In 2018, Preston Love Jr. began taking a busload of Omaha students to civil rights historic locations in the South. Now in its fifth year, the Face-to-Face with Black History Tour has provided this opportunity— free of charge— to over 300 students. NOISE maker Elle Love spoke with Preston Love (no relation) about this year’s tour which he says was “The best one yet.”
Are you a potential employer? Stop by the meet-and-greet tonight between 6-8 p.m. at the Omaha Journalism Lab at 1911 Harney Street. Email Matt Wynn at mwynn@flatwaterfreepress.org to learn more.
OPPD was supposed to shut down coal burning at North Omaha Station by 2023. Now, it proposes to burn coal until 2026. On Sunday, July 24, 2022 from 1 - 4 p.m., Eric Williams, OPPD director representing North Omaha and Subdivision 6 will be at Miller Park Pavilion from 1 - 4 p.m. to explain why this is happening and, more importantly, to hear what the public thinks about it.
Taking the right steps to ensure that all future generations of young Nebraskans will have access to quality education systems, robust transportation, affordable housing, healthcare and professional opportunities was at the forefront of the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency’s Heartland 2050 Summit: “Baby Steps, Giant Leaps.” NOISE interviewed the keynote speaker, Omaha native, lawyer and urban planner, Tamika Butler.
From Nebraska Medicine/UNMC: The dominant coronavirus variant nationwide is BA.5. "The original omicron variant is gone now," says infectious diseases expert Dr. Mark Rupp. "Currently subvariants of omicron are circulating, including BA.4, BA.5 and BA.2.12.1.” The best way to prevent new variants is to slow the spread of the virus through proven public health strategies. Click on the link for more information from our local health experts.
From The Reader: In Nebraska, being denied Aid to Dependent Children (ADC) is the norm for families that apply to the program. In 2020, around 90% of families that applied for ADC were denied, according to federal data — Nebraska’s denial rate for applications to get direct cash assistance surpasses that of all but three states in the nation. This story closes out a series published in The Reader and on omahajobs.com from September 2021 — June 2022 that spotlights the experiences of low-income, working families in Omaha, part of a larger series about inequity in Omaha, titled “(Dis)Invested.”
Roe v. Wade may be overturned but abortion is still legal and accessible in Nebraska. NOISEmaker Elle Love spoke to Dr. Carolee Jones of Methodist Physicians Women’s Clinic and Ashlei Spivey, founder of the reproductive justice organization I Be Black Girl, about how a post-Roe world may be more dangerous for Black women. But, according to Sen. Megan Hunt, senators are ready to fight any proposed bans of abortion in Nebraska.
From Flatwater Free Press: Private equity-backed companies are gobbling up vast swaths of residential property across the country, including in Omaha. According to a recent investigation by Flatwater Free Press and KETV Channel 7, Vinebrook Homes has been the largest buyer of single-family homes in Douglas County in the past two years. Vinebrook now appears to be the third-largest landlord in the city, with most properties concentrated in North Omaha. Across the nation and the Omaha metro, community groups and local leaders are searching for answers to the following question: Should they combat companies like Vinebrook? If so, how?
From Nebraska Medicine/UNMC: COVID-19 vaccines are now available for children ages six months to five years. More than two million cases of COVID-19 have been reported among children ages six months through four years with 400 deaths in that age group. Call the experts at Nebraska Med to schedule an appointment for your child's vaccine.
NOISE continues its coverage of the Omaha City Charter review convention. For a fifth time the convention met on June 23, missing five of its fifteen members. In an hour-and-a-half, they discussed and passed a series of proposed amendments to the city’s charter, mainly focusing on policies concerning the city council and mayor’s office. The amendments will be sent to the city council, which will vote on whether they should go on the November 2022 ballot for voter approval. The next meeting is tonight, June 30.
Latest
In 2018, Preston Love Jr. began taking a busload of Omaha students to civil rights historic locations in the South. Now in its fifth year, the Face-to-Face with Black History Tour has provided this opportunity— free of charge— to over 300 students. NOISE maker Elle Love spoke with Preston Love (no relation) about this year’s tour which he says was “The best one yet.”
Are you a potential employer? Stop by the meet-and-greet tonight between 6-8 p.m. at the Omaha Journalism Lab at 1911 Harney Street. Email Matt Wynn at mwynn@flatwaterfreepress.org to learn more.
OPPD was supposed to shut down coal burning at North Omaha Station by 2023. Now, it proposes to burn coal until 2026. On Sunday, July 24, 2022 from 1 - 4 p.m., Eric Williams, OPPD director representing North Omaha and Subdivision 6 will be at Miller Park Pavilion from 1 - 4 p.m. to explain why this is happening and, more importantly, to hear what the public thinks about it.
Taking the right steps to ensure that all future generations of young Nebraskans will have access to quality education systems, robust transportation, affordable housing, healthcare and professional opportunities was at the forefront of the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency’s Heartland 2050 Summit: “Baby Steps, Giant Leaps.” NOISE interviewed the keynote speaker, Omaha native, lawyer and urban planner, Tamika Butler.
NEWS & Civics
In 2018, Preston Love Jr. began taking a busload of Omaha students to civil rights historic locations in the South. Now in its fifth year, the Face-to-Face with Black History Tour has provided this opportunity— free of charge— to over 300 students. NOISE maker Elle Love spoke with Preston Love (no relation) about this year’s tour which he says was “The best one yet.”
Are you a potential employer? Stop by the meet-and-greet tonight between 6-8 p.m. at the Omaha Journalism Lab at 1911 Harney Street. Email Matt Wynn at mwynn@flatwaterfreepress.org to learn more.
OPPD was supposed to shut down coal burning at North Omaha Station by 2023. Now, it proposes to burn coal until 2026. On Sunday, July 24, 2022 from 1 - 4 p.m., Eric Williams, OPPD director representing North Omaha and Subdivision 6 will be at Miller Park Pavilion from 1 - 4 p.m. to explain why this is happening and, more importantly, to hear what the public thinks about it.
Taking the right steps to ensure that all future generations of young Nebraskans will have access to quality education systems, robust transportation, affordable housing, healthcare and professional opportunities was at the forefront of the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency’s Heartland 2050 Summit: “Baby Steps, Giant Leaps.” NOISE interviewed the keynote speaker, Omaha native, lawyer and urban planner, Tamika Butler.
From Nebraska Medicine/UNMC: The dominant coronavirus variant nationwide is BA.5. "The original omicron variant is gone now," says infectious diseases expert Dr. Mark Rupp. "Currently subvariants of omicron are circulating, including BA.4, BA.5 and BA.2.12.1.” The best way to prevent new variants is to slow the spread of the virus through proven public health strategies. Click on the link for more information from our local health experts.
From The Reader: In Nebraska, being denied Aid to Dependent Children (ADC) is the norm for families that apply to the program. In 2020, around 90% of families that applied for ADC were denied, according to federal data — Nebraska’s denial rate for applications to get direct cash assistance surpasses that of all but three states in the nation. This story closes out a series published in The Reader and on omahajobs.com from September 2021 — June 2022 that spotlights the experiences of low-income, working families in Omaha, part of a larger series about inequity in Omaha, titled “(Dis)Invested.”
