75 CENTS
Omaha Star
The
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. 83 - No. 6 Omaha, Nebraska
Friday, March 19, 2021
75 cents
Family of the Week:
Archives of The Omaha Star
From time to time we will feature a family from our digital archives. Some you may know and some you will be introduced to. Enjoy our look back…
2021 Native Omaha Days Festival The Native Omaha Days Organizing Committee is diligently working on activities for this year’s Native Omaha Days Festival. The event will take place on Monday, July 26 thru Monday, August 2, 2021. The Committee fully supports all measures to protect the health and welfare of our community and beyond. We will closely monitor the situation with COVID-19 and make decisions based on the guidelines and recommendations from the Douglas County Health Director and other health professionals. Please visit the Native Omaha Days Festival website for ongoing updates: www. nativeomahadays.org
Three “Legacy Leaders” Recognized By Bacon On House Floor For Black History Month
Graves Family above Skinner Family to the right
Next Steps for Love’s Include Youth Programs The North 24th Street Business Improvement District (BID) and Association have chosen jazz musician, Dana Murray to provide music programming and education to the North Omaha community at the former Love’s Jazz building at 24th and Lake Street. Dana Murray, a native of South Omaha, studied music performance at Berklee College of Music in Boston. As a professional percussionist, Mr. Murray has shared the stage with musicians who span the musical spectrum including Omaha’s own Preston Love, Wynton Marsalis, Norah Jones and Aloe Blacc. In 2005, Dana returned to Omaha to raise his son and to teach as a music instructor at Omaha Burke, Bellevue East and at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Dana recorded and released his debut album Negro Manifesto in 2018. He currently produces music from his home where his professional studio is housed. “It is an honor and privilege to be given such an opportunity. Youth development through music has been my greatest passion in life. The once vibrant, beacon for music, art and culture can shine once again on North 24th Street. This will not belong to me... This belongs to the community. Let’s get it!” says, Dana Murray. While the goal is to reopen the former Love’s Jazz building and provide music education and performances for the community, there are still several steps involved prior to reopening. The North 24th Street Business Improvement District will serve as the master lessee of the three bays and is currently defining the terms of the lease with the City of Omaha. “Now that we have determined who will run programming, our next step is remodeling the space. Our timeline for reopening will consider renovations and how the coronavirus plays out.” says LaVonya Goodwin, Board President of
On February 20 in a ceremony at Compassion in Action, Inc. 2001 North 35th Street, Rep. Don Bacon (NE-02) presented Ella Willis, Teela Mickles and Bettie McDonald with copies of the Floor Speech he delivered to Congress on February 4. The remarks, recognizing them for their contributions to Omaha as part of Black History Month, are made a permanent part of the Congressional Record. Willis is the head of Neighborhood Action and Fact Association and she has been working diligently in the Omaha community for decades. Mickles is the founder of Compassion in Action; a faith based, non-profit organization that serves individuals confined in the state correctional facilities and families affected by incarceration. McDonald is the
co-founder of Native Omaha Days; a weeklong home-coming event that celebrates the community’s historical and cultural legacies. Rep. Bacon sought input from the community for this recognition through a committee that consisted of Terry Sanders, publisher and president on the Omaha Star; Thomas Warren, executive director of the Urban League NE; and Marcus Bell, president of 100 Black Men Omaha. “We can never thank these three incredible women for the impact they have made in the community, but they will forever be remembered in the history of our nation because of their inclusion in the Congressional record,” said Bacon. “I also want to thank the committee for their work in helping us identify and select the honorees this year.”
Dana Murray the BID. “We also want the community to know that this space is under new organizational management and is not in collaboration with the former Love’s Jazz board.” says Goodwin. The City of Omaha terminated its lease agreement with the Love’s Jazz and Arts Center board of directors in October 2020 after a series of lease violations. The BID plans to ensure that the music history of North 24th Street and Preston Love’s role in that history remains a part of the programming. There has been no decision regarding a name change on the building, and the BID plans to support Dana Murray’s programming from an advisory role with the goal of the program running as its own nonprofit in the near future. Pastor Ralph Lassiter, BID Board Member and President of the BID Association stated, “Our decision was not easy; however, I am confident that we are moving closer to our vision of North 24th Street becoming a premier destination that is family-friendly, rich in history, culture, heritage and a base for economic development. I encourage the community to support Mr. Murray as he strives to have a positive impact on our
Next Issue: April 2, 2021
Information due: March 26, 2021
Love’s continued on page 5
Publisher’s Pen By Terri D. Sanders
I don’t know about YOU but now there is HOPE for small gatherings, travel, and hugging famDavid Turnbo Photography your ily due to the massive roll out of vaccines for COVID19. That does not mean that you can stop wearing masks, washing your hands and maintaining social distance, because COVID-19 is NOT over. We are rounding the corner to the end of Women’s History month. I advocate that we celebrate Women as well as Black History every day. Let that sit right there… This paper states: “Dedicated to the Service of the People that NO Good Cause Shall Lack a Champion and that Evil Shall Not Go Unopposed.” Exactly what did Mildred D. Brown mean by this statement as the manifesto of the Omaha Star? “No Good Cause Shall Lack a Champion”
Native Omaha Days July 26, 2021
August 2, 2021 CDC guidelines will be observed for this celebration. Mark your calendar.
means the GOOD news, we are champions of the GOOD news, no matter the size of the act. “Evil Shall Not Go Unopposed” means that injustice shall not reign. In this day and time, the “politics” of our nation, our state, our city, and our institutions are in peril. In my opinion the wheels seem to be in reverse. The forward movements that have been made looks like the reverse moonwalk. Do not let it happen. I was recently in a meeting and it was pointed out how in the past what progress had been made. We seem to think that we need to recreate the wheel and rework the work. How about studying history and see what changes were made for the better and reinstitute THAT. Updates are great and necessary, but the core is the same. You do not know where you are going unless you know where you have been… Our local elections are on the horizon. We have the right, so VOTE. Study the issues and be informed. April 6, 2021, and May 11, 2021, are the dates for voting in person. Mail in ballots are an option. Whatever you do, VOTE. You have no room to complain if you are not part of the process, VOTE. Be safe…
VOTE:
April 6, 2021 and May 11, 2021