75 CENTS
Omaha Star
The
LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS SELECTED AS GIRLS INC. NATIONAL SCHOLARS
Proudly Serving Our Community for Over 80 Years
Dedicated to the Service of the People that NO Good Cause Shall Lack a Champion and that Evil Shall Not Go Unopposed
Nebraska’s Only Black Owned Newspaper Vol. 85 - No. 12 Omaha, Nebraska
Friday, March 24, 2023
75 cents
Publisher’s Pen Terri D. Sanders
COVID…when I started in this position, COVID was breaking out all over the world. Since February 2020, things have calmed down some, but we should remain on the defense against this virus. As a member of National Newspaper Publisher
Association (NNPA) and a representative of Region 4 publishers, I attended Black Press Week in Washington D.C. Being in an environment with my fellow Black publishers was very exhilarating. Making connections was awesome. While visiting the White House Press room we heard words from Shalanda Delores Young, who is the current director of the Office of Management and Budget. The Black Press has a pipeline into this administration that is willing to freely share information. The Out and About section has some of the pictures of our engagements.
This meeting of the members of the Black Press reinforced the importance of The Black Press and the role that we play in every community. Our influence is felt far and wide. We exchanged ideas and shared insights. The Omaha Star is one of the oldest members of the Black Press (established 7/9/1938). I am dedicated to doing more for and within my community. Excellence is the goal! One area that we want to do more work in is with our youth. Be on watch for opportunities and events that will include the youth of our city. ★
From L to R: Amarah Riley, Aaliyah Farmer, and Serena Zezulak. Three Girls Inc. of Omaha members, Aaliyah Farmer, Serena Zezulak, and Amarah Riley, have been chosen as 2023 Girls Inc. National Scholars. Farmer and Zezulak were both awarded $20,000 and Riley was awarded $5,000. The three girls, all members of the Girls Inc. 5-year Eureka! STEM program, received scholarships from the national Lucile Miller Wright scholarship fund. The girls were selected for outstanding academic achievements, community service work, and dedication to the Girls Inc. mission of inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. Farmer, Zezulak, and Riley are 3 of 35 Girls Inc. National High School Scholars selected in 2023 from across the United States and Canada.
Access to the Girls Inc. national scholarships helps make their plans for the future attainable. Turning dreams into reality.”
“Girls Inc. staff and friends always made sure I felt like I belonged, and built me to become the leader and outspoken Black girl I am now,” reflected scholarship recipient Riley, a student at Northwest High School. “Thanks to Eureka!, I now have experience within my future career field and life experiences that many girls in the world don’t have.”
ABOUT GIRLS INC. OF OMAHA
“Girls Inc. has pushed me out of my comfort zone to explore new subjects and meet new people, strengthening my selfconfidence and encouraging me to challenge myself. My participation in Girls Inc.’s Eureka! program for the last five years inspired me to continue my STEM education,” noted Brownell Talbot student Zezulak, “and encouraged me to continue my pursuit of a career in science.” A student of Omaha North High School, Farmer stated, “Girls Inc. has been an essential part of my life and has helped me grow into the young leader that I am now. Receiving this scholarship will help me get even closer to achieving my dream of becoming a doctor and to help impact the world in positive manner.” “I am very proud of Aaliyah, Amarah, and Serena for being awarded these prestigious, competitive national scholarships,” stated Morgan Keegan, Eureka! Manager at Girls Inc. “They are all three outstanding members of our five-year Eureka! STEM program which has really encouraged them to think seriously and ambitiously about their respective futures.
Person of the Week Leslie Smith Leslie Smith, a seasoned professional who previously worked in Memphis, has been appointed as the new Executive Director of the Omaha Municipal Land Bank. Smith brings with her extensive experience in leading the Blight Authority Memphis Inc., a nonprofit organization that served the city of Memphis, which now plays a major role in the fight against blight. Under her leadership, Smith spearheaded the first Land Deposit program in Tennessee, offering incentives to affordable housing developers to
reduce blight and promote the reuse of spaces for green initiatives. The Omaha Land Bank, the only organization of its kind in Nebraska, plays a crucial role in transforming distressed properties into community assets by acquiring vacant, abandoned or run-down properties and transforming them into positive neighborhood assets. As a leading partner in neighborhood revitalization efforts, the Land Bank is committed to promoting economic growth and neighborhood stabilization in the Omaha community. ★
Instead of being ashamed of what you have been through, be PROUD of what you have overcome.
ABOUT THE GIRLS INC. LUCILE MILLER WRIGHT SCHOLARSHIP
The Girls Inc. Lucile Miller Wright Scholarship program was created in 1992, when the female pilot and long-time supporter gave a bequest for scholarships for young women. Over $7 million in Girls Inc. scholarships have made postsecondary education more accessible to high school women and has inspired them to succeed in school and consider a broad range of career possibilities.
Girls Inc. provides educational, cultural, and recreational opportunities for girls ages 5 to 18 at Girls Incorporated of Omaha, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to inspiring all girls to be “Strong, Smart and Bold.” Girls Inc. opened its first center in 1975, and currently operates two locations in north and south Omaha. Serving over 1,000 girls through its centers and outreach programs, Girls Inc. provides transportation from more than 50 schools in the Omaha area. Girls Inc.’s programs cultivate learning and skill development in the areas of academic support and enrichment; career and life planning; self-reliance and life skills; health and wellness; leadership and community action; and culture and heritage. Curriculum and activities are chosen to be intrinsically appealing to girls and to engender interest and enthusiasm. Athletic and enrichment activities are carefully chosen to complement academic offerings as well as to develop physical health and fitness and to promote teamwork. In 2016, Girls Inc. collaborated with Nebraska Medicine to open an on-site health clinic, striving to improve the health outcomes of Girls Inc. girls, and reduce barriers to preventative care. For more information about Girls Inc. scholarships or programs, contact Girls Inc. Director of Programs, Amber Lewis alewis@girlsincomaha.org. ★
Tuskegee Airman Chapter, Omaha Seeking Members The Tuskegee Airman, Omaha Chapter is seeking members. All of the Nebraska Tuskegee Airmen are deceased, but the chapter is viable with a mission of engaging young people. You do not have to be a military to be a part of this organization. The organization was formed to encourage young people in the field of aviation. If you are interested, please contact Bob Rose 402-292-8912 for more information. ★
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