Roe v. Wade may be overturned but abortion is still legal and accessible in Nebraska. NOISEmaker Elle Love spoke to Dr. Carolee Jones of Methodist Physicians Women’s Clinic and Ashlei Spivey, founder of the reproductive justice organization I Be Black Girl, about how a post-Roe world may be more dangerous for Black women. But, according to Sen. Megan Hunt, senators are ready to fight any proposed bans of abortion in Nebraska.
From Flatwater Free Press: Private equity-backed companies are gobbling up vast swaths of residential property across the country, including in Omaha. According to a recent investigation by Flatwater Free Press and KETV Channel 7, Vinebrook Homes has been the largest buyer of single-family homes in Douglas County in the past two years. Vinebrook now appears to be the third-largest landlord in the city, with most properties concentrated in North Omaha. Across the nation and the Omaha metro, community groups and local leaders are searching for answers to the following question: Should they combat companies like Vinebrook? If so, how?
From Nebraska Medicine/UNMC: COVID-19 vaccines are now available for children ages six months to five years. More than two million cases of COVID-19 have been reported among children ages six months through four years with 400 deaths in that age group. Call the experts at Nebraska Med to schedule an appointment for your child's vaccine.
NOISE continues its coverage of the Omaha City Charter review convention. For a fifth time the convention met on June 23, missing five of its fifteen members. In an hour-and-a-half, they discussed and passed a series of proposed amendments to the city’s charter, mainly focusing on policies concerning the city council and mayor’s office. The amendments will be sent to the city council, which will vote on whether they should go on the November 2022 ballot for voter approval. The next meeting is tonight, June 30.
President and CEO of the Omaha Chamber, Veta Jeffery was the keynote speaker at last week’s Minority Small Business Summit at the Highlander on N. 30th Street. Entrepreneurs and small business owners from Omaha gathered to network, participate in educational sessions, connect with community resources, and engage in a pitch competition for a $10,000 grand prize.
On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, ending the nearly 50-year constitutional right to abortion. Andi Curry Grubb, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska, stressed that abortion is still legal in Nebraska. Anti-abortion politicians intend to call a special session this summer to attempt to pass a total abortion ban in the state. Advocates in the legislature helped defeat a total ban earlier this year.
What has been going on at the Omaha City Charter Convention? Three more meetings are likely to take place on June 23, 30 and July 11 before the convention submits a report to the city council, who will then decide whether any of the convention’s recommended amendments to the city charter should be placed on the November 2022 general election ballot for voter approval. Pete Fey gives NOISE readers an update on proposals submitted by city departments, the mayor’s office and the public, including some charter convention members and elected officials.
A statewide partnership of public and private organizations has launched “We Care for Kids,” a public outreach campaign to build support for quality early childhood education for all Nebraska families. The campaign aims to support families with resources and tools to help them recognize and seek out quality early care and learning for their children, especially in under-resourced communities.
As part of The Missouri Independent and NPR Midwest Newsroom’s collaborative investigation of high levels of lead in children in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, reporter Niara Savage interviewed Gerald Markowitz, author of the 2002 book “Deceit and Denial: The Deadly Politics of Industrial Pollution.” They discuss the lead industry’s history of misleading the public and the lasting implications for public perception and policy.
A vibrant, diverse mix of reporters is vital for any healthy news ecosystem. For decades, Nebraska has lacked that key aspect. NOISE and our partners at the AIM Institute and the Nebraska Journalism Trust, which publishes the Flatwater Free Press, are stepping up to the plate to change the media landscape in Nebraska. Apply now for six free journalism classes to be held in July at 1911 Harney St.
From Flatwater Free Press: There are only three abortion clinics in Nebraska, all in Omaha and Lincoln. If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade and abortion is banned in Nebraska, the future of abortion in Iowa and Kansas will determine how far Nebraskans must travel for healthcare. Other neighbors – South Dakota, Wyoming and Missouri – have so-called “trigger bans” that go into effect if Roe is overturned. A look at the potential future for Nebraskans needing abortion services.
There are many famous Nebraskans, but the Malcolm X Foundation considers its namesake to be the state’s most famous son, which is why they always celebrate his birthday on May 19 with a series of free public events. This year, the celebration will continue from Thursday through Sunday.
Events at the foundation include a birthday luncheon, daily guided tours, a photo exhibition, a Friday night youth poetry performance, a Saturday morning youth reading circle in collaboration with the Omaha Public Library, a Saturday afternoon dance performance and drill teams and a silent auction.
From Nebraska Examiner: Habitat for Humanity of Omaha @habitatomaha and its partners held a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday for an affordable housing development near 52nd and Sorensen Parkway.
“This is an important first-of-its-kind project in building communities for Habitat Omaha,” said CEO Amanda Brewer. “There is a serious affordable housing crisis for families in Omaha, with a shortage of 80,000 units. We are pleased and honored to redevelop this site to create homes for people and to build community.”
Two organizations led by Black women have come together to activate a major resource for the North Omaha community. Cydny Franklin, CEO of 75 North Revitalization Corp. and Nancy Williams, CEO of No More Empty Pots sat down with Leo Adam Biga to share their big plans for the greenhouse at the Highlander Accelerator, including a 1,000 sq. foot commercial kitchen, a culinary certificate program, an on-site science lab for creating lotions and botanicals and a micro food market. Stay tuned for some community engagement programs this summer while work gets underway for a Sept. 2023 opening.
The Greater Omaha Chamber Friday announced its new president and CEO is Veta Jeffery, who previously managed the State of Missouri’s community and economic development services. Jeffery replaces David Brown, who earlier announced his retirement after 20 years.
Over two decades ago, a jury found Earnest Jackson guilty for the death of Larry Perry — a crime that someone else later confessed to and was acquitted for, based on self-defense. Jackson initially received a life sentence and remains in prison 22 years later, in spite of his acknowledged actual innocence. What kind of justice system is unable to free an innocent man? NOISE is featuring an article by a leader in the campaign to Send Earnest Home explaining the torturous route that Jackson has been on, trying to get out of prison.
From the ACLU of Nebraska: The Lincoln City Council approved a $497,500 settlement agreement with a Lincoln woman who was severely injured by a law enforcement officer during a 2020 protest against the murder of George Floyd by a police office in Minneapolis. When officers used impact munitions and chemical agents on people gathered in civil disobedience of a curfew, one of the projectiles struck Poole and severed her nose from her face.
From Nebraska Examiner: Tech giant Google announced plans Thursday to invest at least $750 million more in Nebraska. This latest financial infusion, along with $600 million in 2019, will put the company’s investment into operations in the Husker state at more than $1 billion. The new facility will be in northwest Omaha near the intersection of Blair High Rd. and State St.
If you missed the chance to hear 14 candidates running for office in Nebraska at a Fabric Lab forum, you can catch this weekend’s debate between two Democratic candidates running for U.S. Representative in CD-2, looking to unseat Republican incumbent Don Bacon. Alisha Shelton and Tony Vargas will be at Culxr House, 3014 N. 24th St. on Saturday, Apr. 23 from 1 - 3 p.m. NOISE has complied a list of instructions with deadlines to register to vote, return your vote-by-mail ballot or find your polling place. It might have changed.
