An oral history project conducted by John Robert Lewis Fellow Dr. Autumn Brown
Project Description
The Oklahoma Activism in Education during the Civil Rights Movement Collection is a series of interviews meant to provide context surrounding the period of segregation in Oklahoma City as well as the events, both inside and outside of the classroom, that were involved in leading the desegregation efforts in the state. The interviews were conducted as part of dissertation research by Dr. Autumn Brown.
Oral history interview with Marilyn Luper Hildreth
Marilyn Luper Hildreth, daughter of civil rights pioneer Clara Luper, talks about growing up in segregated communities and schools and learning about inequality and injustice at an early age. She discusses her class trip to New York to present her mother's play for the NAACP and how it exposed her to a non-segregated part of the country and the opportunities she was denied in Oklahoma. Hildreth recalls incidents of discrimination she experienced because of the color of her skin and shares lessons her mother taught her about having thick skin and remaining kind and nonviolent in difficult situations. She also talks about her mother's legacy and work as a teacher and activist and describes her own experiences participating in the sit-ins and civil rights movement in Oklahoma.
Oral history interview with Joyce Henderson
Joyce Henderson, retired educator and administrator in the Oklahoma City school district, discusses growing up in the segregated community of Green Pastures. She describes her experience attending Dunjee High School and the impact of having Clara Luper as her teacher. She talks about how Clara Luper encouraged her to become active in the NAACP Youth Council and participate in civil rights demonstrations and recalls her experience attending the 1963 March on Washington with her teacher and classmates. Henderson describes some of the consequences of integration including the breaking up of communities and the loss of teachers personally invested in their students. She describes the impact of many of her teacher-mentors on her own personal and professional success and emphasizes the importance of teachers taking an interest in and caring for their students.
Presentation Slides
Presentation Recording