OKLAHOMA CITY — Sixty-seven years after a Black teacher and her group of Black students dared to challenge Jim Crow by sitting down at a Whites-Only lunch counter, Oklahoma City is finally honoring them.
At the corner of Main and Robinson, in the heart of downtown, a powerful new monument now commands attention. The Clara Luper Sit-In Plaza features 15 life-size bronze statues, 13 children, their teacher, Clara Luper, and a stone-faced server frozen in refusal. Each figure embodies defiance, dignity, and the quiet storm of Black resistance. There’s also an empty seat.
“The empty seat was placed so young people could come and sit down there and feel what we felt,” said Marilyn Luper Hildreth. “It might convince them, ‘Oh, we can do it too,’” make positive change that is.
Correcting the Record on Who Did the Nation’s First Sit-In
The sit-in took place on August 19, 1958, two years before Greensboro was led by members of the NAACP Youth Council. It sparked a movement, desegregated a drugstore chain, and set a precedent for nonviolent protest that would shape the Civil Rights era.
And yet, for decades, Oklahoma failed to formally recognize the significance of this moment.
That changed thanks to a grassroots committee including Hildreth and former Oklahoma Secretary of State John Kennedy. Their team spent seven years fundraising, planning, and building the vision. When asked, “Why now?” Kennedy’s response was: “The only real reason why now is because it took seven years. Do the planning, find the sculptors. That’s why it’s now.”
But the work didn’t stop at bricks and bronze. It extended to narrative justice.
Kennedy recalled seeing an inaccurate display in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., claiming Greensboro as the beginning of the sit-in movement. “That’s not exactly accurate,” he shared with The Black Wall Street Times. “It started two years earlier in Oklahoma City… no wonder it’s not correct in the African American Museum, because we haven’t even told our own story.”
Telling the story right meant ensuring the monument was deeply accurate. Sculptors worked directly with Hildreth to shape each statue. Ten of the original 13 sit-inners are still alive. Their likenesses were crafted not from old photos but from memory, detail, and the living legacy of their courage.
Making History Tangible for the Next Generation
But how do you connect the past to the present?
“We imagined a school bus stopping on Robinson, unloading a group of children,” Kennedy said. “We want them to walk up and say, ‘Those people are my size … they did change the world. I can change the world too.’”
Unlike most outdoor statues, which are often enlarged to appear grand, this monument intentionally reflects the true size of the children. The design invites intimacy, not distance.
For Hildreth, the plaza is a living classroom. “Unless we tell our own story, no one else is going to do it,” she said. She’s already been in touch with local educators. “We’re inviting schools … to come and be a part of this celebration. You’ll be surprised at the number of children that participated in the sit-ins that are now older. Their grandchildren are part of the school system here.”
Who Brought the Sit-In Monument to Life?
The design and execution of the Clara Luper Sit-In Plaza brought together nationally acclaimed artists and local talent. Studio EIS, a New York-based firm known for its powerful historical bronze sculptures, led the creation of the installation. Their past works include tributes to Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Louis Armstrong.
LaQuincey Reed, an Oklahoma City sculptor and elected member of the National Sculpture Society, helped sculpt the figure of Clara Luper. Reed is known for historical bronzes across the state, including works at the Oklahoma State Capitol and local universities.
Legendary sculptor and former Air Force test pilot Ed Dwight served as a critical advisor. Although unable to complete the project himself, Dwight offered key guidance and helped connect the team to artists who could honor the story with precision. Dwight is expected to attend the dedication ceremony.
The bronze castings themselves were produced by Artworks Foundry, one of the country’s leading foundries. Known for using the “Lost Wax” technique, the foundry transformed detailed wax sculptures into enduring bronze memorials that will stand for generations.
Oklahoma City Chose Legacy Over Division
While many such projects face political or cultural resistance, Kennedy was clear: “Zero pushback. Hard to imagine, but there was zero pushback.”
The project was fully funded through private donations. The city supported the location. And Urban Renewal cooperated in handing over the historic site at Park and Robinson.
Why did Oklahoma City, in contrast to so many others, get it right?
“Oklahoma City is one of the few cities in the nation [that] did not experience the type of violence they did in other parts of the country,” Hildreth said. “When we tell the story, it’s not about us just sitting in — it’s about the angels that worked with us … and provided for.”
This monument, she added, is about the future as much as the past. “If young people could understand our history, their reactions to what’s going on in our society today would be a lot different.”
She imagined what her mother might say if she could see it:
“Don’t give up. Now, we’ve come a long way as people, but we still have a long way to go. You watch your back. You create some tough skin, because you would tell us all the time in the movement, and know your history. Know your history. If you understand where you’ve come from, you can better understand where you’re going,” she explained during her interview with The Black Wall Street Times.
“Be kind to people. Do what the Bible says, turn the other cheek, Love thy neighbor as thyself. You’re your brother’s people act like it. She would say, America, we have a choice, either we work together and survive our democracy, or we are going to sink together, and if you sit back and wait on somebody else to fight this fight. Shame on you,” she added.
A Mirror, a Mandate, and a Monument to Courage
This monument is more than a memorial. It is a mirror and a mandate. It reflects the unshakable courage of Black youth who refused to accept second-class status, and it calls today’s generation to remember, to rise, and to resist.
In the shadow of those 13 bronze children, we are reminded that the struggle for justice is never finished. It is always fueled by those brave enough to sit down so others can stand tall.