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. 81 - No. 15 Omaha, Nebraska
Friday, July 26, 2019
75 cents
New Project Explores History of Housing Discrimination in Omaha
Who Is on The List?
By Patrick Mainelli
By Tanya Cooper
Beginning in 1936, the neighborhoods of Omaha’s Near North and South sides were systematically segregated from the rest of the city by means of prohibitive and discriminatory home lending practices. In Omaha, and cities across the country, red lines were literally drawn on city maps by the federally-funded Home Owners’ Loan Corporation, identifying predominantly African-American and immigrant communities as “hazardous” and unfit for investment. This summer, The Union for Contemporary Art is hosting Undesign the Redline, an interactive exhibit, workshop series, and curriculum exploring the foundations of structural racism and the lingering effects of Redlining in Omaha. The program will be facilitated by the New York-based organization, designing the WE, who’ve already brought their illuminating work to over a dozen Redlined cities throughout the country. The Union will serve as the gathering site for neighbors to share personal histories and collectively explore the ways in which Redlining and other formalized patterns of discrimination persist today, and how they might be overcome and redesigned. The project is guided by a Community Advisory Board made up of local leaders and advocates who will help shape the development and facilitation of public programs created to inspire conversations about race and long-standing inequities in Omaha. Systemic challenges today, like inequalities in housing, education, income, criminal justice and health are far from separate issues. These challenges are rooted in a deep and entangled history of policies, practices, and processes that remain unrevealed and misunderstood. As new forces begin to transform cities and towns, decisions about interconnected challenges are Undesign the Redline invites participants to explore therefore often made ‘in the dark.’ the history and lingering consequence of housing Undesign the Redline explores discrimination in Omaha. these reframed opportunities from a shared value perspective, and grounds discussions about race, wealth, opportunity, and power in an honest context that is not about guilt and blame. This allows everyone to contribute their value to the design and development of projects, partnerships, and decisions that seek to transform communities and move beyond the challenging and often clouded situation of our entangled past. The signature piece of the Undesign the Redline project is a traveling exhibit which invites participants to learn the history of Redlining and explore the testimonies of those who’ve personally felt its impact. At The Union, community members are invited to come and linger in the exhibit space and learn how Redlining fits into a history of devaluing and disenfranchisement. Individually and collectively, participants can then play an active role in inventing the policies, practices, and entities that could undesign this legacy.
Monday morning Ben Carson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, came to Omaha and met with North Omaha Community “stake holders” in the conference room at the Highlander apartments, 3003 Patrick Ave. This invitation only meeting was about the Opportunity Zone and federal funding that will be attached to it. Most North Omaha community leaders including The Omaha Star Newspaper, Neighborhood Associations and Alliances, and Network for Holistic Recovery among others were turned away at the door and told “You are not on the list!” Rumors of the meeting began to circulate on Saturday. Upon arrival we were first told there was room for people not on the list, then we were asked our names. A few moments later we were told by HUD Field Director, Earl Redrick, that we had to be cleared by security to attend and they could not clear us on such short notice. Had North Omaha Community leaders and the Black Press been invited, it would have taken the same amount of time to get security clearance for people inside of the community, as it did for those outside of the community! It seems every time major federal funding comes through North Omaha the Black Community is never invited, or cleared by security to dine at its own table. We cannot continue to be in a parent/child relationship with “gentrifiers.”