AIM Institute, a nonprofit committed to growing a strong and diverse tech community, has allocated dedicated space at its downtown Omaha headquarters at 1911 Harney St. to NOISE for the Omaha Journalism Project. The program will help ensure that journalists have shared access to a podcast recording studio, green screen for film projects, and computer lab for training and workshops. A community space for town hall meetings is also available for rent.
April is Autism Acceptance Month, but raising awareness in the Black community may be the first step toward acceptance. NOISE contributor Elle Love, who has autism, shares stories from Black mothers of autistic children about how they found resources for their children in Omaha— or created their own.
The grassroots effort, now branded Yates Illuminates, to save the former Yates Elementary School in Gifford Park has been awarded $1 million in ARPA funding. The money will go directly toward renovation of the project site to provide social and mental health services geared towards the immigrant and refugee communities.
Over the next few months, The Missouri Independent and NPR’s Midwest Newsroom are collaborating to investigate high levels of lead in children of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. By analyzing scientific research, delving into state and local data and interviewing parents, experts and advocates from across the country, the project will shed light on a public health disaster that continues to poison children every year. NOISE is republishing this first installment which appeared in the Nebraska Examiner.
Culture & HEritage
In June, the Anastasis Theatre Company collaborated with the Nebraska State Penitentiary (NSP) on a special project with the prison’s 7th Step Club. NSP residents wrote and performed an original play called “More Than a Number.” The production will come to churches in Lincoln and Omaha this fall performed by men who are not currently incarcerated but whose lives have been impacted by the correctional system.
In a sport dominated by men, and a state consumed by football, there resides a semi-professional women’s football team— the Nebraska Valkyries— part of the longest running professional women’s football league, the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA) which just wrapped up its inaugural season. NOISE features both the Valkyries and provides a brief history of women’s football by freelance contributor Jonathan Short.
Under the leadership of new Artistic Director Tyrone Beasley, Shakespeare on the Green returns to Elmwood Park tonight. “The Tempest,” directed by Scott Glasser, will feature period and modern trappings. Performance dates: June 23-26; July 8, 10, 13, 14, 16. Under Beasley’s direction, “Othello” will take a contemporary turn. Performance dates: June 30-July 3 and July 6, 7, 9, 15, 17.
In “Omaha’s Forgotten Century,” New York City-based dancer-choreographer Ray Mercer draws on his experiences of his hometown of Omaha. The show celebrates the rich and nuanced histories of the Black and Latino communities of Omaha. This dance-theater piece will play at the Orpheum Theater at 7:30 p.m. on June 25. The event is free and open to the public.
Bianca Swift’s performance of her poem about Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday— and what it means specifically (and only) for Black people— received a standing ovation at Verbal Gumbo on June 16, 2022 at the Benson Theatre. NOISE is republishing it courtesy of the author.
Juneteenth has been a federal holiday for a year now but it has been celebrated in Black communities since 1865. What's going on in Omaha for Juneteenth 2022? We’ve compiled a list for you.
When Omaha natives Felicia Casher (formerly Webster) and Michelle Troxclair join forces again for the Verbal Gumbo Reunion, they will reclaim, at least for one-night, a scene they birthed and presided over. The performance will take place one night only, June 16 from 8 to 11 p.m. at the Benson Theatre located at 6054 Maple St. Tickets can be bought in advance on the Benson Theatre website. Doors open at 7 p.m.
The Criss Library at UNO is exhibiting "On the Inside" a group show of LGBTQ+ artists who are currently incarcerated. The art is made from basic materials the prisoners have access to behind bars: mostly letter sized paper, dull pencils, ball-point pen ink tubes (the hard shell is deemed too dangerous), and unlikely innovations such as using an asthma inhaler with Kool-Aid to create an airbrushed painting. The exhibit is the culmination of a multi-year project conceived of by Tatiana von Furstenberg in collaboration with Black & Pink. "On the Inside" is on display through July 31.
In our latest podcast, NOISEmakers Kietryn Zychal and Emily Chen-Newton spend an afternoon with Aaron French, manager of urban farm initiatives at City Sprouts, to learn about the things this ever-growing community garden has to offer including free food from the fridge on the porch at 4002 Seward St. There are also some tips on gardening for those who want to give it a try.
Omaha playwright Beaufield Berry returns to her roots at the Great Plains Theatre Commons Conference this week. Her family drama, “In the Upper Room” will be playing at the Lied Center on Creighton’s campus from June 1 - 3. Tickets are free and available on eventbrite. Leo Adam Biga caught up with Berry for NOISE to talk about her impressive writing career in the theater which looks to be expanding into television and film. Berry shares insights about how handling success can be just as hard as coping with failure.
SHARE Omaha, the online giving platform for over 650 area nonprofits, will be held on May 17-19, 2022. Do Good Days will offer three ways to give back to the community: giving money, buying needed items or volunteering your time. NOISE is featuring the 34 Black-led and Black-benefitting organizations in Omaha that that are participating in the annual fundraising event this year.
“Nelson Mandela: The Official Exhibition” is the major new global touring exhibition that takes visitors on a personal journey through the life of the world’s most iconic freedom fighter and political leader. The exhibition will be at the Durham Museum from March 5 - July 3, 2022. Presented in association with Round Room Live, the exhibition is an immersive and interactive experience that features previously unseen film, photos and the display of over 150 historical artifacts and personal effects on loan from the Mandela family, museums and archives worldwide.
Are you a small Omaha-based group of activists with an idea that would foster collective growth? One Omaha’s mini-grant supports emerging organizers by providing direct funding to those who seek to make a positive impact in their community. One Omaha has given grants to support SkateFest, NOISE, Healing Roots, the Village Co-op, Feed the People Omaha and many more small projects. Applications are open from May 9 - 27.
Have you noticed the mammoth greenhouse that has been sitting vacant since 2018 at the Highlander on N. 30th St? That’s about to change because of a new partnership to activate the space. On May 2, two Black women-led North Omaha organizations, Seventy Five North Revitalization Corp. and No More Empty Pots will announce a partnership to put the greenhouse to use.
Believe it or not, there's a kid-friendly exhibition at KANEKO through Apr. 30 with art that you are supposed to touch! Autism Action Partnership and KANEKO collaborated during Autism Awareness Month to present the "Common Senses Festival" exploring the human senses through interactive installations, live performances, and more, with many events and programs across Omaha happening throughout the summer.
“Choir Boy,” now playing at the Benson Theater through April 16, tells the story of five young Black men coming of age at the Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys where they are members of the school’s prestigious choir. Written by Oscar-winning playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight), the play features a cappella gospel hymns throughout, and deals with themes of sexual identity, bullying and a desire to belong. This is the final weekend of performances, reviewed by NOISEmaker Ashley Salem.
Free Farm Syndicate is NOISE’s featured community garden this month. We also have a year round planting guide from The Big Garden and information about their plant sale running from Apr. 21 - May 21.
From Flatwater Free Press: It is a famed art collection, a cornerstone of the Joslyn Art Museum holdings, and one of the most accurate records of the American West before photography. For the first time, the descendants of the people pictured in Karl Bodmer's portraits are getting their say in how this art is understood. For the first time, museum goers are looking at the collection through Native eyes.
Carolyn Williamson, known at Girls Inc. as “Ms. CT,” recently retired after a long and distinguished career with the school. There will be an open house reception in her honor at The Venue at the Highlander Accelerator on Tues. Apr. 5 from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m., 2120 N. 30th St. NOISE is reprinting remarks made by Executive Director Roberta Wilhelm at a 2021 Girls Inc. luncheon.
