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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. 1 Omaha, Nebraska
Friday, January 8, 2021
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Publisher’s Pen
Family of the Week:
By Terri D. Sanders
The Arvie Family
Back row (left to right): Chavez Morris, Taylor Arvie, Terry Arvie II, Abigail Arvie, Ra’Daniel Arvie, Jennifer Matthews, Parnell Matthews II Front Row (left to right); Pastor Terry L. Arvie, Parnell Matthews III, Mrs. Pamela D. Arvie By Ilana Lewis When Terry and Pamela Arvie married on March 7, 1992, their lives forever changed. “We’ve known each other for all of our lives, God saw fit to bring us together and share our lives, One that we’ve never looked back from” Pamela said. Twenty-eight wonderful years later, the Arvies’ are the First Family of Mount Nebo Missionary Baptist Church (M.N.M.B.C.) and have six children, Krysten, Jennifer, Taylor, Terry ll, Ra’Daniel, and Abigail. They also have two grandchildren, Amayah Whittington, and Parnell Matthews lll (Trip). The Arvies moved to Omaha, NE, in May of 2005 when Terry was called to pastor at M.N.M.B.C. On June 5, 2005, he was officially named Pastor. Since taking over, Pastor Arvie was elected President of the Baptist Pastors and Ministers Conference of Omaha and Vicinity, Incorporated. He is a board member at large of the National Baptist Convention USA, INC and serves as First Vice President of The New Era Baptist State Convention of Nebraska, Incorporated. Pastor Arvie has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from McNeese State. Pamela Arvie has taught elementary school for 21 years. She began her career teaching in Lake Charles Louisiana. She has a bachelor’s degree in education from McNeese State and a master’s in mathematics from the University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL). Pamela is also the First Lady and Women’s Ministry Leader at M.N.M.B.C. Krysten,34, (not pictured) is a deputy probation officer and the CEO of Queen Hair Care & Co, Inc. She is
also the proud mother of daughter Amayah Whittington. Amayah, 15, hopes to attend UCLA and subsequently UCLA law to become an attorney. Jennifer,28, is a holistic wellness consultant. She married Parnell Matthews in October of 2020. They are the parents of Parnell Matthews III., 3 years old, who enjoys playing the drums. Taylor, 24, teaches 5th and 6th-grade chorus as well as 7th and 8th-grade general music at Buffett Magnet Middle School. She is also the choir director at M.N.M.B.C. Terry II, 22, is a senior accounting major at UNL. He is currently interning with Lutz Financial. Terry is also President of the WEB DuBois Honors Society and the National Association of Black Accountants at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. Ra’Daniel, 20, is a Junior Human Resource Management major at UNL. He is also a UNL OASIS (Office of Academic Success and Intercultural Services) mentor and praise and worship leader at M.N.M.B.C. Abigail, 11, the couple’s youngest is a 5th grader at Buffett and wants to be a singer or basketball player when she grows up. The Arvie family enjoys worshiping together. “Worship and church have always been a large part of our lives” described Pamela. The family also likes to play games, watch movies, laugh, and have fun. The Arvies live by Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart…”. This year they are looking forward to the union of daughter Taylor and Chavez Morris, and the release of the first EP for their family gospel group The ARVIES.
Omaha Public Schools Elects Board President And New Board Members Welcomed
In a unanimous vote Monday evening, Jan. 4, the OPS Board of Education elected Dr. Shavonna Holman as the next President of the Board of Education. Holman, who joined the Board in 2017, will serve a one-year term in the role. Well-versed in the dayto-day needs of teachers, students and families, Dr. Shavonna Holman Holman spent more than 10 years in the public education sector serving both as an elementary school teacher and elementary principal. She currently leads the Master’s in Educational Administration Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She has worked as an assistant professor of Educational Administration at the University
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of Nebraska-Lincoln since 2013. Her outreach work includes involvement with Cognia, collaborative research efforts with the Nebraska Department of Education Title I Office and Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools. In addition to electing a new Board President, the school district welcomed three new board members, Jane Erdenberger, Nick Thielen and Spencer Head. Erdenberger, who was elected Board Vice President, has spent more than 18 years teaching high school social studies while raising two daughters who are both Omaha Central High School graduates. Thielen is an attorney and the father of an OPS kindergartner. He has volunteered for several organizations that promote childhood well-being and has served on the Foster Care Review Board. Head has served as a policy advisor for the Speaker of the Nebraska State Legislature. He has also served as a community outreach liaison to the education and medical communities.
Next Issue
January 22, 2021
Information is due January 15, 2021 publisher@omahastarinc.com
HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2020 is in the rearview mirror of our lives and the fresh highway is 2021is before us. Let’s RIDE… In a couple of weeks #46 will be inaugurated and again history will be made. VP Elect Kamala Harris will coDavid Turnbo Photography lead our country. Now that is Black Magic…But there is nothing magic about an educated, experienced, and seasoned woman leading. Don’t get it twisted, she has what it takes. This month we are looking at Economic Development which in my mind means in our community BUY Black. I am a serial entrepreneur so I understand the concept of supply and demand. The pandemic has given many the opportunity to become entrepreneurs and Black women are leading the charge. “It’s no exaggeration to say that the pandemic has decimated small businesses and early-stage ventures, especially those owned by women and people of color. Black women sit at this juncture, bearing a disproportionate share of the virus’ impact. For years, Black women have created new businesses at a rapid clip, far outpacing other racial and ethnic groups. But strong financial headwinds from the pandemic and a lack of access to new funding sources threaten to wipe out decades of economic progress, leaving Black female business owners in a state of perpetual uncertainty, waiting for relief they fear will never come.” (Forbes, October 26, 2020). “Black women represent 42% of new women-owned businesses—three times their share of the female population—and 36% of all Black-owned employer businesses.” While these examples are on a national scale, what about Omaha? Recently I watched A Street of Dreams, (1994) on NETV by Camille Steed, a local filmmaker. This documentary is about the rise and fall of the business community in “the near Northside”. Economic development is not a new concept in our community, but it does not have the momentum that it once had. In the documentary I saw many familiar faces, scenarios that I remembered from my childhood, and visuals of days gone by. I fondly say that our lives are not like that of the fictional character Benjamin Buttons, we cannot go back in time. Our landscape changed with the introduction of the interstate highway system, but I maintain that we MUST go forward. Brick and mortar business are having a tough time. Internet sales are overshadowing face to face sales. SO WHAT???? Do not get caught in the digital divide, change with the times and let’s flourish. What about an internet hub space in our community, where businesses can come and get assistance with their web-based businesses, from development professionals. We cannot be stuck. We must be on the move if we are going to survive. This is the future. Internet cafes. I challenge building owners to convert the “old” spaces into spaces that are technology hubs and encourage businesses to meet the challenge. That is development, economic development. Can we establish mini hubs in barber shops? What about at a local restaurant? A restaurant that has been downsized because of the pandemic can be an internet hub serving coffee and adult beverages/drinks—a place to meet, network and do business. Come on Omaha… We no longer use rotary phones and everyone has a mini computer in their pocket and we are continuously scrolling. Let’s scroll for dollars in businesses that meet the needs of our communities. Our lives are ever changing and since you are still here, make a difference!
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