The daughter of Clara Luper, Oklahoma City civil rights activist, will visit campus to honor the 60th anniversary of the sit-ins led by her mother.
Marilyn Hildreth will share her memories of the civil rights movement, including the historic sit-ins in Oklahoma City. The event is hosted by the Student Diversity and Inclusion Office.
Russ Tallchief, director of student diversity and inclusion, said Luper and her children helped propel the civil rights movement in Oklahoma. Tallchief also said others who participated in the sit-ins with Hildreth will attend the event as well.
“This is really where peaceful protests began, in Oklahoma City, and Clara Luper was at the helm,” he said.
Luper taught high school during a time when Supreme Court rulings mandated the desegregation of Oklahoma schools. She is famous for her peaceful protests against racism and segregation, particularly in continuous sit-ins with her children in Katz Drug Store in Oklahoma City.
Prior to the sit-ins, Luper took her children to a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People convention in New York City. Her children were able to experience an environment without segregation, contrasting to the animosity they felt in their hometown. Upon returning to Oklahoma, the children felt inspired to hold a sit-in at Katz Drug Store, a “whites only” shop, to protest the racism against the black community.
The Katz Drug Store employees called the police, but because the children were minors, they were not arrested. The children continued to return to the drugstore to stage their peaceful protest until they were served. The protests grew until every eating establishment in the city was integrated.
Hildreth said she will be speaking at the event about why the sit-ins were necessary and how they started. During the time of the sit-ins, Oklahoma was one of the most segregated states in the United States. She said until she and others decided to go to Katz Drug Store to bring attention to the bigotry and hatred in Oklahoma, Oklahomans didn’t understand what was going on. She also said she wants to discuss current events in Oklahoma and the important role young people have to play in society.
“I want to talk about the importance of the vote, the importance of speaking up against injustice, the importance of helping others,” she said.
Tallchief said it is important for students to attend this event to learn about segregation and civil rights history in Oklahoma City.
“We’ve come a long way in 60 years, but we still have racial tensions out there. We’ve got to continue to bridge those gaps and reach out,” he said. “We have to think about what we can do as OCU students and faculty and staff to help bridge that in the way that those kids did back in the 1950s.”
Hildreth said she wants people who attend the campus dialogue to understand the important role her mother played in Oklahoma history.
“Not only did she talk the talk by helping others, she walked the walk, and she believed that every kid could learn,” she said. “And she worked diligently in the classroom to make sure that happened.”
Hildreth said she hopes that by telling her story, others will feel inspired to stand up against injustice.
Ashleigh Robinson, music theater senior, will sing a song at the event about black history and civil rights. Robinson said Clara Luper’s legacy has had a big impact on the campus community, and students should be open to learning about her history.
“Anything that provides students cultural education, especially historical cultural education, is important,” she said. “The more people that choose to learn and choose to grow, the more our university will foster those opportunities and will provide other chances for people to become more culturally aware.”
The Clara Luper Scholarship is a full tuition, room and board scholarship specifically for OCU students who excel in academics, community service and leadership. The scholarship includes membership in the President’s Leadership Class, a prestigious opportunity for emerging leaders and distinguished scholars.
“Students are selected based on their embodiment of the Clara Luper spirit,” Tallchief said. “It’s open to anybody who demonstrates financial need, and they are all from diverse backgrounds. We find those people that really personify her commitment to service.”
Hildreth said Luper scholars are expected to take on leadership in the community to honor Luper’s memory.
“They cannot afford to sit back on their constitutions and do nothing. They must become involved in their community,” she said.
The Clara Luper corridor on 23rd Street by the Oklahoma State Capitol Building honors her commitment to the community.
“I take the scholars, and we go and clean up the corridor every spring,” Tallchief said.
Hildreth said she will bring her friend, Joyce Henderson, who also participated in the sit-ins to attend as well. She said she wants attendees of the event to leave knowing the importance of helping others.
Clara Luper passed away in 2011, but Robinson said students should continue to learn about her legacy and impact on the community.
“A lot of the established culture of our campus has to do with Clara Luper, and so many people don’t know about the work that she did in not only the Oklahoma City community, but Oklahoma state and the African American community nationwide,” Robinson said.
The event will take place from 1-2 p.m. Aug. 28 in the Great Hall in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center.
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