This is what one of Jay Barth’s supporters, a former state legislator himself, had to say about him: “Jay is a practical idealist – he has the vision, but he also has the ability to put it into action.”

Jay is a highly respected academic who has inspired hundreds with his fierce advocacy for education. With his current campaign for the Arkansas Senate, he hopes to improve the Arkansas education system to improve the lives of future generations. In office, he plans to expand after-school and summer learning activities as well as develop programs to help engage parents in school activities.

As a professor at Hendrix College, Jay was honored with the 2007 Arkansas Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teachers and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Over his 15 year tenure at Hendrix, he received the senior class’s Faculty Appreciation Award five times.

Jay is also a pioneer for civil rights in Arkansas. In the early nineties, Jay helped found and organization called Equality, a Little Rock-based gay-rights group. He has also served as the faculty advisor for Hendrix Unity, the college’s gay/straight alliance, since its inception. As an active member of the ACLU of Arkansas, Jay served as the first chair of the organization’s GLBT Committee.

Jay is a strong leader with a keen intellect. With Arkansas’ recent passage of an anti-gay adoption referendum, there is still much progress yet to be made in the state. Jay’s vote in the Senate and presence in his community will help bring about justice and equality in Arkansas.