The definition of An Opportunity Zone, according to the IRS, is: an economicallydistressed community where new investments, under certain conditions, may be eligible for preferential tax treatment. My questions for the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development are: How do you come into a community considered to be an Opportunity Zone to give opportunities to people who don’t even live in that community? Who is Ben Carson giving Opportunities to in the Opportunity Zone? The people who do live, work, go to school, raise families, have small businesses and comprise most of the volunteer neighborhood leadership never knew you were in town; and those of us who did know and showed up were told we weren’t on “the list.” On July 21, Carson admitted that Black Americans are struggling in Trump’s economy. As the Housing Secretary he also acknowledged that Black home ownership is at an all-time recorded low. See https:// thinkprogress.org/ben-carsonadmits-that-black-americans-arestruggling-in-trumps-economy62eb96c8eb5b/ If everyone, including Carson, agrees that wealth is in home ownership and Black home ownership is at an all-time record low, why is the government giving opportunities to people who plan on building housing to give Black people opportunities to rent and not to own? Black community leaders in Nebraska, in our everyday
Ben Carson
dealings with Nebraska’s city and state departments, have had to continuously address the exclusive tactics used by these departments. We are either told of meetings at the 11th hour, or not told at all. Then we have to listen to apologies and/or accept ideas made for our communities by individuals who have never met us, and don’t live among us! As far as these apologies go --Everyone knows it is better to ask forgiveness for not including us, than to ask permission to exclude us! Later that day, I saw a snippet of the meeting online, and I have to say when you view Carson’s visit from an altered perspective everything appears great on the surface, until you realize what you didn’t see: our Black leaders, neighborhood associations/ alliances, and the Black Press. Yet again, we are not on the “list”!
See Undesign the Redline continued on page 2
Precious McKesson Selected as 2019 United State of Women Ambassador
When we advertised for youth to sell the Omaha Star during Native Omahans Days, we thought we would be inundated with applicants. Not so! Although a few youth responded it was not nearly enough to fulfill our desire to recreate those iconic photos of the Omaha Star newspaper carriers in front of our building. We thought, just as Ms. Brown did, we would offer our young people an opportunity to learn to develop a sales strategy, employ the strategy, earn money and budget their profits. Not willing to let go of the idea to recreate that photo, I began to ponder how I could gather 15-20 youth. Primus Jones and the Nothing But Net summer program were the answer to my prayer. Then lo and behold, two more angels arrived in the form of Dupree’s Photography and we now have a beautiful photo. So, you would think the rest is history. Not so, in our effort to give our youth this opportunity, we were taught a lesson. This is not the 1940s or 1950s when those iconic photos were taken. They reminded us, “This is 2019, if you want to engage us, remember times are a changing.” To quote Drake – YOLO!
See Native Omahans schedule on page 9
When I think of home, I think of a place where you can lay down and rest, think about happiness, forget about trouble and love everybody. Bettie McDonald, Co-founder of the Native Omahans Club Read what other Native Omahans and friends of Omaha had to say about our beloved north Omaha. There are a couple of celebrity sightings in this issue. Make sure you pick up a copy of our commemorative issue at the office, 2216 N. 24th St.
Washington, D.C. – The United State of Women has announced its second class of Ambassadors as part of a new program to train and equip women to take action for gender equity in their communities. Eighty Ambassadors, who represent forty states across the U.S., were accepted into the one-year program. The Ambassador Program is an opportunity for current and future leaders passionate about improving gender equity, no matter their background or previous experience. Ambassadors represent cities and states across the U.S. and work with USOW staff to bring together a wide range of stakeholders in their community interested in achieving a more united #StateofWomen. In their new roles, Ambassadors will build and support coalitions with community leaders, organizations, and fellow activists who are working towards gender equity in their communities as well as amplify the work happening in their community through USOW’s national channels. The expanded second cohort is due to the incredible work of the inaugural class of USOW Ambassadors. From pushing for the Tallahassee City Commission to adopt gender-
Precious McKesson (Photo Credit: Phillip Hodges DotKom Photograpy)
neutral language in the city charter to supporting the launch of the Sacramento County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, USOW Ambassadors are galvanizing communities across the country. “At USOW, we recognize that local organizers are already leading gender equity movements in their communities. Our goal is to amplify the phenomenal work of these activists by providing them with the tools, access, and connections that are necessary to enact change,” said Jordan Brooks, Executive Director of See McKesson continued on page 3
The Omaha Star welcomes Big Wade and Black Crown Trophy, LL Transfer Design Swan Theory on the Green – August 1. and NOAH Clinic to the Small See In the Village for details. Business Connection.