Clara Luper Presenters
Civil rights activist and national treasure Clara Luper was one of the Respect Diversity Foundation’s earliest supporters and the first speaker to join us in our work.
Our esteem for Clara Luper led us to create a special designation for highly-accomplished presenters who carry on her tradition of excellence and promote the values of social justice and non-violent activism she both held dear and personified throughout her remarkable and storied life.
Our Clara Luper Civil Rights Presenters are speakers, workshop facilitators and performers who communicate compelling truths about the Civil Rights Movement – as it impacts the lives of everyday citizens.
Dr. Gwen Fuller Mukes, PhD
Storyteller / Musician / Oral Historian
Growing up in segregated Oklahoma in the 40’s and 50’s, Gwen Fuller-Mukes witnessed and experienced many forms of discrimination practiced against African-American citizens and others. She became aware, at a very young age, of the atrocities committed against African slaves in America and their descendants, African-Americans.
In August 1958, she and 13 other members of the NAACP Youth Chapter were thrust into history when they became the original Civil Rights “Sit-Inners,” eventually leading to the desegregation of public accommodations in Oklahoma.
This experience began her lifelong dedication to pursuing equal treatment for all, her lifelong quest to learn more about her people’s history and history of other cultures, and her mission of helping others appreciate different cultures in our society. In her one-woman show, Gwen portrays historical African-American historical figures – some well known and others less known, including: Harriet Tubman, Conductor on the Underground Railroad; Sojourner Truth, Abolitionist and Suffragette; Mrs. Mary McLeod Bethune, educator and friend to President Franklin D. and Mrs. Roosevelt; Bessie Coleman, first African American aviator; Rosa Parks, Mother of the Civil Rights Movement, and Stagecoach Mary, a Pony Express rider who never lost her mail.
Dr. Mukes’ presentations emphasize respect for cultural diversity, even as they promote character development. An African folklorist, Dr. Mukes enjoys telling stories of the Anansi people of Africa, involving her audience members as participants.
A 40-year veteran public school teacher, Dr. Mukes now serves as an assistant professor in the College of Education at Wichita State University. She is the recipient of numerous civic and performance awards. She considers presentation and performance requests from across the nation.
Dr. Gloria J. Pollard
Educator / Public Speaker / Civil Rights Activist
Dr. Gloria Pollard has served (for almost five decades) as a public-school teacher, higher education instructor, and career specialist for a state agency.
Dr. Pollard is no stranger to bullying. As a youth, she experienced numerous abuses which she did not recognize as racism and was unprepared for methods of responding to them. However, she was fortunate enough to spend her junior-high years in Dunjee School, an all-Black school, in which Mrs. Clara S. Luper was one of her teachers and mentors. Soon, inspired and led by Clara Luper, Dr. Pollard became a young participant in the Sit-In Movement of the 1950s.
She eventually had the opportunity to travel to New York City to participate in the NAACP Youth Council’s presentation of “Brother President,” Mrs. Luper’s original drama depicting the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. During rehearsals for the play on the bus ride to New York, she became deeply aware of the difficulties and dangers of practicing nonviolent social activism. (Such is the power of art to communicate truth!) At the same time, she embraced the nonviolent path to change, having been reared by her parents to regard violence as an unjustifiable course of action for anyone.
With her talent as a storyteller and her vivid experiences as both a victim of discrimination and a student leader in the Civil Rights movement, Dr. Pollard motivates people of all ages to embrace respect for diversity with a spirit of tolerance for all people.
In addition to her participation with the Respect Diversity Foundation, Dr. Pollard consults with and advises groups of students, educators, and civic organizations. In 2014 she returned to teach as an adjunct instructor for the Department of Human Relations at the University of Oklahoma. In 2015 she was inducted into the African American Educators Hall of Fame. In November 2022, Dr. Pollard was inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame. She is now retired from formal education but continues to advise students and participate in speaking engagements as requested.