The vision of SSM Health is to offer ‘peace, hope and health for every person, family and community, especially those most in need.’ That commitment began with our founding sisters in 1872, continued through the Civil Rights movement and drives our work today.
So, it was fitting and inspiring for team members from the health ministries of SSM Health in Oklahoma to plant trees for the Freedom Center of Oklahoma restoration project and the new Clara Luper Civil Rights Center in Oklahoma City. The tree planting was accomplished in partnership with OKC Beautiful, a local community organization that promotes sustainable living.
All planted trees were indigenous to Oklahoma and will be crucial for shade during the Freedom Center’s outdoor programming. In addition, they are appropriate symbols of strength, stability, and planting seeds for future growth.
At SSM Health, we really see a strong connection between our commitment to care for the poor and vulnerable and our commitment to care for God’s creation,” said Andrew Ochs, Regional VP-Mission Integration, SSM Health in Oklahoma. “We were really excited to assist with the tree planting event in northeast Oklahoma City.”
Team members at SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital - Oklahoma City and SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital - Midwest have been touched by the Freedom Center; in the spirit of the SSM Health value of community, they wanted to help with beautification and improvement of the space for generations to come.
The Freedom Center of Oklahoma City has its roots in the work of Clara Luper, a lifelong public school teacher who taught youth and others in her community to implement non-violent means to protest injustices during the 1950s and ‘60s. Luper coordinated the first publicized sit-in in the nation when she led the historic event in a sit-in at the Katz Drug Store lunch counters in all of their 38 stores in Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas and Iowa. Her tireless efforts to both advocate for civil rights and to bring people together have lasting impacts into the present day.
Luper, who passed away in 2011 at the age of 99, was also involved with the purchase of a former gas station in northeast Oklahoma City in 1967. The former gas station building became known as the Freedom Center and has served for more than 40 years as the area’s hub for civil rights advocacy. In recent years, the Freedom Center has required significant renovations and upgrades, and up to $25 million is being used as part of a municipal revitalization project to help restore it for the promotion of education, community gathering and empowering the next generation of leaders focused on diversity and inclusion.
Luper led by example, demonstrating her personal commitment by going to jail as a result of civil disobedience 26 times during the Civil Rights Era. She organized marches, demonstrations and coordinated peaceful sit-in protests throughout drugstores and department stores. Under her leadership, Luper also led the integration at Oklahoma City Public Schools.
