REAL MOMS OF THE METRO
Ruth Rolfe’s story o f aTnhAe h ecat irvti s t Ruth Rolfe was 14 years old when she saw a story on the evening news about a group of students participating in sit-ins to protest policies of segregation. Inspired to action, she told her parents she wanted to get involved. It was 1958 in Oklahoma City, and Rolfe’s father, actively engaged in the NAACP, connected his only child with civil rights activist Clara Luper. Rolfe would spend the next three years advocating for Black community members to have access to formerly white-only restaurants, amusement parks, swimming pools and other community resources. Rolfe would take lessons learned from powerful civil rights activists, including Luper, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., her parents and other local leaders, to form her own life as an advocate for equity and equality. Her careers with the Community Action Agency and as a diversity officer with Cox Communications and her volunteer efforts for causes like voter education and access for people with disabilities, inspired by her son Jarvis who has Down syndrome, were sparked in the young teen’s eyes and heart, desiring to affect positive change.
The sit-in movement What stands out most for Rolfe about the sit-in movement in Oklahoma City is the spirit and camaraderie among the students and the loving leadership from Luper. During the summer, the various teams of local youth would participate in sit-ins six days a week. During the school year, the work continued on Saturdays. The students divided into teams and walked to various restaurants that served whites only, protesting peacefully by sitting at lunch counters or tables, waiting to be served. “We really just wanted to sit at a restaurant and have a hamburger and a Coke,” said Rolfe. “It was frustrating, seeing other people have access to what we didn’t just because of the color of our skin.” But there was much more to the movement than the public demonstrations. The students met weekly at Luper’s home to learn history, the importance of which was emphasized often by the students’ disciplined leader, and receive training in non-violence. There was strategy and precision behind every move the group made.
BY ERIN PAGE . PHOTOS BY FOTO ARTS PHOTOGRAPHY AND COURTESY OF OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
26 METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / OCTOBER 2020
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker