Tuesday Trivia: August 22, 2023

Test your Oklahoma knowledge and win prizes by answering our weekly Tuesday Trivia question. Every week, we’ll choose a winner from the correct respondents to receive a prize—from an Okie sticker to a subscription to Oklahoma Today and more.

Clara Shepard Luper is an Oklahoma icon. Born in Okfuskee County, Luper's career was widely varied, but her impact is undeniable. Credited as a leader of the Civil Rights movement in Oklahoma City, particularly as the organizer of non-violent sit-in protests in Oklahoma City, she was also a teacher, a spokeswoman, author, and—in1972—a candidate for the U.S. Senate. During her campaign, she was asked if she could represent white Oklahomans. She replied: "Of course, I can represent white people, black people, red people, yellow people, brown people, and polka dot people. You see, I have lived long enough to know that people are people."

Luper's achievements include one that doesn't get mentioned as often: In 1957, she became a playwright. She wrote a play about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the non-violent methods he used to fight segregation in Alabama. When the National Youth Director for the NAACP saw the play, he invited Luper and the cast to New York to perform at a rally. On the trip north, the group experienced desegregated restaurants, but on the way back through the south, they were turned away. This helped inspire Luper to organize non-violent protests at Katz Drug Store and other Oklahoma City restaurants.

What was the name of the play Luper wrote that helped inspire desegregation efforts in Oklahoma City?