Katz Drug Store sit-in: Difference between revisions

| title = Katz Drug Store sit-in

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| partof = the [[Civil Rights Movement]]

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| date = August 19, 1953

| place = [[Oklahoma City]], [[Oklahoma]]

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* [[Racial segregation in the United States|Racial segregation]] in public accommodations

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* [[Clara Luper]]

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| sidebox = {{CRM in Oklahoma}}

The '''[[Katz Drug Store]] sit-in''' was one of the first [[sit-in]]s during the [[civil rights movement]], occurring on August 19, 1958, in [[Oklahoma City]], Oklahoma. In protest of racial discrimination, black schoolchildren sat at a lunch counter with their teacher demanding food, refusing to leave until they were served. They sought to end the [[racial segregation]] of eating places in their city, sparking a sit-in movement in Oklahoma City that lasted for years.

In 1958, even though separate but equal had been overturned, racial discrimination was still commonplace and restricted blacks from sharing many public spaces with whites.<ref name=Walker>Walker, Devona. "50 Years Ago, Children Helped Change Nation When They Sat Down." Oklahoman.com, Oklahoman, 20 Aug. 2008, https://www.oklahoman.com/article/3285497/50- years-ago-children-helped-change-nation-when-they-sat-down.</ref> Black people had to drink from colored fountains, ride the back of buses, and were given their dinners in bags to eat outside of the restaurant. [[Clara Luper]], a black high school teacher in Oklahoma City, was a civil rights activist and the advisor for the Youth Council of the Oklahoma City [[NAACP]].<ref>Decker, Stefanie Lee. "Luper, Clara Shepard: The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture." Luper, Clara Shepard, https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry= LU005.</ref> Luper took a trip with her students to New York City to put on the play "Brother President," <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.claraluperlegacy.com/clara-s-story|title = Clara's Story - Clara Luper Legacy Committee}}</ref> where they witnessed Black people living in a desegregated environment. They experienced integrated restaurants and other freedoms that Black people in Oklahoma City had not been accustomed to.<ref name=Wendler>Wendler, Emily. "60 Years Later: Two Women Remember a Teacher and Lesson That Fueled a Movement." KOSU, https://www.kosu.org/post/60-years-later-two-women-remember- teacher-and-lesson-fueled-movement.</ref> After their return to Oklahoma, Luper’s daughter Marilyn asked, "Why didn't I just go in and ask for a Coca-Cola and a hamburger?" in reference to the [[Katz Drug Store]]. This prompted Luper to stage a sit-in with thirteen of her Black students. Along with Clara Luper, the participants of the sit-in were Marilyn Luper, Calvin Luper, Portwood Williams, Jr., [[Donda West|Donda Williams]], Richard Brown, [[Barbara Ann Posey Jones|Barbara Posey]], Alma Faye Washington, Areda Tollivar Spinks, Elmer Edwards, Lynzetta Jones Carter, Gwendolyn Fuller Mukes, Lana Pogue, Linda Pogue, and Betty Germany. Before the event, Luper gathered the students to teach them about the principles of [[Civil disobedience|civil disobedience]] and to train them on how to react to opposition. After their preparation, the first day of the sit-in began on August 19, 1958, when Clara Luper and the children sat down at the counter of the Katz Drug Store and ordered thirteen cokes. They were refused service, but they stayed at the counter for hours<ref name=Walker/> while whites kicked them, punched them, spat at them, and poured things on them.<ref name=Fredrickson>Fredrickson, Kyle. "Oklahoma's Civil Rights History: How Did We Get Here?" NewsOK.com, https://www.oklahoman.com/special/article/4983712/oklahomas-civil-rights- history-how-did- we-get-here.</ref> They returned for two more days; on the third day of their protest, one of the employees served them their food, ending segregation in the restaurant.<ref name=Wendler/>

The sit-in at the [[Katz Drug Store]] sparked a series of sit-ins throughout Downtown Oklahoma City's restaurants.<ref name=Walker/> For years, similar protests occurred throughout the city until 1964, after six years, when Oklahoma City passed an ordinance forbidding restaurants from refusing service or facilities to anyone based on race, religion, color, sex, or national origin.<ref name=Fredrickson/> Similar sit-in movements were held across the country, most notably the [[Greensboro sit-ins]] and [[Nashville sit-ins]] in 1960, which gained national attention. One month after Oklahoma City's ordinance was put into place, the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]] was passed, which illegalized discrimination across the country.<ref>"Civil Rights Act of 1964". National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, https://www.nps.gov/articles/civil-rights-act.htm.</ref>