‘WE WERE ABOUT MAKING CHANGE’
Civil rights activist on theology’s role in movement
Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing series of stories exploring how Oklahoma faith communities have confronted the issues of racism and bigotry.
EDMOND – Joyce Henderson remembers bowing her head in prayer along with other Black youths and their adult advisors who gathered at Calvary Baptist Church in Deep Deuce.
The year was 1958 and Henderson was part of the NAACP Youth Council led by civil rights icon Clara Luper. They planned to go to Katz drug store to integrate the “whites-only” lunch counter as part of what became known as the Oklahoma City sit-in movement.
But first they petitioned the Lord for guidance and protection in their righteous cause.
“You didn’t leave to go picketing until you prayed,” Henderson told a group of people recently gathered at
First Presbyterian Church of Edmond, 1001 S Rankin.
The former longtime educator and civil rights activist was the guest speaker during a session of “A Great Cloud of Witnesses: the Theology Behind the Civil Rights Movement.” The class is being taught by the Rev. Eric Laverentz, First Presbyterian-Edmond’s senior minister. Laverentz took a class about civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.’s theology while studying at Princeton Theological Seminary. He ultimately did his graduate work at Princeton and Vanderbilt University exploring the civil rights movement.
The eight-week class at the predominantly white congregation began in March and explores the biblical foundation of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The class meets at 6 p.m. each Wednesday through May 12.
Henderson spoke to about 40 people gathered in person and numerous others watching via livestream on April 14.
She said she was 16 when she first began to participate in the sit-ins led by Luper, who was her history teacher at Dunjee High School. Henderson drew laughter from the crowd when she said that Luper’s larger-than-life presence in the school and Black community meant she had a huge influence on her students. Most of them wanted to be a part of the nonviolent movement to end segregation because their teacher was so passionate about it and they understood that they were being treated unfairly by whites-only establishments.
Henderson said she had to beg her parents to participate in the sit-ins and they allowed her to go because they had faith in God and they trusted Luper. She said the first Oklahoma City sit-in was in August 1958 and the local movement lasted about five years in one form or another. She said the 63rd anniversary of the local movement will be this August.
The metro-area woman pulled out a pocket-size version of the U.S. Constitution and held it up at one point, saying that the NAACP Youth Council had a right to peacefully assemble and protest the unjust, unconstitutional treatment forced upon the Black community through Jim Crow laws.
“We all want to be treated with equality. We all want to be treated as human beings,” Henderson said.
Several people at the church asked questions of the civil rights activist: How hard was it to be nonviolent during the sit-ins? How long did the sit-in movement last? How did faith play a role in the movement? What can people do now to combat racism?
Henderson said it was important not to retaliate when angry whites did try to harm the sit-in participants. She said Luper was adamant about this rule so the youths complied. This wasn’t always easy. She said she once was tempted to strike back at a restaurant owner who deliberately hit her with the back door when he opened it during a sit-in protest.
“He knew I was there. I wanted to pinch him,” Henderson said. But “As children you were taught not to hit back, not to fight back. And we didn’t.”
She said the faith of those participating in the movement was what kept them going. Henderson talked about meeting at Calvary Baptist for prayer before each sit-in but she also said she was one of the young people that Luper asked to lead the group in singing spirituals and other songs to inspire them for the task at hand.
“Leading songs like ‘We Shall Overcome’ was powerful,” she said.
Sit-ins were ‘starting point’
One of the major themes of Henderson’s talk was her perspective that America has much more work to do in terms of eradicating racism and discrimination. She noted that some of the current issues of racial inequality are some of the same from yesteryear.
“Until we can stop discriminating, we’re going to continue to have these conversations,” she said.
Still, the civil rights activist said she has been encouraged by the diversity of race, ethnicity and social background of the current movement to protest racism and bigotry.
“The sit-in movement created a starting point,” she said. “When it started, I didn’t realize how important it was.”
In answer to the question of what could be done today to combat racism and bigotry, Henderson told the crowd that their participation in a faith-based class about the civil rights movement was an important step because dialogue is important.
She said it was also important that church members take the discussion “outside the four walls” of their house of worship to impact friends, family and the surrounding community in a meaningful way.
Henderson told the class members that they can be good examples for others to emulate.
“I can assure you that somebody is watching how you treat somebody else,” she said.
‘Safe place’ for discussion
Julianne Dunn, 45, a relatively new member of First Presbyterian-Edmond, said she was learning a lot through the class and especially enjoyed Henderson’s presentation.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity to really have this discourse opened. I know it feels sometimes like a can of worms but I think that can of worms needs to be opened and we have a safe place to talk about it civilly and really go back, with all these first-person interviews, what really happened,” Dunn said.
“What I’m hoping to explore again is ways we can hopefully do some of these things now to make a positive difference now. I’m excited about that opportunity.”
Meanwhile, Laverentz said he was pleased that Henderson agreed to share her experiences with the class.
“It was great to hear from Joyce, who has a perspective that we really need to listen to and take seriously because she was part of something that was really transformative,” he said.
“I was really glad that people made a point of asking her about how her Christian faith played a role and how her walk with Christ played a role because to me that is important for the church to know that our faith can also move mountains.”