A march from a historic church building to a special downtown Oklahoma City plaza is planned as community members honor a civil rights icon and the movement she led.

The march from the Calvary Baptist Church building to the Clara Luper National Sit-in Plaza will be one of the activities during Freedom Fiesta, an annual multi-day event in Oklahoma City that honors civil rights leader and educator Clara Luper, who died in 2011, and commemorates the historic Aug. 19, 1958, Oklahoma City Katz Drug Store sit-in.

With the theme "Unity in Times Like These," the 68th anniversary celebration will feature community programs, church services and a festival, as well as the commemorative march.

Freedom Fiesta is presented by the Clara Luper Legacy Committee, in partnership with the Oklahoma Historical Society.

Here is a list of this year's Freedom Fiesta events and activities. All events are free and open to the public.

Joyce Henderson starts the march at the 67th anniversary march and reenactment of the Oklahoma City sit-ins at Frontline Church and Kaiser's Grateful Bean Cafe, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025.
Joyce Henderson starts the march at the 67th anniversary march and reenactment of the Oklahoma City sit-ins at Frontline Church and Kaiser's Grateful Bean Cafe, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025.

Art Show & Civil Rights Panel Discussion: 6 to 8 p.m., Northeast Health & Wellness Center, 3748 Lincoln Blvd.

More: 'Her legacy continues': Clara Luper's daughter carries on her mom's fight for equal rights

Musical concert: 6 p.m., Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, featuring an evening of music inspired by the sounds of the Civil Rights Movement, with local choirs, dancers, artists and musicians.

March & Sit-in Re-enactment: 9 a.m. from the Calvary Baptist Church building (currently home to the Dan Davis Law Firm), 300 N Walnut, to the Clara Luper National Sit-in Plaza, 59 N Robinson Ave. In 1958, the NAACP Youth Council and Luper met at Calvary Baptist before marching to Katz Drug Store, where 13 youth council members sat at the whites-only lunch counter and each ordered a Coca Cola, as part of a nonviolent "sit-in" to challenge the drug store's discriminatory policy against Black people. This will be the first year the Clara Luper National Sit-in Plaza will be the site of the sit-in re-enactment. The plaza was dedicated in November 2025 at the former site of Katz Drug Store.

Clara Luper National Sit-In Plaza in downtown Oklahoma City at night, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025.
Clara Luper National Sit-In Plaza in downtown Oklahoma City at night, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025.

More: 'She would be grateful.' New Clara Luper Plaza celebrates OKC history of courage, nonviolence

Freedom Fiesta in the Park: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., City Hall Park, 200 N Walker, featuring live performances by local singers and musicians, and local food trucks.

Freedom Service: 6 p.m. Fifth Street Baptist Church, 801 NE 5.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Calvary Baptist and sit-in plaza will be part of sit-in commemoration