The 64th Grammy Awards will be televised live on CBS this Sunday, Apr. 3 at 7 p.m. Central Time and two musicians with Omaha ties are nominated for awards— Tehilla Alphonso and Terrace Martin. Leo Adam Biga brings NOISE readers a little background on the artists and some words of wisdom to young musicians from Martin’s father, 2017 Grammy nominated jazz musician Curly Martin.
In our latest podcast episode, NOISE culture reporter Ashley Salem and board vice president Emily Chen-Newton discuss the film, "From the Hood to the Holler," part of the Omaha Film Festival screening online through Apr. 2. Emily is from Kentucky where the documentary is set. The film, directed by @PatMcGeeFilms, follows the campaign of Charles Booker while he makes political history as a Black candidate from the west end of Louisville, Ky. -- which is like Omaha's north side-- in his attempt to unseat the powerful U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell. The podcast includes a curated list of @OmahaFilmFestvl entries picked for our NOISE audience.
This week’s warm weather may have inspired you to think about planting a garden, but you better act quickly. The date to start your seeds in pots is right around the corner, Mar. 10. NOISE has compiled a sample of local organizations who can teach you how to be part of the miracle of watching a seed turn into a vegetable.
Our latest podcast episode is an homage to Black motherhood. Our guests on this episode, Pastor LaShea Pogee and foster parent Mercedez Langford Brown, chat with NOISE's Ashley Salem about the many dimensions of mothering.
New Podcast Live! As honey bees swarm around him, Clark Williams says working with bees makes him feel alive. His nine-year old daughter, Aaliyah Porter, plays with a collection of sticks several yards away as NOISE reporter Emily Chen-Newton interviews Clark about his bees.
Aaliyah is by no means afraid of the bees. Quite the contrary, she calls them her angels because she finds being with them so peaceful. Walking down the path away from the hives with his daughter leading the way, Clark muses about the many metaphors that bees give their keepers. "They take care of their queens." This is a metaphor for how communities need to take care of their sisters, mothers and daughters.
From Leo Adam Biga: Depending on your point of view, Omaha has the infamy or distinction of twice being a microcosm on screen for systemic racism. Two documentaries made here more than half a century apart, the Academy Award-nominated A Time for Burning (1967) and the acclaimed Out of Omaha (2018), reveal hard truths about racial disparity still rarely seen in American cinema. Now, for the first time publicly, the films are being screened as a double feature Feb. 4 - 10 at Aksarben Cinema in the city that birthed them.
The streetcar would run from 10th Street as far west as 42nd Street and from Harney to Farnam Streets, with a northern extension to CHI Health Center Omaha.
For nearly 50 years, Herbie Husker has held a football in one hand and thrown up an “a-OK” sign with the other. But if you’ve paid close attention, you may have noticed a change. Now, Herbie’s left hand shows “we’re number one.” Why? Internet trolls and white supremacy groups have tried to turn the OK sign into a symbol of white power, claiming the three fingers up form a W and the circle and wrist form a P.
NOISE presents its fourth installment in our series, “Black Legacy Families” by Leo Adam Biga. Perhaps no Black family in Omaha owns a creative lineage spanning as many disciplines as the Beasleys. John and Judy Beasley, their sons Tyrone and Michael and their grandchildren are variously actors, directors, writers, singers, musicians and artists. Four family members have done national stage and screen work. If you count professional athletics as a form of self-expression, then their accomplishments grow larger yet. At age 79, patriarch John will be making his Broadway debut this year. NOISE presents an in-depth look at a family of creative entrepreneurs with strong Omaha roots.
As fighters went through their paces one recent night at B&B Sports Academy, its co-owner, world welterweight boxing champion Terence “Bud” Crawford, got right in the mix, interacting with pros and amateurs alike. He coached boxers at the North Omaha gym, teased them, cajoled them, encouraged them.
Flatwater Free Press - Nebraska homesteaders were poor and poorer, Catholic and Protestant. And almost uniformly white. Except for the homesteaders who settled in a place called Dewitty, near present day Valentine.
These homesteaders were Black. Some came from the South, lured by the promise of the 1904 Kinkaid Act – a kind of second version of the Homestead Act – that promised 640 acres of free land in the Nebraska Sandhills. Some came from Canada, where they had escaped to decades earlier. And some moved from Overton, near Kearney.
Weekly updates on Omaha’s City Council are available here, as well as a step-by-step guide how to engage with City Council and find your council-member.
NOISE regularly publishes articles about mental health issues and where to access resources in the Omaha area.
Did you know that annually more than 3,500 children and teens (ages 0 to 19) are shot and killed, and 15,000 are shot and wounded? That’s an average of 52 American children and teens every day. And the effects of gun violence extend far beyond those struck by a bullet: An estimated three million children witness a shooting each year.— From the 2015 National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence. NOISE asked mental health practitioner Payton Hogan to research what the experts say about talking to kids who have witnessed or been victims of violence.
When a mass murder of Black people occurs in a supermarket in Buffalo, New York or a church in Charleston, South Carolina, Black people experience collective trauma. “That could have been me or my loved ones,” is a common thought. From the National Institute of Health (NIH): “Collective memory of trauma is different from individual memory because collective memory persists beyond the lives of the direct survivors of the events, and is remembered by group members that may be far removed from the traumatic events in time and space.” Payton Hogan meditates on the effect of centuries of collective trauma on the Black Community and includes some links for resources that might be of help.
On May 2, Politico published a leaked draft of a majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito, overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, eliminating abortion as a constitutional right and returning it to the states and the whims of the political process. If the draft becomes a final decision in June at the end of the term, abortion would be legal in states such as California, Colorado and New York but criminalized in states such as Texas, Mississippi and even Nebraska. NOISE will continue to update this resource page as the country careens toward the Court’s final decision this summer.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. NOISE contributor Payton Hogan continues his series on trauma in the Black Community. This article focuses on the effects of economic disinvestment on residents in North Omaha and how impoverished neighborhoods themselves create a kind of collective trauma. Rather than focus on the pitfalls of poverty— such as the lure of money earned through drugs or resulting gun violence— Hogan invites the reader to empathize with a community that is stuck in what he calls “survival mode.”
One of the greatest mental health crises in America is the unprocessed trauma suffered by members of the Black community. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) describes individual trauma as a set of circumstances that is physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening and that has lasting adverse effects. NOISE is featuring the first article in a series by mental health practitioner Payton Hogan about trauma in North Omaha’s Black community.
North Omaha Community Resource page regarding COVID-19 cancellations, closures, and response resources. Text NOISE to 33222 for alerts to your phone.
Do you drink occasionally with friends or all the time to relax? Smoke weed for medical problems or to deal with stress? There’s a continuum where substance use of alcohol and other drugs can turn into abuse and eventually addiction. NOISE asked mental health practitioner Payton Hogan to offer some guidance to determine when your intake is normal use, abuse or addiction.
According to an article published in the American Journal for Public Health, there is increasing evidence that the internet and social media can influence suicide-related behavior for a number of reasons: increased accessibility to information on modes of completing suicide, the transition of in-person bullying to cyberbullying and cyber harassment. Mental health practitioner Payton Hogan offers some tips to develop healthy social media habits.
