Katz Drug Store sit-in

When Oklahoma became a state, its state constitution contained strict regulations of segregation between Whites and Blacks, with several of those restrictions related to educational institutions and the types of teacher training permitted. Before the Katz Drug Store sit-in, there were the Wichita, Kansas sit-ins at Dockum Drug Store, which dealt with very similar conditions and exemplified the effectiveness of student activism and the popularizing nonviolent protest methods against corporations. The Kansas sit-in was planned by the Wichita chapter of the NAACP in an effort to desegregate the lunch counter and provide more respect for the African-Americans that worked downtown. The Oklahoma City sit-in was planned by the Oklahoma City Youth Council in 1957. This was led by Clara Luper, the council's adult advisor, and Barbara Posey. Prior to the sit-ins, the group had attempted to negotiate via several discussions with local business owners which were never covered by the news and a series of unanswered letters, but was unsuccessful. == The Civil Rights Movement outside of the South ==

In popular memory, the Civil Rights Movement has often been framed in the South with sit-ins in Greensboro, North Carolina or Nashville, Tennessee. Griffin's campaign mixed legal challenges with public protests. It led to the store's desegregation and set an early example for direct-action movements in public spaces. Even though this effort is often forgotten, the Des Moines protest influenced the tactics later used by Luper and her students in Oklahoma city. Some have pointed out that Luper's Youth Council knew about earlier sit-ins and drew inspiration from their successes, blending strong moral conviction with strategic nonviolence, while others have argued that Luper's "pedagogy of freedom" helped frame the Oklahoma city sit-ins as part of a larger movement against racial injustice that stretched from the Midwest to the South. These campaigns together showed how local actions, whether in Iowa or Oklahoma, were part of a growing national movement for civil rights that used everyday spaces to challenge segregation. == The sit-in ==

In 1958, segregation in common areas, like businesses, was very much prevalent in Oklahoma City. where they witnessed Black people living in a desegregated environment. They experienced integrated restaurants and other freedoms that Black people in Oklahoma City had not been accustomed to. After their return to Oklahoma, Luper’s daughter Marilyn asked, "Why didn't I just go in and ask for a Coca-Cola and a hamburger?" in reference to the Katz Drug Store. This prompted Luper to stage a sit-in with thirteen of her Black students. Along with Luper, some notable students of the sit-in were Donda West and Barbara Posey, with other participants being Luper's children Marilyn and Calvin. Before the event, Luper gathered the students to teach them about the principles of civil disobedience and to train them on how to react to opposition. After months of preparation, ending segregation in the restaurant. == Legacy ==

Sixty-five years later, Luper's daughter and one of the original protestors in the sit-in, Marilyn Luper Hildreth, continues to reflect on the impact her mother made in the Civil Rights Movement in Oklahoma and nationwide. Hildreth talks of her mother as a compassionate and inclusive soul, who strove to give every voice a chance to understand and respond to the world, stating: "[S]he was a mother to many other children, both in our community and in our society. She would always make room for another child". Even after the success of the sit-in, Hildreth fondly remembers her mother reading the Congressional Record everyday to stay informed and connected with the politics of a changing world, even publishing a memoir in 1979 titled Behold the Walls. From staging mock elections in her class to extending her kindness into the community with the NAACP, Luper stood for equality and confidence for the people around her. In Oklahoma today, Luper's legacy continues to be honored with the Freedom Center she started in 1967 and Clara Luper Civil Rights Center which was founded much later, gaining its first employee in 2021, both located in Oklahoma City. "Luper told reporters that the [Freedom] Center's goals were to provide opportunities for deprived children to grow up properly, to learn the value of self-help, and to see the adult world supported by a sense of belonging". As a result of these sit-ins, Katz Drug Stores ended its segregation policies and integrated its lunch counters. Two of the most significant sit-ins that took place during this time included the Greensboro sit-ins and the Nashville sit-ins. These sit-ins are regarded as some of the most influential and impactful sit-ins of the Civil Rights Movement. == References ==