On August 18, 1963, youth members of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) Council in Oklahoma City began a series of sit-ins at lunch counters in the city’s downtown area. These sit-ins were part of the broader Civil Rights Movement and were aimed at protesting segregation, particularly in public spaces like lunch counters, where African Americans were often denied service. The protestors were inspired by similar actions across the country, especially the sit-ins that had taken place earlier in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1960.

In Oklahoma City, the youth led by the NAACP Council faced hostility but remained committed to non-violent protest. Their actions were part of a larger wave of civil rights activism that sought to challenge systemic racism and demand equal treatment for African Americans in all aspects of public life. The Oklahoma City sit-ins contributed to the ongoing momentum for civil rights, culminating in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.