Northwest Classen Student Honors Clara Luper With Painting

For Black History Month, Mr. Williams challenged his JR. ROTC students at Northwest Classen to learn more about Oklahoma’s Black history, and what he received has blown everyone away.  

“We talked about everybody in history. We always talk about Dr. King, we always talk about Ms. Parks,” said Lieutenant Colonel Williams, Northwest Classen’s JR. ROTC instructor.  

But this year Williams decided to change things up.  

Let’s do something different, I said does anyone know anything about any home-grown heroes from the civil right era,” said Williams.  

To his surprise none of the students had a response.  

“I said has anybody ever heard of Clara Luper? And one or two students held up their hands,” said Williams.  

Mr. Williams then began to educate the students on Clara Luper who once taught at Northwest Classen.  

“I said we don’t have anything to show, to tell these students that somebody had walked these halls out of history,” said Williams.  

He challenged senior Litzy Belasquez to draw the civil rights icon.  

“He asked who could draw her, and the people who know me, who know that I draw, they told him that I draw,” said Belasquez.  

Mr. Williams wasn’t expecting a lot from the assignment.  

“You know as students in high school you’re expecting them to just come in and give you something on a piece of paper, and I was expecting that on that Monday morning when she came into the classroom,” said Williams.  

But Belasquez accepted the challenge and took it to the extreme  

“I really feel satisfied when people say like wow or to see their expressions, I really like their reactions when they like one of my works or one of my drawings,” said Belasquez.  

Now the entire school district is making a big deal about Belasquez’s painting and will have it on display at the Clara Luper Center for Educational Services.  

“I think that she didn’t realize how big of an event or something that she did,” said Williams.  

“I’m like it’s not real, I don’t feel that this is happening,” said Velasquez.  

The painting will be on display at the Clara Luper Center for Education Services at 615 N Classen for the month of March available for everyone to view.