Do you have difficulty sleeping? Eat too much or too little? Have you lost interest in activities you usually enjoy? These are among the symptoms of depression that many people would not recognize. Licensed mental health therapist Payton Hogan explains for NOISE readers the clinical definition of depression and some different strategies -- both pharmaceutical and lifestyle -- for dealing with it.
The pandemic has led to increased rates of anxiety and depression among many American citizens, according to the CDC. Isolation from others, loss of income or housing and other emotional stressors have precipitated a mental health crisis. North Omaha therapist Payton Hogan offers information on how to find a therapist and some different types of therapy available.
Upon reflecting on 2020 and the major uprisings that happened here and across the country, we saw comments describe people protesting in the streets as “not Omaha.” Quite the contrary, Omaha has a deep history rooted in violence and racism, but also social responsibility and advocacy. This history though is often not shared or known and therefore becomes forgotten. As an information and news organization, we felt it was our duty to unearth this history and make it available to the masses, which led us to create the Omaha Civil Rights History Timeline.
President Joe Biden extended the federal eviction moratorium to the end of July, but it’s expected to be the last such extension— impacting many renters in Douglas County who have been financially knocked down by the pandemic. When the eviction ban comes to a close, landlords will have the authority to file eviction notices against tenants who are still behind on rent.
NOISE is working diligently to create a comprehensive list of community/government resources to assist in the recovery after the wind storm on July 9th, 2021. If you have resources to contribute please reach out to us on Twitter or Instagram @noiseomaha.
The word “pig” has become synonymous with “police” in some circles. Its use in reference to police is highly polarized with most police and their supporters calling the term derogatory and disrespectful. Until recently though, the term hasn’t had much local application in public.
This is a small archive of information about how Juneteenth has been interpreted since its establishment on June 19th, 1865. You’ll also find information about celebratory events within North Omaha this year, 2021, the year Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday with legislation passing through both the House and Senate.
David Rice and Ed Poindexter were found guilty for the bombing murder of Omaha police officer Larry Minard on April 17, 1971. Shortly after the guilty verdicts were announced, they were escorted from the courtroom and taken to the Nebraska State Penitentiary in two separate cars to begin their journey as “lifers.”
Depending on your point of view, Omaha may be the least or most likely spot for racial equity education to take hold. The city has its demons, some of which it’s been owning up to of late. The 1919 lynching of William Brown. Rampant red lining that created rigid geographic segregation. Disinvestment that atrophied the hub of Black Omaha after late ‘60s civil unrest. The North Freeway’s severing of that same community. Separate and unequal public schools whose classrooms were integrated by court-ordered busing.
Black and Pink, an advocacy group for LGBTQIA2S+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, Two Spirit, plus) peoples affected by the prison industrial complex, announced on April 9 the purchase of a North Omaha church for housing and community space for young adults. The announcement is a big step forward for the organization bringing their “Opportunity Campus” to life.
In 2015 the Greater Omaha Chamber in collaboration with the Urban League of Nebraska Young Professionals conducted a survey that revealed a need to create connectedness and oppurtunity for Black residents. In 2019 TheAfter along with LeFlore Creative were contracted by the Greater Omaha Chamber in partnership with I Be Black Girl, Urban League of Nebraska Young Proffessional, Young Black and Influential Omaha to create a website that serves as a resource for engagement in cultural experiences for Black people.
Governor Ricketts announced today that $200 million was granted to the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Nebraska residents, excluding those from Douglas and Lancaster counties, can now apply to the program. Emergency Rental Assistance for Douglas and Lancaster counties will be shared locally not through this program. Information will be released in early March about local assistance for residents of: Douglas County, Lancaster County, the city of Lincoln and the City of Omaha.
This supplemental reading for the NOISE exclusive “Records Show Omaha Police Surveilled BLM Organizers”, takes us back to a time when police surveillance didn’t involve social media.
In a Brennan Center analysis, Sahil Singhvi suggests that the policies surrounding police infiltration of protests might be due for an update. He points out the landmark 1976 report from the Church Committee, which investigated federal intelligence abuse like COINTELPRO and called for, “raising the threshold for intelligence collection by shifting the focus from association and advocacy to demonstrated dangerous conduct.”
Our NOISEmakers are working hard to pull together information about key bills for the Omaha community focusing on housing, transportation, gender and race/cultural identity freedoms and protections, COVID-19, and equity in education. While the legislature is in session, we’ll be updating this calendar as we know more. Check back daily to stay up to date.
On this day we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A man known around the world as a champion for civil rights and social equality. His legacy even extends to Omaha where he visited in 1958 for the National Sunday School and Baptist Training Union Congress. (Photo from Omaha World-Herald Archive) Yet on this day, as politicians and government offices post images and quotes of Dr. King, in the 1960s, the same entities wanted nothing to with King and actively conspired to undermine his social influence and the civil rights movement.
Dead storage was outlined in the report to be vehicles that have not moved over 48 hours and are parked on the street. In addition, cars parked in prohibited locations or blocking sidewalks are susceptible to being ticketed or towed. Per the report, targeted vehicles and car parts located on private property will also be targeted if their storage violates city code and will receive a ‘Notice of Nuisance’ requiring the violation be fixed within 10 days before further action is taken.
Sign up by Jan 22 for our first-ever virtual book club! Starting February 4th we’ll be reading “You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories about Racism” written by Omaha’s very own Lacey Lamar and Amber Ruffin. In a NOISE interview, Lamar spoke with Ashley Salem about how the two sisters interweave comedy and personal anecdotes into the book about growing up, living, and working Black in Omaha.
Image credit: The Bookworm, local Omaha bookstore
Well, it was the “new normal” we had become accustomed to since the pandemic of COVID-19. My son and I were off to the grocery store and just after loading ourselves into the car, we settled into our new routine of learning about Black history while out and about and not just at home. This miniseries would later adopt the name “Car-Chronicles.” When his friends spend time with us, we do Car-Chronicles with them as well. On one particular day, I taught my son about Mansa Musa. According to UrbanIntellectuals.com, a Black-owned company that provides positive Black history, culture, and news, Mansa Musa of the Mali empire (Where is this in present-day?), made a pilgrimage to Mecca, which was one of the most beautiful and ornate of its time. So remarkable that which included 60,000 people – 1,200 servants, 500 slaves, and 80 camels carrying more than two tons of gold to be gifted and shared with the poor.
NOISE has been republishing “Unleaded,” a joint investigation by the Missouri Independent and the Midwest Newsroom exploring the issue of high levels of lead in the children in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. This week NOISE is featuring a previously unpublished 2020 profile of Ronald Johnson, an Omaha victim of lead poisoning. If you would like to share your story of lead exposure or poisoning, contact NOISE.
In 1865, the Civil War was over and Nebraska was still a territory, two years from statehood. In Omaha, a handful of worshippers established the first Black Church in Nebraska in a private house near downtown. Leo Adam Biga brings NOISE readers the fourth installment in our series “The Black Church in Omaha,” profiling St. John African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, a pillar of the North Omaha community for 157 years.
Serial entrepreneur Candice Price is building a serious business portfolio in North Omaha with her innate sales savvy and service-minded ethos.
Price and business partner Ron Devers own Home Team Auto Sales, HT Towing & Repair and Sapphire Grill, a mobile catering trailer.
