Oklahoma City Commemorates Civil Rights Pioneers
A historic dedication will take place tomorrow morning in downtown Oklahoma City, marking the unveiling of a new sculpture honoring the nation’s first civil rights sit-in. The site stands where the old Katz Drug Store once operated.
Remembering Clara Luper’s Leadership
In 1958, Civil Rights icon Clara Luper led 13 Black students into the store, where they sat at the lunch counter and calmly ordered soft drinks. For three tense days, they endured verbal abuse and threats of arrest before being served — an act that broke racial barriers and ignited Oklahoma’s civil rights movement.
The Sculpture and Its Meaning
The new bronze sculpture captures the courage of those young students who refused to leave until treated equally. Local artists collaborated with Luper’s family to ensure historical accuracy and emotional authenticity…