August 19, 1969
Black sanitation workers went on strike on the morning of August 19, 1969. The strikers demanded that they be allowed to be drivers and supervisors as well as increased pay. The strike was organized in the Freedom Center in northeast Oklahoma City by workers, Clara Luper, local pastors, and other activists. The strike would last until November, when wage demands were partially met, with a $40 raise given to workers earning less than $500 a month instead of the $100 raise asked.
Learn more at The Oklahoman
Photo Credit: Oklahoma Historical Society, Gateway to Oklahoma History, Photograph 2012.201.OVZ001.5761.