Freedom Center of Oklahoma City Receives$10,000 Grant from Oklahoma Humanities
Digital rendering of “Inside These Walls: The Freedom Center Story” exhibit. Photo: Cherdena Daniel
Oklahoma City, OK – The Freedom Center of Oklahoma City, LLC is pleased to announce it has received a $10,000 grant from Oklahoma Humanities. The grant will be used to create an exhibition entitled Inside These Walls: The Freedom Center Story, a creative, visual display of the rich civil rights legacies contained within this historic landmark.
Inside These Walls: The Freedom Center Story will welcome visitors to the historic building with an immersive, multi-dimensional experience. Through video and digital content, wall installations, graphics, text panels, photographs, and reproductions of archival material, we will introduce Clara Luper and the NAACP Youth Council, share the building’s architectural history, highlight key figures and events, explore Youth Council and broader community activities, and reflect on the Center’s overall impact. These interpretive elements will aid Freedom Center staff in sharing Oklahoma’s civil rights history with visitors.
The work of Freedom Center of Oklahoma City honors Luper’s work with the OKC NAACP Youth Council. Most famously, Luper led a sit-in campaign to integrate public accommodations across the state of Oklahoma, beginning in August 1958 and continuing for six years until the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Following the success of the sit-ins, Luper secured the Freedom Center building as a permanent home for the Youth Council. It became a vibrant community hub for over 40 years before falling vacant with Luper’s passing in 2011.
“This exhibition is the crown jewel of our efforts to restore the Freedom Center, not only preserving the building itself, but bringing its history to life for all to see,” says Christina Beatty, Executive Director of the Freedom Center. “We are so pleased that former Youth Council member Cherdena Daniel has joined us, lending both her professional expertise as an interior designer and her deeply personal connection to the building to serve as the project’s curator.” “We’re most excited that this exhibit will honor Mother Luper and allow community members to see themselves in this space,” shared board member Karlos Hill, PhD, who also serves as the lead Humanities scholar on the project.
Funding for this program is provided in part by a grant from Oklahoma Humanities (OH) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of OH or NEH.
About Freedom Center of Oklahoma City, LLC
The Freedom Center of Oklahoma City is a 501c3 nonprofit organization established to educate, empower and enlighten our nation to reflect on the past, present and future of the Civil Rights Movement in Oklahoma. As caretakers of the historic Freedom Center building, we develop facilities and programs to preserve our history and work towards a world without racism and bigotry. For more information, visit https://freedomcenterokc.org.
About Oklahoma Humanities
Oklahoma Humanities (OH) is an independent, nonprofit organization who mission is to strengthen communities by helping Oklahomans learn about the human experience, understanding new perspectives, and participate knowledgeably in civic life through humanities disciplines such as history, literature, film studies, art criticism, and philosophy. As the state partner for the National Endowment for the Humanities, OH provides a free educational magazine, Smithsonian Institution exhibits, reading and discussion groups, and other cultural opportunities for Oklahomans of all ages. OH engages people in their own communities, stimulating discussion and helping them explore the wider world of human experience. For more information, visit https://www.okhumanities.org.