Leo Adam Biga continues NOISE's heritage series, "Black Churches of Omaha", to highlight not only the historical significance of church in our community but also the important roles these institutions have played for Black/African Americans during the American Civil Rights Movement. Our third installment of “Black Churches of Omaha” features Mount Nebo Missionary Baptist Church. Here, Pastor Terry Arvie is committed to restoring the sanctity of the church in our community, as he believe the Black church remains to be a vital gathering place.
The thread of that rich fabric traces back to early 20th century Harlem, New York. The Eures made their way to the northeast following a progression of freedom from Louisiana to the cotton, peanut and tobacco plantations of Virginia to the Carolinas to New York and New Jersey. The man who transplanted the family line to Omaha, Albert Eure Sr., was a dancer’s son. In the mid-1940s, he married budding actress and activist Dorothy Jane Watson whose father was a storyteller and sister a minister. The dye was cast.
Leo Adam Biga is exploring the role of Omaha’s Black Churches as historical fixtures in the community, including their importance during the American Civil Rights movement. Our second installment of “Black Churches of Omaha” features Zion Baptist Church. Zion has been a bedrock of faith and fervor in the Omaha Black community. Before and during the civil rights movement, Zion took a leadership role here in the struggle for equal rights. Even to this day it continues to be a place where people find sustenance and strength for their own self-determination.Use the link in our bio to read about this legendary North Omaha church.
Certified family life educator Kara Warner is on fire with the idea of living her own best life and helping others do the same. The owner of the family life education and coaching business Manifested Purpose LLC may be a new entrepreneur – she formally launched her business in 2020 – but she’s prepared herself for this work since the start of the new millennium.
Any mention of Omaha and the Boys of Summer is bound to stir up the name of native son Bob Gibson. The Baseball Hall of Famer, who died last fall at age 84, made such an indelible impact on the game that even in death he remains arguably the greatest gift the city’s given the sport. Close behind is the City of Omaha serving as host of the College World Series since 1950. For most of that span the CWS unfolded at Rosenblatt Stadium, demolished in 2012. Since 2011 the series has called TD Ameritrade Park home. The 2021 series runs there June 19–30.
Since the dawn of the new millennium Omaha native film-television actress Yolonda Ross has stamped herself a chameleon for playing sweet or sour, straight or gay, street or bougie. This veteran of episodic dramas (Law and Order, Treme, Chicago P.D.)
Tra-Deon Hollins and Tre’Shawn Thurman might as well be biological brothers for how closely bound they are by basketball. These local hoops stars trace a decade-plus journey together of courts, rims, backboards and sneakers. After being teammates in high school (Central) and college (UNO), and then with The NBA G League’s Grand Rapids Drive, they’re now trying to revive pro basketball in their hometown with Omaha’s Finest.
Onyx Street Boutique owner Sharnelle Shelton sells the legacy T-shirt “Audacious Women of Omaha” with the names of Black icons Cathy Hughes, Brenda Council, Gabrielle Union and Mildred D. Brown printed on it. “It’s a signature shirt I make. One of my most popular. It’s an attention-grabber and educational about women from Omaha,” said Shelton, who at the rate she’s going, may see her own name added to that list of bodacious ladies. Her Facebook profile says it all: Mother. Fashion Maven. Mogul.
Blacks who fled the South during the Great Migration formed churches in their new landing spots, including Omaha. Migrants seeking to make new lives in unfamiliar locales could count on welcome, community and support from the church, said Black studies historian Jade Rogers of Omaha. “People migrating north used those connections to maneuver through their new world and new life and new city and surroundings.”
our generations of Goodwins have aspired to affect positive change in northeast Omaha through their social capital investments. In their roles as entrepreneurs, activists and community leaders, they are well-positioned stakeholders and influencers who leverage their history and enterprise in the area.
The old adage goes there’s no substitute for experience. The same could be said for resilience. Budget to Success owner-founder Nicka Johnson, a North Omaha native, possesses an abundance of both.
The financial literacy and credit repair coach has learned to use challenges as catalysts for goal setting and achievement. Raised in a single-parent home with a cycle of teenage pregnancy, a biological father who chose not to be in her life and a brother lost to the streets, she’s moved forward rather than remain stuck.
It’s not often the messages of a performing artist and of a human services provider converge as neatly as they do with singer-songwriter Jocelyn and the Boys Town National Hotline. The artist and the 24/7 resource are aligning the positive affirmations they employ to partner on a self-love themed Kindness Tour for schools nationwide. The project is getting a boost from HOPE Squad, a schools-based peer-to-peer suicide prevention program.
When it comes to the Legacy of Black Families, the Metoyers have made a lasting impression as entrepreneurs, professionals, community activists, youth service providers and performers.
Making the most of second chances to overcome teenage pregnancy, homelessness and incarceration, Henderson’s become a community advocate and entrepreneur. Her Brilliant & Resilient affirmations line is the latest expression of her desire to lift up others.
Upon graduating Creighton University in 2012, Lindsey Stennis did what many young Omaha professionals do: she left for greener pastures. The trend’s especially true of Black millennials escaping the city’s glass ceilings and segregated spaces. But after earning a master’s in social work and a law degree at St. Louis University, then embarking on a legal career in the South, she found reason to return. Now she’s realizing a social entrepreneurial dream that brings full circle a life-changing event in her past.
Legislation passed last session in the Nebraska Unicameral creates a mechanism for supporting the formation of creative or cultural districts as economic development catalysts in communities statewide.
LB943 introduced last year by Omaha Sen. Megan Hunt mandates the Nebraska Arts Council (NAC) develop a plan to certify such districts. These cultural nodes would be distinguished by a distinct sense of place and history, along with amenities and activities, within certain defined boundaries.
Love, an adjunct professor in Black Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, first made his mark upon his return in 2006 by launching the North Omaha Voter Participation Project. The next year he inaugurated the Hungry Club community forum at Big Mama’s eatery. Within 10 years, he self-published his book, Economic Cataracts: A Chronicle of Efforts to Remove the Obstacles of Urban Community Engagement and Economic Inclusion.
The last known member of the Tuskegee Airmen from Nebraska, Robert Holts died on February 12th. He was 96 when he passed in an assisted living center in Bellevue. Holts was part of a group of World War II pilots and support personnel who not only served our country but broke color barriers in the 1940s.
A North Omaha renaissance is underway and bound up in it are people like Katrina Adams: committed to making a difference. The Omaha native describes herself as a “community advocate with a vision and a plan.” While most of her advocacy comes as a Community Investment program manager with the Omaha Community Foundation and founding board member for the House of Afros, Capes & Curls, she’s added a new point of entry via her nonprofit, POC Collaborative.
Omaha native Ashlei Spivey celebrates Blackness and combats anti-Blackness as a community-first social entrepreneur and philanthropic executive. Her advocacy around diversity, equity and inclusion furthers the legacy of her late mother, Lisa Spivey.
If inner city redevelopment is to meet the critical mass necessary for the community to thrive again, then stakeholders agree investments must come from public and private sources and from both within and outside the community. Among the many players investing in North Omaha is a name bearing much weight and history there and elsewhere: Buffett.
