City immortalizes Clara Luper, Katz Drug Store Sit-In with statue and plaza
By Olivia Hickey
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OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma (KOCO) — The Clara Luper National Sit-In Plaza was dedicated in downtown Oklahoma City, commemorating the historic sit-in led by teacher Clara Luper and 13 NAACP Youth Council members at Katz Drug Store almost 70 years ago.
The plaza sits on the original site of Katz Drug Store and features life-sized bronze statues depicting Luper and the sit-in participants, aiming to ensure their efforts are remembered.
“Let this plaza be a symbol to all, especially small children, when they see these life-sized bronze statues, some that are their own size, may they understand even the smallest can do great and mighty things,” Pastor Derrick Scobey of Ebenezer Baptist Church said.
Thousands gathered for the dedication of the plaza, which serves as a monument to a significant milestone in the civil rights movement.
“This story for too long has not been told and has largely gone unnoticed, but today, we proclaim Oklahoma City as the birthplace of the national sit-in movement,” Rev. Lee Cooper of the Clara Luper Legacy Committee said.
On Aug. 15, 1958, Clara Luper and the NAACP Youth Council held a sit-in at Katz Drug Store’s lunch counter. Within three days, they were served, leading to the desegregation of the store and sparking a wave of sit-ins across the country during the civil rights movement.
Marilyn Luper-Hildreth, Clara Luper’s daughter and one of the original council members, expressed her pride in their actions, saying, “I’m so glad we sat down in Oklahoma City because if we had not sat down in Oklahoma City, young people throughout this nation would’ve never stood up.”
Returning to West Main Street and North Robinson Avenue for the dedication, Luper-Hildreth reflected on their resilience and the ongoing struggle for equality.
“Hold on, continue to fight, continue to vote, and we shall overcome,” Luper-Hildreth said.
A key note in the statue’s design is an open stool, allowing visitors to sit at the counter for a personal connection to the historic moment.
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