[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 27, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E216-E217]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              CLARA LUPER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KENDRA S. HORN

                              of oklahoma

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 27, 2019

  Ms. KENDRA S. HORN of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
highlight the visionary and unwavering leadership of Civil Rights icon 
and notable Oklahoman, Ms. Clara Luper. Six months ago, I got to 
witness history, as Oklahoma City commemorated the 60th anniversary of 
the sit-ins she organized. And even as a 5th 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 where people of color couldn't 
even walk into the front door of Oklahoma City businesses. They were 
relegated to hidden back doors. 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.

[[Page E217]]

  As a history teacher at Dunjee High School in Spencer Oklahoma, she 
instilled those principles into 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 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 waver. They knew what was on the 
line. In Ms. 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. Ms. Luper received death threats.
  Because of Ms. Luper and her students' fearlessness and 
determination, Katz Drug Stores integrated their lunch counters not 
just in Oklahoma City, but in Missouri, Kansas, and Iowa too. When the 
1958 sit-in happened in Oklahoma City, a group of college students were 
inspired by what had taken place in Oklahoma City and took note. So in 
1961 the students launched the Greensboro, N.C. sit-in at the Woolworth 
lunch counter--which fueled momentum within the civil rights movement.
  It didn't end there. For years, Ms. Luper and others continued their 
fight. The sacrifices continued too. Authorities arrested Luper 26 
times during her fight for freedom.
  Clara Luper empowered young people to imagine a future 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 to be mentored by her. Each of her former students talks 
about the pivotal role Ms. Luper played in instilling confidence, 
character, and dignity in them.
  Generations reap the benefits of her sacrifice and the efforts to 
integrate not only businesses in Oklahoma City, but educational spaces. 
Ms. Luper integrated the History department at the University of 
Oklahoma, becoming the first Black graduate of that Master's program.
  Her contributions are reflected across our state: in a namesake 
scholarship program at Oklahoma City University, a Corridor on the 
northeast side of Oklahoma City, a classroom at the University of 
Central Oklahoma, designating the 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, the representative of the fifth 
Congressional District, and as an American, I recognize how we are 
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 
her impact for granted.
  Although we've come so far because of her sacrifices and the 
sacrifices of other heroes during the Civil Rights Era, there's still 
so much work left to do. Even with the numerous accolades given to her, 
the best way that we can honor Ms. Clara Luper is to uphold her legacy 
through a commitment to justice and equality in the policies that we 
propose. She knew that democracy isn't a spectator sport. It is our 
duty as a Congress and as Americans to make good on the constitutional 
promise of establishing justice and ensuring domestic tranquility. So 
we must continue to work for an inclusive, equitable place for everyone 
to live and feel safe as well as build an economy where every American 
has the opportunity to thrive. I thank the sit-inners and I thank Clara 
Luper, for their resilience and giving us the torch to carry.

                          ____________________