When the pandemic forced schools to close last spring and switch to remote education, many families got left behind and economic and technology disparities soon surfaced. As COVID-19 spikes and surges continue and districts alternate between remote and in-person schooling, some families lack the options or resources to support children’s learning at home. Do Space and MCC join forces to respond to need.
Breakout success for 23-year-old Da’Dreion Murrell, who plays piano and drums, may not be far away. Music from his debut EP I Am Life is sampled in the new feature film Foster Boy that dramatizes the ills of the foster care system. “I feel sharing my story could help a lot of people here. A lot of them can relate to things I’ve lived through. “ – Leo Adam Biga
For Black and Brown creatives, the options and outlets for fashion week are endless. We have always been innovative. We have always been creative. Now we are seen.
In this new NOISE feature profile, Leo Adam Biga takes the measure of multidimensional artist Felicia Webster. Her performances and projects promote investing in social change and learning to lean into our authentic selves. Her work is all about helping to cultivate our personal and collective capacities in the name of greater community and love.
Gabrielle Union speaks with Leo Adam Biga in this exclusive interview about her family’s support of healthcare for trans people, racial equity in Black Lives Matter-era, and what people in positions of privilege can do to advocate and advance equity for all.
The late Marshall Taylor devoted the last three decades of his life to making the independent Aframerican Bookstore a rich cultural resource in a transitional urban landscape. 83-year-old Taylor died on July 7. He’s survived by his wife, Annlattea “Annette” Green-Taylor. The couple has been a fixture at the 3226 Lake Street store whose impact extends far beyond the brick and mortar shop.
Community Response
NOISE does not endorse political candidates or policies. This page shares community voices and opinions, but does not reflect an editorial position on behalf of NOISE.
Do Space will distribute 945 free Chromebook computers, mobile hotspots and Internet access to Omahans who do not have access to a computer and Internet service at their home. Individuals who are 18 years or older can apply online to the Do Space Tech Pack program or in person at Do Space at 7205 Dodge St., where paper applications will be available. Hurry! The application period will close in June, 2022.
From Scott Blake: There have been four vacancies on City Council (Reynolds 1958, Friend 1994, Terry 1999, Anzaldo 2000) where the outgoing council member was still on the council, and none of the outgoing council members voted for their replacement and did not participate in the vacancy process. But, Rich Pahls did when he resigned. NOISE is publishing Blake’s letter to the 2022 Charter Convention about why this was allowed.
On June 18 the Poor People’s Campaign is holding the “Mass Poor People’s & Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls.” Organizer Angela Montalvo shares details on how to join the march and some statistics on poverty in Nebraska.
Sen. Megan Hunt writes: On May 2, in a truly unprecedented event, a draft decision on the Dobbs v. Jackson U.S. Supreme Court case was leaked to the public. If that opinion becomes final, it will strike down Roe v. Wade and set back fundamental rights in this country by half a century. It’s important to note this is not yet an official ruling—but in Nebraska, we should prepare for the worst.
HURRY UP! If you want to participate in the Omaha city charter convention, a public hearing will take place on Apr. 5 and a vote by the city council will take place on Apr. 12 to start the convention by May 16, 2022. The last conventions were in 2003 and 2013 so the next convention was expected to be in 2023. Why the rush? We don’t know. NOISE is republishing a blog from One Omaha so citizens know how to get involved on short notice and some tips on testifying before city council this Tues. Apr. 5.
The strong mayor system is why Omaha's mayor can make major decisions, such as tearing down a library to offer the land to a Fortune 500 company to build a new headquarters, without first consulting the city council.
The "strong mayor/ weak council" is a system in which the mayor has considerable authority over the day-to-day operations of the city government, much like the CEO of a business. By comparison, the city council operates more like a company's board of directors.
How did we get a strong mayor and weak council? More importantly, can it be changed? In a community response piece, Pete Fey weighs in on the history of the Omaha City Charter Convention with an eye on 2023 when the next convention will take place.
“Two years ago, very few Nebraskans — and hardly any Americans — had even heard of critical race theory (CRT), which lived in rarified academic circles,” writes former executive editor of the Omaha World Herald, Randy Essex, a native Nebraskan from rural Beatrice. Essex explains what CRT is, what it is not, and offers some examples to illustrate why Nebraskans should have no fear in learning about how America’s history of racial injustice shapes the present.
UNO Chancellor Joanne Li celebrates the steps UNO has taken to ensure that “every Maverick has a seat at the table.” She traces this commitment back to 1969 when 54 Black students were arrested for protesting their voicelessness on campus. Li pays tribute to some of the many alumni who have chosen to give back to the community. She writes, “The challenge we face today as Nebraskans and as a nation is that not enough people have the opportunity to grow as individuals and apply their talents to their community.”
Sarah Johnson, former city council candidate in District 1, has been a fixture at weekly council meetings. After the vote to demolish the W. Dale Clark library and give the land to Mutual of Omaha to build a corporate headquarters, she has decided that she’s can’t take it anymore. Johnson writes, “You won’t find me wasting my energy with “public engagement” at city hall any longer.
A library cardholder since before she learned to write, NOISEmaker Michaela Wolf laments the loss of the library overlooking the Gene Leahy Mall. Wolf questions why such decisions are made behind closed doors in our final community response piece about the demolition of the central library.
“It does not take a library lover to see the message implicit in the decision to anchor the new Gene Leahy Mall with a corporate headquarters instead of a library,” writes Pete Fey, a former employee at the W. Dale Clark library. “Business rules Omaha. Whatever we can do collectively, for the good of all, runs a distant second to the private accomplishments of the few.” If you want to weigh in on the city’s decision to demolish the downtown library, use NOISE’s “contact us” form to send us a letter.
“Black people do exist in Omaha, but you wouldn’t know it from the conversations about its future,” writes Ja Keen Fox in an editorial about the recent decision to tear down the W. Dale Clark library to make way for a new headquarters for Mutual of Omaha— replacing public space with private property. Fox noticed that a recent Omaha World Herald article soliciting opinions about the fate of the library and construction of a streetcar contained 15 opinions about the decision: none of them from Black Omahans. “We remain ignored,” he writes.
Moving "thousands of books, photographs, maps, etc. to different locations will take time to plan, orchestrate, and do right. It’s not a trivial task," writes Edwin C. Schroeder, a retired librarian and director of rare books at Yale University who shares his perspective on the new library plan in a NOISE opinion piece.
The legislative session is currently underway and there have been multiple bills introduced to strip Nebraskans’ rights and access to quality health care including abortions. One of the bans introduced (LB 781) would eliminate abortion access at approximately six weeks, before most people even know they’re pregnant, and the other (LB 933) would ban abortions altogether if the U.S. Supreme Court reverses Roe v. Wade at the end of this term.
Academy Award winning director Alexander Payne often portrays Omaha, his hometown on screen. But, with a significant lack of people of color, do his films accurately represent the diverse city that Omaha is today? Or do they portray only Payne's personal remembrance of Omaha, which seems to be firmly rooted in the past.
Guest columnist Abbey Kegley, who studied film at UNL, shares her opinion of whether Payne's films represent the city that she also calls home. Kegley breakdown of the presence of people of color in Payne's Omaha, as part of the latest article featured on our community response page.
