Civil Rights Monument Unveiled Nov. 1
- Kenton Tsoodle
- Nov 3
- 1 min read
As featured in the Journal Record
A small downtown plaza at the intersection of W. Main and Robinson Ave. was once the site of Katz Drugstore, where the NAACP Youth Council, with the guidance of civil rights leader Clara Luper, staged the 1958 sit-in to force racial integration in OKC. The plaza is now the new home to a life-size and highly detailed depiction of the sit-in scene, publicly unveiled last Saturday, November 1.
The newly named 'Clara Luper Sit-In Plaza' is centered around a $3.6 million bronze monument by sculptor LaQuincey Reed to honor the courage that reshaped Oklahoma City and inspired a nation. Years in the making and championed by the Clara Luper Legacy Committee and Mayor David Holt, the memorial sits just north of the former Katz Drugstore site on a vacated section of Main Street, converted into a pedestrian plaza once owned by the Oklahoma City Urban Redevelopment Authority (OCURA).
While the beautifully crafted bronze statues are impressive (reimagined by the artist based on old photos from the sit-in), the monument is much more than a beautiful site. It is a long-overdue tribute to the incredibly brave kids and an iconic leader who, together, changed our community for the better.
