20-02-2025
Clara Luper resisted Oklahoma City segregation. What change will you make?
History teaches us that the biggest changes often start with the smallest actions. A single voice, a single act of courage, a single refusal to accept injustice — each can ripple outward in ways no one could have predicted. And yet, those ripples don't start on their own. Someone has to be willing to make the first move. This is a testament to the power of small actions in creating meaningful change, giving us hope and optimism for the future.
More: How I learned about Clara Luper and another OKC hero | Opinion
More than a year before the famous Woolworth's sit-ins, a small group of young people sat down at an Oklahoma City lunch counter and quietly changed history. Led by their teacher, Clara Luper, these students took one small step that became part of a much larger movement.
A local high school teacher and civil rights activist, Luper organized the first sit-in at Katz Drug Store in 1958. At the time, segregation was the norm. Black customers could shop in stores but were not allowed to sit and eat at the lunch counters. Luper and her students believed that needed to change. They didn't carry signs or shout in protest. Instead, they walked in, sat down and asked for service. They were ignored. They were insulted. But they did not move.
Their silent resistance lasted for days. Slowly, public pressure built and, eventually, Katz Drug Stores desegregated all of its locations. One action in one city. A handful of determined teenagers. A teacher with a vision. And yet, that sit-in helped lay the foundation for the lunch counter protests that would spread across the South in the 1960s, shaping the civil rights movement as we know it today.
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Clara Luper understood something powerful, and it's a lesson we desperately need today: We don't have to wait for permission to demand change. We don't need an army to make a difference. Sometimes, all it takes is stepping forward, even when others hesitate. Her work wasn't about making grand speeches but about taking action, however small, and inspiring others to do the same.
This Black History Month, Clara Luper's story reminds us that history is not made by just prominent people — it's shaped by everyday folk willing to take a stand. This recognition of the role of ordinary individuals in shaping history should make us all feel valued and important in the fight for justice.
These lessons are becoming increasingly important these days. Too many of our elected officials are purposefully seeking attention through outrage so they can gain political power for themselves. Too often, the cost of that notoriety comes at the expense of communities that have been historically and purposefully marginalized.
In difficult times like this, we must remember that change begins with small acts of courage. Whether it's speaking up in a meeting, helping a neighbor, or challenging unfair policies, we all have opportunities to make a difference.
Clara Luper and her students didn't set out to change the world in one day. They simply sat down at a lunch counter and refused to move. That's how change happens — one small step at a time. My question to you: What small step will you take today?
Angela Monson is a former member of the Oklahoma Senate and the Oklahoma House of Representatives and currently is the legislative and outreach director for the Oklahoma Policy Institute and its grassroots advocacy program, Together Oklahoma.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma City's Clara Luper set an example to follow | Opinion
