Luper Sit-In Plaza

[Pete]

Historic sit-in monument to be installed

Clara Luper was a civic leader, educator, and Civil Rights leader well known for her sit-in movement in 1958, which overturned segregation policies.




From 1958 to 1964, Luper was a major leader in the fight to end segregation in Oklahoma. She led campaigns to gain equal banking rights, employment opportunities, open housing, and voting rights.

A $3.6 million bronze monument is set to be installed in Downtown Oklahoma City depicting the 13 black children who participated in the first Katz Drug Store sit-in led by Luper.

The monument will be a part of the Clara Luper Sit-in Plaza at Robinson and Main, where the drugstore once stood. Clara Luper’s daughter, Marilyn Luper Hildreth helped outline the monument that will honor her mother’s work and that of the 13 sit-in children and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

[BridgeBurner]

Should be a cool monument but bummer they are ripping out all the trees, I use this walkway almost every day and they will be missed in the summer.

[josefromtulsa]

Should be a cool monument but bummer they are ripping out all the trees, I use this walkway almost every day and they will be missed in the summer.

The plaza itself is fine. Why does it need an entire redesign? There doesnt look to be any public seating or benches.

Not against the statue, I think it could easily be incorporated into the current layout in a great way.

[jn1780]

I guess they are trying to make a defined space? The diagonal walls are interesting because they are blocking the view from the buildings. Anyone looking outside wouldn't have a direct line of sight to the monument.

[BridgeBurner]

I guess they are trying to make a defined space? The diagonal walls are interesting because they are blocking the view from the buildings. Anyone looking outside wouldn't have a direct line of sight to the monument.

Worried those diagonal walls will be used for more urban firepits, picrel taken in that same square probably 50' away.

[April in the Plaza]

The plaza itself is fine. Why does it need an entire redesign? There doesnt look to be any public seating or benches.

Not against the statue, I think it could easily be incorporated into the current layout in a great way.

To be fair, neither is all that workable at this stage of the cycle.

It's unfortunate, but it is what it is.

[khook]

This looks a lot like the sit in memorial in Wichita

[Laramie]

Good resurrection monument in memory of the struggles during the 'Sit end' demonstrations. Great addition to Oklahoma City. Thanks for
posting, Pete. These plazas downtown will complement one another with the Cornett Drive already in place.