“Nebraska’s health education has suffered a considerable loss,” says Amarah Wright, a Black Trans woman and advocate for the elevation of Black, and queer communities in Omaha. Amarah penned the most recent opinion piece for NOISE’s community response page after feeling that deep harm could be done to Nebraska’s LGBTQIA+ youth, especially those youth of color because of the recent changes to Nebraska’s health education guidelines. Amarah writes, “We need to understand why our marginalized youth need us. The young people of Nebraska who lack the support, guidance, and acceptance from their communities may also lack the ability to conceptualize a truth that aligns with who they are. The misunderstanding of those like Gov. Pete Ricketts and others does not make them an imaginary social construct. Instead, it puts them at a disadvantage.”
It is impossible to discuss the North Freeway without talking about the realities of historic race relations in Omaha. In the early 20th century, the Great Migration of Black Americans from the rural South to industrialized northern cities was in full swing. By 1920, Omaha had over 10,000 Black residents, yet the racist underpinnings of the city bled through resulting in horrific events such as the lynching of Will Brown and existing infrastructure that still scars our city today, tells Garrett Høie in Community Response article written for NOISE.
This community opinion piece is more than a critique, Garrett Høie breakdown new ways to envision the divisive freeway that cuts through North Omaha and provides examples of other U.S. cities where similar highways have been successfully removed and or reimagined.
Governor Pete Ricketts announced an end to the $300 per week pandemic unemployment benefits that had been coming from the federal government to Nebraska.
The use of seemingly insidious but profound racial tropes in the U.S. polity is as old as colonization, Indigenous genocide, and African chattel slavery. It’s ensconced in the DNA of this nation and operates in both perpetuity and impunity. The overarching ethos of this praxis is simple and elementary - inciting fear in white people to vote against any candidate, and especially Black candidates, who espouse any semblance of racial and social justice.
From the Biden Administration to the City of Omaha, so-called representatives are insisting on
returning to normal despite scientists’ recommendations. As tenant organizers, we are
unsurprised by this push to re-open. When it comes to evictions, elected officials at all levels of
government in Omaha have been pretending that we were back to normal since last May when
Governor Ricketts’ bare-bones executive order postponing evictions ended. Evictions never
stopped in Douglas County. Eviction court remained open, even when all other courts closed
this past winter due to high numbers of COVID-19 cases. Apparently it was too dangerous to
hold jury trials, but not too dangerous to cram renters into Courtroom 20 as landlords and their
lawyers argued in favor of kicking people out of their homes during a pandemic.
Cathy Park Hong’s book, “Minor Feelings” is reviewed by NOISEmaker Anuska Dhar for our latest NOISE editorial book review. Hong writes, “I internalized their [Hong’s classmates] condescensions, mocked other ethnic poetry as too ethnicky. It was made clear to me that the subject of Asian identity itself was insufficient and inadequate unless it was paired with a meatier subject, like capitalism.” (16-17) Like Hong, I had subconsciously internalized the publishing industry’s catch-22: the only way to be successful as an Asian American writer is to leverage your own identity, but write about your identity too much and you are doomed to never be known as a “Writer” before being known as Asian American, as though Asian-ness is a shtick that one can take off at the end of a long work day. As though true enlightenment is devoid of the sticky reality of being Asian American.
Omaha’s Forgotten Panthers
A series by Kietryn Zychal
David Rice and Ed Poindexter were found guilty for the bombing murder of Omaha police officer Larry Minard on April 17, 1971. Shortly after the guilty verdicts were announced, they were escorted from the courtroom and taken to the Nebraska State Penitentiary in two separate cars to begin their journey as “lifers.”
David Rice (Mondo) and Edward Poindexter were charged and convicted of the murder of Omaha Police Officer Larry Minard. He died after a suitcase bomb containing dynamite exploded in a North Omaha house on August 17, 1970. How did it all unravel? In this second installment of our three-part series, Omaha’s Forgotten Panthers, Kietryn Zychal writes about the investigation and the trial.
Ed Poindexter and Mondo (David Rice) were found guilty in 1971 of booby-trapping a suitcase bomb to kill an Omaha police officer. Kietryn Zychal writes about how illegally obtained evidence was presented in court against the former Omaha Panthers.
The first installment of our three-part series detailing the events of a deadly bombing and controversial convictions giving life sentences to two Omaha Black Panthers in the 1970s. One of the men passed away in prison in 2016, and the other is currently fighting for parole amid the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Black Legacy Families
A series by Leo Adam Biga
The thread of that rich fabric traces back to early 20th century Harlem, New York. The Eures made their way to the northeast following a progression of freedom from Louisiana to the cotton, peanut and tobacco plantations of Virginia to the Carolinas to New York and New Jersey. The man who transplanted the family line to Omaha, Albert Eure Sr., was a dancer’s son. In the mid-1940s, he married budding actress and activist Dorothy Jane Watson whose father was a storyteller and sister a minister. The dye was cast.
our generations of Goodwins have aspired to affect positive change in northeast Omaha through their social capital investments. In their roles as entrepreneurs, activists and community leaders, they are well-positioned stakeholders and influencers who leverage their history and enterprise in the area.
When it comes to the Legacy of Black Families, the Metoyers have made a lasting impression as entrepreneurs, professionals, community activists, youth service providers and performers.
Black Women Business Owners
A series by Leo Adam Biga
Serial entrepreneur Candice Price is building a serious business portfolio in North Omaha with her innate sales savvy and service-minded ethos.
Price and business partner Ron Devers own Home Team Auto Sales, HT Towing & Repair and Sapphire Grill, a mobile catering trailer.
Certified family life educator Kara Warner is on fire with the idea of living her own best life and helping others do the same. The owner of the family life education and coaching business Manifested Purpose LLC may be a new entrepreneur – she formally launched her business in 2020 – but she’s prepared herself for this work since the start of the new millennium.
Onyx Street Boutique owner Sharnelle Shelton sells the legacy T-shirt “Audacious Women of Omaha” with the names of Black icons Cathy Hughes, Brenda Council, Gabrielle Union and Mildred D. Brown printed on it. “It’s a signature shirt I make. One of my most popular. It’s an attention-grabber and educational about women from Omaha,” said Shelton, who at the rate she’s going, may see her own name added to that list of bodacious ladies. Her Facebook profile says it all: Mother. Fashion Maven. Mogul.
The old adage goes there’s no substitute for experience. The same could be said for resilience. Budget to Success owner-founder Nicka Johnson, a North Omaha native, possesses an abundance of both.
The financial literacy and credit repair coach has learned to use challenges as catalysts for goal setting and achievement. Raised in a single-parent home with a cycle of teenage pregnancy, a biological father who chose not to be in her life and a brother lost to the streets, she’s moved forward rather than remain stuck.
Making the most of second chances to overcome teenage pregnancy, homelessness and incarceration, Henderson’s become a community advocate and entrepreneur. Her Brilliant & Resilient affirmations line is the latest expression of her desire to lift up others.
From KETV and Flatwater Free Press: Over the past 30 months, the number one buyer of single-family homes in Douglas County has been Ohio-based Vinebrook Homes. The majority of the company’s purchases are in North Omaha. It is now one of the largest landlords in the city, according to Omaha’s rental registration. Join Flatwater Free Press and elected officials on May 26 at the Fabric Lab, 2514 N. 24th St. from 6 - 8 p.m. for a town hall discussion: North Omaha’s residential reckoning— gentrification, displacement and affordable housing.