Ayanna Najuma

This piece was one of nine created for my exhibit Regarding Privilege, on display from September 23rd to November 2nd, 2023.

Activist

b. 1951

Two weeks before my deadline for this show, I was on my way to an appointment and heard a StoryCorps interview with Ayanna Najuma. She told the story of her seven-year-old self, when in August of 1958, her mother drove her and other children to the Katz Drug Store in Oklahoma City so they could sit in at the lunch counter to protest that Blacks would not be served there. They brought their coloring books, so they’d have something to do while they were waiting to be served after they politely asked for a hamburger and a Coke. (The children were trained by the NAACP in a ‘bootcamp’ before the protest. As children, it was reasoned they would be less likely to draw a violent backlash.) On the third day of the sit-in Katz Drugs relented and served them, and in fact, after that day desegregated all their lunch counters across the U.S. Najuma and her friends’ actions inspired others around the country to use the same tactic, including the young men who sat in at the Woolworth’s in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1960.

Quote is from the Story Corps interview, aired on August 18, 2023.

Recording used by permission from StoryCorps.

Please contact me if you’re interested in acquiring this piece for your collection.

The text of this piece reads:

In spite of the fact that we were asking for a hamburger and a Coke, really we were asking for respect and dignity.