Legacy: Clara Luper's Students Change History
“She was very adamant about always trying to improve, so she was definitely a mentor for all of us young people.”
- Portwood Williams, Jr. in a personal interview by Simhao Low (2/7/2015)
Clara Luper went above and beyond for her students. Despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles and challenges, many of her students graduated with a master's degree or more. Joyce Henderson, who was in junior high during the sit-ins, became a teacher and a school principal. Stanley Evans retired as Assistant Dean of the University of Oklahoma Law School. Barbara Posey earned a Ph.D. from Georgia State University and advocates for civil rights. Clara Luper’s legacy remains alive in her former students who are civil rights activists today.
Joyce Henderson, a former sit-inner and student of Clara Luper's,
in a personal interview by Simhao Low (2/7/2015) |
Michael Korenblit, President of the Respect Diversity Foundation and a close personal friend of the late Clara Luper, in a personal interview by Simhao Low (2/6/2015)
|
Clara Luper started a national movement. They were not the first ever protesters, but they started the sit-in movement. Two years later, four college students in Greensboro, North Carolina, sat down at Woolworth's lunch counter. By February 5, 1960, hundreds joined the 'Greensboro Four.'
“She was the chosen one as far as I’m concerned. Because of her leadership, not only did the community change, the city changed, the state changed, and history shows that under her leadership, the first sit-in movement took place here in Oklahoma City.”
- Joyce Henderson, former student of Clara Luper's and sit-inner, in a personal interview (2/7/2015)
Clara Luper’s students were some of the youngest protesters in history. Six years after the Katz Drugstore sit-in on May 2, 1963, children marched to end segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. Many of the children protesters were thrown in jail.
Clara Luper was one of the greatest leaders of the Civil Rights Era. On June 11, 1963, President John F. Kennedy encouraged America to acknowledge citizens of color as equals. He proposed the 1964 Civil Rights Act, ultimately signed by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1965.
John F. Kennedy in his Civil Rights Address speech (6/11/1963) (Courtesy of the National Cable Satellite Corporation)
|
“I am, therefore, asking the Congress to enact legislation giving all Americans the right to be served in facilities which are open to the public- hotels, restaurants, theaters, retail stores, and similar establishments.” In this audio clip, Clara Luper was discussing the importance of Lyndon B. Johnson's and John F. Kennedy's contribution to the struggle for racial equality
|
Clara Luper inspired her students to acquire higher education because she believed that education is the best tool a person could ever have. Oklahoma City University offers a scholarship in her honor.
Racism still exists today, but so does activism. Before, protesters feared repercussions when expressing their rights. Blacks could not exercise their 1st and 14th amendment rights freely.
Today, all Americans can openly express themselves. On March 8, 2015, Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity members of the University of Oklahoma were seen in a video chanting slurs against blacks. While to some the chanting was freedom of speech, many students of the university protested the chant. President Boren of the University of Oklahoma announced the very next day that Sigma Alpha Epsilon was no longer welcome there.
Today, all Americans can openly express themselves. On March 8, 2015, Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity members of the University of Oklahoma were seen in a video chanting slurs against blacks. While to some the chanting was freedom of speech, many students of the university protested the chant. President Boren of the University of Oklahoma announced the very next day that Sigma Alpha Epsilon was no longer welcome there.
The struggle for equality is not yet over. Clara Luper's leadership moved the nation and her legacy lives on.
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” “I came from a family of believers. We believed in the sun when it didn’t shine. We believed in the rain when it didn’t fall.” |