An Interview with Christina L. Beatty
Christina L. Beatty is the Project Director for the Freedom Center and the Clara Luper Civil Rights Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This $25 million initiative will commemorate the life and work of the civil rights activist Clara Luper (1923–2011). In 1951, Clara Luper earned a master’s degree in history from the University of Oklahoma and taught history for decades in the Oklahoma City Public Schools system. We recorded this conversation on August 9, as Beatty prepared for the 64th anniversary of Oklahoma City’s first sit-in at the Katz Drugstore in Oklahoma City. The transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
Welcome, Christina. Thanks so much for joining us to speak today about your work. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself, your background, and how you came to your present position?
Absolutely. I always like to start with the fact that I’m a fifth generation Oklahoman. I think it’s important for people to understand that Black people have been here since before statehood. On my father’s side, my family migrated here from Kentucky during the landruns, so the roots run very deep. We still own forty acres in Lincoln County.