The University of Nebraska at Omaha Black Studies Department celebrates its 50th birthday this year. Part of this year’s celebration was a tribute to the Omaha 54, a group of 54 Black students who were arrested in 1969 for staging a sit-in. Chief among the protesting students demands was greater student input in future Black studies curricula. The sit-in, led by Black Liberators for Action on Campus (B.L.A.C.), was staged at the office of UNO’s then-Chancellor Kirk Naylor. Two years later in 1971, UNO’s Black Studies program was born. Image credit: UNO “Student Unrest Archive”.

In July of 2019, a contract between Saint Francis Ministries (SFM) and the state of Nebraska was finalized tasking Saint Francis with managing the care of roughly 2,000 abused and neglected children in and around Omaha. Since then, Saint Francis, which originally claimed they could do the job for roughly 40% less than their competitor, has repeatedly fallen short of compliance with various child welfare regulations, and recently their “Child Placing Agency License” has been put on probation. This probation is far from the first red flag for SFM, but never before has their ability to care for children across the whole state hung in the balance as it does now.

Symbolizing a new beginning for the LGBTQIA2S+ abolitionist organization Black & Pink, Dominique Morgan used giant scissors for the ribbon cutting at their new headquarters. Friends and coworkers gathered around to celebrate the contemporary offices filled with lavish, suave furniture. The new space had this welcoming ambience that just felt comfortable to work and communicate in.

n Sunday, July 18th, Omaha non-profit Inclusive Communities hosted their 2021 Humanitarian Brunch. As COVID-19 concerns remain a priority for many, the event was held virtually for a second consecutive year.

The Union for Contemporary Art hosted a public information meeting on July 15th to announce plans for a new community gathering space to be built in the F.J. Carey Block building on North 24th Street. Along with preserving the historic building, the Union aims to expand their current theatre programming.

Less than 3 weeks after the signing of a bill making discrimination against natural Black hairstyles illegal in Nebraska’s workplaces and as CROWN bills (creating Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) are passing across the US, the federation approving equipment for this year's Olympic swimmers says caps designed specifically for afros will not be allowed

Omaha non-profit organization, I Be Black Girl (IBBG), announced they had awarded over $50,000 in grants to small businesses earlier this month (June 2021). IBBG’s mission is to support Black women, girls and femmes, which they do through funding allocation, events and policy advocation.

A concept developed in the 1980’s has been forced into public and political discourse this spring and summer.“Critical Race Theory” (CRT) asserts that certain American foundational systems have racialized backbones allowing inequalities to persist for centuries, and that race itself is more a product of society than biology. It is an academic framework for social and legal analysis that is rarely, if ever, taught in K-12 schools. And yet it’s become a topic of partisan debate - a debate that made its way to Omaha, Nebraska on a record-breakingly hot day last week (June 17). As temperatures reached 105 degrees outside, the social climate was just as hot inside the Learning Community’s North Omaha center meeting room packed with both proponents and opponents of CRT.

Senator Terrell McKinney, who represents the North Omaha area, said the passing of LB451 “opens doors for more legislation addressing issues with race and discrimination." McKinney, along with I Be Black Girl CEO Ashlei Spivy, Professor Doris “Wendy” Greene of Drexel University, and Candy Jones, were recognized by Governor Pete Ricketts for their work and success passing LB451. The bill, which Ricketts has now signed into law, deems workplace discrimination on the basis of natural hair unlawful in the state of Nebraska.