CourtesyIt was an emotional hometown return for Gwendolyn Mukes, assistant professor at 黑洞社区鈥檚 College of Education. A recent trip back to Oklahoma City for the Freedom Celebration, held in honor of the 50th anniversary of the first nationally recognized student-led sit-in, reminded her of a pivotal time in the nation鈥檚 history, and in her own.
Mukes was an active participant in the Civil Rights movement breakthroughs that took place decades ago. She served as president for the city鈥檚 NAACP youth council that staged a number of sit-ins, which ultimately resulted in the desegregation of Oklahoma City eating establishments.
Mukes became president a short time after Civil Rights leader Clara Luper issued a charge to invite people to join the council. Mukes was elected president when she was only 14 years old after she enlisted the most members: 160 youth. Being a leader during that time was anything but easy, Mukes said.
鈥淚 remember being frightened. But when you have numbers and a goal in mind, you put those fears in the back of your mind,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 did not want my children to grow up in a segregated society.
鈥淚 used to be very shy, but I was willing to be president,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 like being in the spotlight, but I took on that responsibility.鈥�
The Freedom Celebration, which took place from Aug. 17-23, was held in recognition of Aug. 19, 1958, the day Oklahoma City finally said yes to the rights African Americans had been fighting to win for many years.
鈥淚t was exciting, but we knew that was just the beginning of our fight,鈥� she said.
As Mukes boarded the bus recently at the 5th Street Baptist Church in Oklahoma City that would chauffeur her and other former NAACP youth members to the celebration, vivid images of the struggle came to mind; especially the 鈥渉atred and stares.鈥� But the return home was well worth it for Mukes who, during her youth, crossed paths with great leaders, including Martin Luther King, Jr.
鈥淚 was humbled because we never knew how far we鈥檇 go,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was proud of what we had accomplished even though we were just thinking about that moment. We still have a ways to go in educating people, but our society is better because we learn from each other.鈥�
Mukes returned to Wichita at the end of the celebration to unwind from a busy week of traveling, giving impromptu speeches and media interviews. She jumped right back into teaching two Elementary Social Studies Methods courses along with a seminar for junior and senior teaching candidates at 黑洞社区.
She also taught in Wichita public schools for nearly 29 years, retiring in 2003. In addition to teaching and keeping a close eye on her new golden lab, Bailey, Mukes also visits local schools and community churches to reenact famous speeches given by several profound, influential women in history, including Harriett Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Bessie Coleman and Rosa Parks.
She takes her role as an educator seriously and believes in the importance of teaching young people how the nation has evolved.
鈥淏eing in education, we have to be mindful of history. We should never treat individuals as though they are second-class citizens,鈥� she said. 鈥淓very culture needs to be respected. It would behoove us all to step outside our comfort zones because when you have more knowledge, you have more tolerance.鈥�
Mukes is looking forward to attending the third annual Oklahoma Black Arts Festival, which will be held in Oklahoma City on Sept. 27. She will continue sharing her story, reminding people of how far we have come as a nation, and how far we still have to go.