Archive photograph

“There’s Nothing to Be Afraid Of” Carla Emery, Black student at Northwest Classen, who was one of the first of four students to integrate from a majority Black school to attend a majority white school in Oklahoma City two years prior to this photo.

Photograph taken for a story in the Oklahoma Times newspaper. Caption: "Carla Emery" Description: Black 17-year-old girl photographed from the side. Photo is for an article about the progress of the affirmative action transfer program that had been in effect for two years. In an interview with Dr. Emery-Culberson she stated that she and her sister Denise were the first two black students to integrate Northwest Classen. They were two of four Black students among 750 white students. They became accustomed to the differences, and excelled, making straight A’s. She was also elected band queen of her high school. However, she and her fellow black students were not helped with their college applications, and were, in fact, told not to apply. They persevered and all went on to college and received degrees. All of Dr. Emery-Culberson’s siblings went on to college and received advanced degrees; she became a podiatric surgeon, and practiced medicine in Austin, Texas. Dr. Emery was one of the students who in the fall of 1969 boycotted classes with her fellow black students at Oklahoma State University for nine days during midterms. They requested a black professor in some area of the college, a person in the financial aid office to help black students fill out their financial aid forms (up to that time, now one would help them complete the necessary forms, or even help them understand what was needed – the students helped each other up to that point), safety for black female students on campus at night (white fraternity members would harass black female students who attended classes at night), and a section in the library for black literature. OSU granted all the demands. Dr. Emery-Culberson is still fighting for civil rights and voting protection to this day. She is an Oklahoman to be proud of. On the day before the interview, she had volunteered for the whole day at voting locations in the Austin area. (interviewed March 4, 2026, at 1pm CDT)