.
Thelma, a member of the Little Rock Nine, passed away on Saturday, October 19, at the age of 83. She was one of the first nine Black students to attend Little Rock Central High School in a time of uncertainty and opposition in the fall of 1957.
After graduating high school, she went on to earn her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She worked in the East St. Louis school system as a counselor for decades, and at a Juvenile Detention Center in Illinois, helping disadvantaged young people.
In 1999, Thelma and the other eight members of the Little Rock Nine received the Congressional Gold Medal.
Her bravery and tireless fight for integration and racial equality will continue to be honored across the state of Arkansas for generations to come.
