releases: https://horn.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-horn-shares-clara-luper-s-story
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| https://horn.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-horn-shares-clara-luper-s-story | Congresswoman Horn shares Clara Luper’s story | 2019-02-28 | 2019 | 2019-02 | Democrat | House | OK | Kendra Horn | H001083 | horn.house.gov | legacy | Washington, D.C. - As Black History Month comes to a close, U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn delivered a speech about Oklahoma City civil rights icon Clara Luper and the sit-ins she organized. Clara Luper and 14 NAACP youth council students carried out the nation's first lunch counter sit ins, which inspired the Greensboro sit-ins and edified the burgeoning Civil Rights movement. The following is a transcript of the speech, which you can watch here: I rise today to highlight the visionary and unwavering leadership of civil rights icon and notable Oklahoman, Miss Clara Luper. Six months ago I got to witness history as Oklahoma City commemorated the 60th anniversary of the sit-ins she organized. And I rise today because even as a fifth generation Oklahoman, I realized how little I knew. Clara Luper and her students sparked a movement. The sit-ins that led into our nation's Civil Rights Movement. They deserve to be a household name. Clara Luper made her mark in a time when people of color couldn't even walk into the front door of Oklahoma City businesses. They were regulated to hidden back rooms. But she had a vision for equality, a heart for service, and a commitment to justice. She, in her words, believed in a sun when it didn't shine and the rain when it didn't fall. She knew that Oklahoma and this country could be a place where everyone is treated with respect, dignity, and humanity. Even as a history teacher, at Dungy High School in Spencer, Oklahoma, Miss Luper instilled those principles in her students. Her steadfast commitment to ending racism and systemic discrimination inspired her to organize America's first sit-in. In August, 1958 she and 14 of her NAACP youth council students walked up to a lunch counter they knew would refuse them and they ordered a hamburger and a coke. They were denied. But they did not waiver. They knew what was on the line because in Miss Luper's words, within that hamburger was the whole essence of democracy. At their own personal peril, they returned each day with more people until they broke the barrier. It was never easy. The protestors were verbally and physically assaulted, and Miss Luper received death threats. Because of Miss Luper and her students' fearlessness and determination, the drug stores integrated their lunch counters not just in Oklahoma City but also in Missouri, Kansas, and Iowa. When the 1958 sit-in happened in Oklahoma City, a group of college students in North Carolina were inspired by what had taken place in Oklahoma City. And they took note. So in 1961 those students launched the Greensboro, North Carolina sit-in he at the Woolworth Lunch Counter which fueled momentum within the Civil Rights Movement. It didn't end there. For years Miss Luper and others continued their fight, the sacrifices continued, too. Authorities arrested Miss Luper 26 times during her fight for freedom. Clara Luper empowered young people to imagine a fewer brighter than their present and taught them how to make that future a reality. She changed lives and planted seeds of ethical leadership into those who were lucky enough to be mentored by her. Each of her former students talks about the pivotal role Miss Luper played in instilling confidence, character, and dignity in them. Generations reap the benefit of her sacrifice and the efforts to integrate not only business in Oklahoma City but educational spaces. Miss Luper integrated the history department at the university of Oklahoma, become being the first black graduate of that masters program. Her contributions are reflected across our own state and a namesake scholarship program at Oklahoma City University, a corridor in the northeast side of Oklahoma City, a classroom at the university of central Oklahoma, designating Oklahoma City public schools district building as the Clara Luper center. And naming the African-American studies department at the university of Oklahoma after her. As a lifelong Oklahoman and Representative of the fifth Congressional District and as an American, I recognize how we're beneficiaries of Clara Luper's efforts to create a more just and equitable place to live. I cannot and will not take that history and impact for granted. Although we have come so far because of her sacrifices and the sacrifices of other heroes during the civil rights era, there is so much work to be done. Even with the number of accolades given to her, the best way we can can honor Miss Luper is to uphold her legacy through commitment to justice and equality in the policies that we propose. She knew that democracy is not a spectator sport. It is our duty as a Congress and as Americans to make good on the constitutional promise of establishing justice and assuring domestic tranquility. So we must continue to work for an inclusive, equitable place for everyone to live and feel safe, as well as to build an economy where every American has the opportunity to thrive. Thank you to the sit-iners and Clara Luper for your resilience and giving us the torch to carry. Congresswoman Horn gave the address from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday morning. This week, she'll join dozens of her colleagues in Congress on a Civil Rights pilgrimage led by Rep. John Lewis. The tour will visit historic civil rights sites in Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma. Feb. 28, 2019 Contact: Director of Communications Catherine Sweeney Catherine.sweeney@mail.house.gov 202-225-2132 | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |