Vol. 82 - No. 3

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OMAHA STAR

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We can impact Black History in 2020

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Nebraska’s Only Black Owned Newspaper Vol. 82 - No. 3 Omaha, Nebraska

Friday, February 7, 2020

Let’s vote in record numbers on May 12.

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Inspiring Tomorrow’s Leaders: The 100 Black Men of Omaha Celebrates 25 Years Frank Hayes never had any intention of going back to Mississippi.

He grew up in the county seat of Simpson County – Mendenhall, a small farming town outside of Jackson. As a young, African American man, he knew early on that there was nothing for him in his hometown. He also knew he wasn’t alone.

“I just felt like it wasn’t a good place for me, or for African Americans in general,” he said.

He made his way to Omaha, co-founded Hayes & Associates, a successful accounting practice, and made inroads in the Omaha business community. It was through his networking efforts that he met Leroy Walker – another successful businessman and owner of multiple local McDonald’s franchises.

Leroy became Frank’s client.

Frank would stop by Leroy’s franchise at 114th and Dodge in the morning for breakfast and conversation. The two became friends.

Leroy cared deeply about the plight of young African American men, many of them struggling for connection and in need of guidance. It was a passion the two men shared, and when Leroy made plans to move to Jackson, Mississippi, Frank encouraged him to stay in Omaha. The way he saw it, nothing good could come from a move to Mississippi.

Leroy didn’t stay. In Jackson, he continued his successful business career and became the president of 100 Black Men of Jackson, Inc., a local chapter of the longstanding national organization dedicated to educating and empowering African American children and teens. He invited Frank down to sit in on a meeting.

“At the time, I knew nothing about 100 Black Men. I went to the meeting, and I was so inspired to be back home and see what they were doing with the youth there in Jackson. Many of the young men were present at the meeting,” said Hayes.

In the meeting, he learned that Leroy had recently acquired a piece of land where he planned to build a rec center.

“Two things hit me,” said Hayes.

“The absolute commitment of these men to the mission of the organization, and the response of the youth to those men.”

Seeing the need for this type of mentorship in Omaha, Hayes knew what he wanted to do, and whom he wanted to have by his side. He enlisted Omaha business consultant Fred Conley, financial industry leader Kevin Clingman, and criminal justice expert KB Turner, and they got to work.

“We decided we were going to make this an important thing. We really felt like it would have a big impact in Omaha,” Conley said First, they invited Leroy up to Omaha to talk about his involvement with 100 Black Men, both in Jackson and at the national level.

The talk drew about 70 local men, and that night, they got commitments from at least 40 of them.

After that first meeting, two major events of 1995 propelled the group to a new level of awareness.

Nationally, it was the year of the Million Man March in Washington, D.C., led by Louis Farrakhan.

“That helped create some buzz,” said Frank. “It was all about black men uniting, and people started wondering what we were about.”

Locally, then vice-presidential candidate Jack Kemp came to Omaha to speak on behalf of 100 Black Men Omaha. The sold-out fundraiser established the organization within the local business community.

Following those events, Frank, Fred, Kevin and KB initiated a partnership with the late Mary Dean Harvey, who at the time was the executive director of the Boys and Girls Club, and held a press conference.

“That press conference set a fairly high bar for us, and we had to follow through on that,” said Conley. “In the first four years, I worked more on the 100 than I did on my business.”

In the coming years, 100 Black Men of Omaha attracted members with a wide variety of professions and backgrounds, from attorneys and business owners to educators and trade workers, each one serving as a mentor and role model for

Potential Family Dollar Liquor License Brings Community Ire, Gets City Council Disapproval

By Chris Bowling The overcast February day melted into cold night as hours passed inside the Omaha City Council’s Tuesday meeting. Some of the community members in attendance shift in their seats, others prop their elbows to hold their heads up, but all take notice when Cindy Gains grips the podium. As the mother of three and lifelong North Omaha resident stares down the City Council, she makes clear how she feels about the possibility of a new alcohol distributor in her community.

“Vote no,” said the lifelong North Omaha resident. “You understand?

No. Otherwise I’ll be down here every single day.”

After hearing more than an hour of charged public opposition, the Omaha City Council voted unanimously on Feb. 4 not to recommend a proposed liquor license at a North Omaha Family Dollar.

Council members expressed both legal opposition and moral disdain with the proposed location of the Class B license, which would allow for sale of six-packs and cases of beer.

“When you see the neighborhood rise up to shield itself, and all the efforts they’re taking after decades and decades of decay, they’re just now rising from the ashes,” Council Member and President Chris Jerram said. “I don’t see what [Family Dollar] is proposing at this time, it doesn’t fit in.”

The Family Dollar is across the street from Blackburn High School and down the block from Kellom Elementary as well as in the vicinSee City Council continued on page 9

Sorry, due to technical issues In the Village does not appear in this issue.

Hayes

Conley

Turner

young African American men in Omaha. Since 2008, 100 percent of high school seniors engaged with the program have graduated and 93 percent have enrolled or planned to enroll in post-secondary education or military service.

“Here is exactly what these young men need to see,” said Hayes. “Regardless of your home situation, if you can see someone who looks like you doing any number of things, that means nothing is impossible.”

One of those leaders is Douglas County Treasurer John Ewing, Jr. Ewing served as the organization’s president and is now president of its advisory council. His background in law enforcement gave him a unique window into the problems young black men in our area face, and he knew more had to be done.

“I knew there had to be some other things in place for young people to be able to be more successful and not turn to a life of crime or juvenile delinquency,” he said. “I became involved with the 100 Black Men because it was one of the groups I believed had an answer.”

Ewing heard a lot of talk about investing in area youth, but not a lot of action. He saw real potential in his friend Richard Webb, once a 100 Black Men mentee and now a rising leader in the Omaha business community. Richard joined the board, made waves, and in 2017, he became the Chief Executive Officer.

Sitting at the helm of 100 Black Men of Omaha in its 25th year gives Webb the chance to see how

far the organization has come, what sets it apart, and the ground that’s still left to cover.

“The biggest thing for me is that we put positive African American males around our youth,” said Webb. “One of my mentees I’ve had for 7 years – he wrote me and said, ‘The reason why I love my mentor so much is that he doesn’t treat me as a little kid. He treats me as a young man.’ Our goal is to inspire these young men to be respectful, responsible and ready to lead.”

This inspiration is offered not only through mentorship, but also through programs that promote education, career exploration and goal setting, trips to participate in the organization’s African American History Challenge, and more.

Going forward, Webb is focused on improvement and growth – he’s already gained attention on the national level and grown membership from 28 members in 2017 to 73 current members (138 including all mentors). He also wants to address the climate that Omaha’s African American youth live in today.

At present, only 12.3 percent of Omaha’s population is African American. Of that relatively small group, 87 percent of African American young professionals say they would prefer to live outside of Omaha.

“I believe we can inspire these future leaders to stay and contribute to the growth and success of our city,” said Webb. “On top of that, a more diverse talent pool will help

Omaha attract new business and increase economic growth.”

As for the future of his organization, Webb wants to see the members’ hard work come full circle.

“My ultimate goal is, in 15 or 20 years, to run into some of these young men and have them say, ‘Because the 100 Black Men of Omaha was there, because of those small seeds that were planted, this is what has grown from it.’”

“You realize what you’re doing right now is passion-driven. Every day we get up and we do what we do to make sure our youth are respectful, responsible and ready to lead. Seeing that impact in the future is going to be a magical moment.”

Celebrating 25 Years of Impact On Feb. 14, the 100 Black Men of Omaha chapter will celebrate its 25th Anniversary. The organization will host a series of events commemorating its history, including Barbershop Chat Tours and its annual Men of Honor Gala on April 17. Lance Fritz, CEO of Union Pacific Railroad, leads this year’s Gala as the Honorary Chair. The event will also feature the Chairman of the National 100 Black Men of America’s Board, Thomas. W. Dortch, as the keynote speaker.

For more information on how you can contribute your time or resources to the 100 Black Men of Omaha, visit 100blackmenomaha. org or phone 402-934-7065.

UNMC to Host Black History Month Events February marks Black History Month, and the University of Nebraska Medical Center has a number of events planned to celebrate and educate others about African-American culture.

On Feb. 13, Dominique Morgan, an Omaha native and the national director of Black and Pink, the largest prison abolitionist organization in the United States, will be on campus to present his talk on “The Impact of Health Professionals in a Community in Crisis.”

Morgan is the recipient of the “Young, Black and Influential” Award for Advocacy, Omaha Chamber Young Professionals ChangeMaker Award, and the NAACP Freedom Fighter Award.

Morgan’s presentation will be held from noon-1 p.m. in the Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education at UNMC. This event is sponsored by the UNMC Department of Human Resources, UNMC College of Medicine, UNMC

College of Nursing, GRADS (Graduates & Professionals Representing Achievement Diversity and Service) and the Nebraska Medicine Department of Human Resources.

On Feb. 20, Anthony Johnson Jr., a graduate student in the UNMC College of Public Health, will facilitate a panel presentation on the intersection of environmental justice, racial equity and the health of underserved populations.

The presentation is from noon-1 Dominique Morgan p.m. in the Harold M. and Beverly Maurer Center for Public Health at UNMC. Joining Johnson on the panel will be Earl Redrick, field office director, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Naudia McCracken, acting lead program supervisor, Douglas County Health Department; and Jessica Ehule, senior public health project coordinator at CityMatCH. Anthony Johnson Jr.

Welcome to the Omaha Star Business Connection

For a listing of community events, see our website:

Carl M. Christian

www.theomahastar.com

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LOCAL NEWS Larry Metcalf Interview

By Lynn Sanchez Larry Metcalf is dressed to the nines, sporting a silver-grey suit, black and white two-tone shoes and a matching hanky. His voice is animated, and his button eyes sparkle much like the large diamond stud in his left ear. This man loves to tell stories.

North Omaha has been home to Larry for most of his life. As a child, his family moved to Logan Fontenelle projects after a flooding drove them from their East Omaha home. He and Glenda, his wife of 48 years, live just minutes from 24th and Lake and the Great Plains Black History Museum.

The Museum hosted an informal talk with Mr. Metcalf in January 2020. He shared the memories chronicled below, with Glenda chiming in as needed. Executive Director Eric Ewing says he enjoys providing this kind of forum. “For us, it helps make a connection with the past that brings it into the present. My goal in 2020 is to start collecting oral histories from the older folks. I’m trying to get some funding to do audio and eventually video histories.”

Many of Larry’s stories do not paint Omaha in a good light. More than a few are not appropriate for a family newspaper. He refuses to sugarcoat the truth. “Back in the 50s these people (city officials) were so bad, they used to make people get a permit to go to Tech High School. Did you know about that one? They had to enter the side door!” He is still indignant at the unfairness of it.

When he speaks, it is clear that places like the Bee Hive Grocery, the little outdoor news stand on 16th Street and Hobo Park are very much alive in his memory. The network of tunnels under Omaha played a role in his family history, he says. Bootleggers often hot-footed it through them to

Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts is now accepting applications for its 2021 Spring, Summer and Fall Residency Program sessions occurring Jan. 20 - April 16, 2021, May 19 - Aug. 13, 2021 and Sept. 8 - Nov. 5, 2021. The application deadline for the spring and summer sessions is April 15, 2020. The application deadline for the fall session is Aug. 15, 2020. National and international artists of all backgrounds and areas of practice are encouraged to apply.

Located in downtown Omaha’s historic Old Market, Bemis Center’s campus accommodates a broad range of artistic activity.

Selected artists-in-residence enjoy generous sized, private live/work studios complete with a kitchen and bathroom and have 24-hour access to expansive installation and production spaces within Bemis Center’s 110,000 square foot main facility and the Okada Sculpture & Ceramics Facility, a 9,000 square foot large-scale sculpture fabrication space and workshop. Bemis offers artists-in-residence unmatched technical guidance, access to interns and an established network of resources. Participants have the opportunity to create networks, collaborate and share their work with fellow artists-in-residence, organizational partners and the public. The Bemis Alumni Program extends artist support beyond their Bemis residency through Alumni Residencies, an annual Alumni Award and Alumni Convenings. Partnerships with local organizations such as The Union for Contemporary Art, Hot Shops and Metro Community College Prototype Design Lab offer Bemis artists-in-residence access to additional technical support and opportunities to create networks and collaborations. U.S.-based artists-in-residence receive a $1,000 USD monthly stipend and an additional $750 USD travel stipend. Due to the limitations of B2 visas (touring/visiting), international artists-in-residence are eligible to receive reimbursement of qualified expenses, such as airfare, ground transportation, and meals.

Artists-in-residence participate in Bemis Center’s Open House / Open Studios public program where they open their studios to provide attendees a glimpse into their process, present works-inprogress and deliver a short presentation.

Applications are accepted via SlideRoom at bemis.slideroom.com.

Farmers Market & Night Market Vendor Applications Now Available Applications are now available for vendors interested in participating in the 2020 Omaha Farmers Market and Night Market. All season vendor applications are due by March 6, and weekly/monthly applications are accepted throughout the market season. An informational meeting has been set for Wednesday (Feb. 12) at 7 p.m. This no-obligation meeting will be held at the Westside Community Conference Center, 3534 S. 108th St. Eligible vendors for the Omaha Farmers Market are those who sell locally produced products including vegetables, fruits, herbs, bedding

plants, flowers, meats, baked goods, jams and jellies, condiments, organic foods, ethnic foods, crafts and much more within a 150-mile radius of the markets. The Night Market is, first and foremost, an Art / Fine Craft Market. Packaged food items will also be considered.

Among the items to be discussed at the meeting will be the benefits of selling at the Market, product categories, pricing, signage, rules and regulations, and more. Also discussed will be the wide range of items approved for sale at the Omaha Farmers Market.

Applications and additional informa-

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LINCOLN – “Nebraskans can be confident that their primary election ballots will be counted and reported promptly and accurately,” Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen said Tuesday.

Nebraska presidential primary ballots will include candidates from the Democratic, Republican and Libertarian parties. None of these parties will utilize caucuses this year in this year’s primary.

Primary election results have an impact on who party delegates support at their national conventions, where candidates for the general election are chosen.

Nebraska’s elections are secure. New ballot counting devices are being delivered and installed in every county of our state. These devices are not connected to the internet. The results are compiled in hardened computers that also are not connected to the internet.

These results are then transferred to another device and uploaded to Nebraska’s election night reporting system. Nebraska’s election night reporting system is itself protected by two backup systems.

“Because of the cooperation of the unicameral and the governor, and the dedication of our county election officials and our Secretary of State Elections Division, Nebraskans can be confident that they will receive accurate and prompt election night results. It is very important for Nebraskans to register and very important for Nebraskans to vote,” stated Evnen.

Nebraska’s primary election will be held on May 12. For more information visit https://sos. nebraska.gov/

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thought women didn’t have too much sense.” Dennison never made good on his threats, he says. He was no one to mess with, noting that he has long been linked to rumors leading to the1919 lynching of Will Brown and near-hanging of Mayor Edward Parsons Smith. “When somebody was crossin’ his path, they end up floating in the river someplace,” says Larry.

Josephine’s survival instincts allowed her to flourish despite the Depression, even after the local banker skipped town with all the bank’s money. Larry’s wife Glenda says when Josephine died, “The funeral home called and said you have to come down and get all this money your grandmother had in her dress that she had on. The money was in those little Bull Durham sacks! She sewed ‘em into her clothes. She didn’t trust banks.”

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elude the cops. “That’s how people would get around that didn’t want to be known. Like my grandmother, she knew how to get around and go underneath.”

According to Metcalf, his grandmother Josephine Davila was well-acquainted with the unsavory aspects of life in early Omaha. Larry grew up with her and inherited her diary after her death. In it, he learned a few things that raised his eyebrows.

A shrewd businesswoman, she was a contemporary of notorious crime boss Tom Dennison. Over the years, Josephine owned a restaurant, ran a boarding house and owned a 200 acre cemetery, selling burial plots for $10 to $20. She was also a madame, providing prostitutes to Dennison and local cops. She used a plumbing company as a front for her extralegal business. She knew how to pay off judges and bribe cops who came to raid her businesses.

“She was a business woman. She knew what she wanted and she knew how to do it,” Glenda adds. And unlike many business people in that time, she did business with people of all races and religions.

“She was into the hustle of everything,” Larry says. “Oh, she furnished a lot of women for the policemen and she is writing down names and keeping track of everything. They didn’t think she was that smart! I’m serious!” Dennison once threatened to have her arrested for prostitution.

Larry says she looked him dead in the eye and told him, “‘Oh, you gonna blow the whistle on me? How ‘bout all them women I furnished you with? I’ve got a record here. So if you want to blow the whistle, I go to jail, you go to jail with me.’ They thought that she was a woman so she was stupid! Believe me, I don’t want to put it that way, but they

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February 7, 2020

STAR SPECIAL COVERAGE

THE OMAHA STAR

Page Three

Down for the Cause Not Down for the Count Development & Gentrification in North Omaha Omaha Municipal Land Bank Lacks Full Representation

By Mark McGaugh (This article contains the opinions of the author.)

With the reserves of affordable housing diminishing and the presence of private contractors increasing, residents aren’t left with many options to stay in their communities.

However, The Omaha Municipal Land Bank (OMLB) has recently emerged as one tool to help stave off the negatives of gentrification.

Created in 2014 shortly after the approval of the Nebraska Municipal Land Bank Act, introduced by State Senator Heath Mello, Omaha’s Land Bank is a non-profit governmental agency created to help manage the thousands of distressed and tax-delinquent properties throughout Omaha. These properties are either donated or purchased by the Land Bank, which then maintains and eventually sells them below market rate. Applicants must meet three criteria before they can purchase land bank property: state their intended end use for the property, agree upon an estimated job-cost and prove that they have the funds available for both the property and the estimated job-cost.

The OMLB website states its goal is to transform these distressed properties into “positive community assets.” LB 699 gives a specific list of potential uses for land bank properties. Those uses may include purely public spaces and places, affordable housing, retail, commercial and industrial activities, urban agriculture and others as determined by the municipality or municipalities. According to the bill, “the municipality shall take into consideration the highest and best use that, when possible, will bring the greatest benefit to the community.”

Councilman Ben Gray, who helped create the land bank and serves as a non-voting board member, speaks highly of its potential for change.

“It is a tool that is showing some benefit in the community in terms of people being able to buy houses, being able to buy lots, being able to add on to their homes,” he said. “A variety of ways that it is working, and working well at this point.”

However, there are a few shortcomings causing concern for many community members. Councilman Gray said progress needs to be expanded for OMLB to succeed. For instance a low turnover rate of properties suggests there may be room for improvement.

According to OMLB documents, more than 350 applications have been submitted. Yet, the land bank has only sold 69 properties since it began acquiring them in 2016. Without the required finances to qualify for these dilapidated properties, many families are left out of the conversation.

Furthermore, a lack of representation leads one to wonder who has the power to decide what is actually a “positive asset” for the communities surrounding Land Bank properties. The Nebraska Municipal Land Bank Act, which governs the Land Bank, states in section 19-5205 (1)(c); “If the governing body of the municipality creating the land bank has any of its members elected by district or ward, then at least one voting member of the board shall be appointed from each such district or ward. Such voting members shall represent, to the greatest extent possible, the racial and ethnic diversity of the municipality creating the land bank.” According to the US Census Bureau, 12 percent of Omaha’s population is African-American and 13 percent Hispanic.

A list provided by OMLB shows South Omaha’s District 4 seat was empty for 27 meetings between 2015 and 2019. Mary Byrnes of Lincoln Federal Savings Bank was appointed to the seat in December 2019. The District 2 seat was shown vacant for 12 meetings. Real estate broker Michelle Torrence served from February 2018 to June 2019. Her replacement, Tiffany Hunter, a corporate auditor, was appointed by the mayor on February 4, 2020. Candice Price, a local entrepreneur, was also appointed as a non-voting member.

The other board members of color, District 2 Councilman Ben Gray, Precious McKesson (NONA) and Teresa Hunter (FHAS), serve as non-voting members.

These two seats, Districts 2 and 4, represent an overwhelming percentage of the property controlled by the Land Bank. Almost 70 percent of those properties fall in District 2, which is essentially everything north of Cuming Street and east of 72nd Street.

Furthermore, the first few months of 2020 will prove instrumental for the Land Bank as it continues its search for a new full-time executive director. Mayor Stothert’s Deputy Chief of Staff Troy Anderson has held the interim position since former director Marty Barnhart abruptly stepped down in May 2019. While no word has come as to who is in the running, it is undoubtedly a position that should be filled quickly.

After existing for the better half of a decade, Omaha Municipal Land Bank still hasn’t quite found its stride. With several huge vacancies and thousands of parcels of land sitting and waiting for a buyer, the clock is ticking. How much longer can the Land Bank pay to maintain these properties before they fall into the clutches of big dollar contractors? How long until the Land Bank is considered a failure or a success?

Omaha Municipal Land Bank No Silver Bullet

By Lynn Sanchez After the national housing bubble burst, Omaha was in the same leaky boat as a lot of other cities.

Saddled with bad properties no one wanted, the city ended up holding on to them indefinitely. Located in the oldest, poorest parts of town, they were a detriment to neighborhoods and a drain on city resources; mowing, and snow removal; collecting tax liens; dealing with “zombie” mortgages that even banks had walked away from; spending $10,000 to $14,000 per demolition. And landlords had the ear of the city council in property matters, not residents who were forced to live next to dangerous eyesores.

About six years ago, the Omaha Municipal Land Bank (OMLB) was created as a public-private tool to address these languishing properties. From the city’s perspective, it had the potential to be a triple-win – change “vacant spaces to vibrant places,” get properties back on the tax rolls, and partners to share the cost burden. And the bonus; presenting it as a vehicle for returning property back into the hands of neighborhood citizens.

Today, the Omaha Municipal Land Bank has not had a full time Executive Director since May of 2019. This is the second executive director hired to head the organization who has departed without an official explanation. *** In 2014, most Omahans had never heard of a land bank. Up until 2008, only five states had land bank legislation. Today there are an estimated 170 land banks in the U.S. Land banks are the gardeners who prepare the plot so the community can cultivate it. As a governmental nonprofit, they purchase unproductive properties with code violations, as well as those that are condemned, vacant or owe back taxes. A small percentage of properties are donated.

Funding sources include revenue from property sales, federal, state and foundation grants, and general fund appropriations from local and county governments. While land banks don’t rehabilitate or sell housing, they instead serve as a clearinghouse for other nonprofits to acquire land to develop.

OMLB holds a depository of properties tax free for up to five years for trusted nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity and Holy Name Housing, allowing them additional time and flexibility to rehab or build. Properties may also be turned into public spaces, retail, commercial, and industrial projects or urban agriculture.

In 2013 the state legislature passed Senator Heath Mello’s LB699, authorizing land banks in Nebraska. It opened the door for the creation of an Omaha Land Bank, pending the approval of the city council. Advocates from the Housing and Revitalization Action Team from Omaha Together, One Community (OTOC) jumped on the issue, vigorously lobbying the council and the mayor. When investment companies protested that a land bank would “cherry pick” properties, OTOC showed up armed with photographs of some of the most horrific derelict properties in the city. OTOC’s team also pushed for hand-inhand legislation, the Vacant and Abandoned Property Ordinance, adopted in November 2015. This allowed the city to charge a $500 fee every 90 days until owners of these properties registered them, or resolved the issues they caused. *** Omaha started its Land Bank from scratch in 2014. No experience, no director, no board, no staff, no bylaws or procedures other than what was laid out in Mello’s bill and the “Land Banks and Land Banking” handbook published by the Center For Community Progress. Seven voting board members, all volunteer, were appointed by the mayor, one from each council district.

They came from the worlds of real estate, banking, development, the Chamber of Commerce, nonprofit affordable-housing and landlords. Another six non-voting members served as consultants, including District 2 Councilman Ben Gray who said the city envi-

sioned OMLB as a tool to add more affordable housing. “We were talking about, ‘How do we address affordable housing?” he remembered. “‘What’s not available now that could benefit both individuals and organizations to help build more affordable housing?’”

He traveled to several cities to research successful land banks, eventually recommending Omaha model theirs on Cleveland’s Cuyahoga Land Bank, which has been the catalyst for demolishing 8,000 derelict properties there since 1999.

It took OMLB two years preparation before it offered its first properties for sale in December 2016.

There were a few growing pains along the way. In August 2015, the newly-minted agency hired its first director, attorney Brittany Jefferson from the Little Rock Department of Housing and Neighborhood Programs. And while they professed their excitement about her land bank experience at the time, Jefferson was quietly ousted by the board the following February after barely four months. There was no official explanation.

To fill the suddenly empty position, Councilman Gray recommended Marty Barnhart as the interim director. He seemed like the perfect fit for the job.

The minutes from February 2016 OMLB board describe the ideal candidate as “very strong at engaging with the community and building relationships and partnerships with neighborhood groups, non-profit organizations, contributing donors and being creative with the partnerships….

Be able to promote what the organization does, communicate clearly what the organization is doing and what the purpose and vision is.” This was in addition to managing the organization and its properties.

Barnhart was then the administrator of a women’s shelter, but for years had directed the Douglas County Land Reutilization Commission and had expertise regarding tax delinquent properties.

“The goal was to get the land bank set up, get it ready for a full time director, and for me to step away,” he said. “In May 2016 the board approached me and asked me if I would put my hat in the Barnhart ring and consider being their full time director.”

Besides money from the city, philanthropic heavyweights such as American National Bank, First National Bank, Mutual of Omaha, The Kiewit Foundation, the Robert B. Daugherty Foundation and the Suzanne and Walter Scott Foundation became OMLB donors.

Immediately, Barnhart began to network in the community where there was a lot of fear this might be a land grab by the city of Omaha to the detriment of the communities surrounding these properties.”I did a lot of work, a lot of neighborhood meetings so that people would be comfortable with the processes, but also know THEY were the most important component,” he said. “I wanted procedures and policies in place that would help them to buy property, to own property and to make their neighborhood a place they would continue to call home. I made that emphasis very clear when I went out to speak, that THEY were the change agents.

Change happens on the street. It doesn’t happen at City Hall.”

Outside funding allowed properties to be sold at far below market rate so that “anyone with nearly any kind of income should be able to afford a land bank property,” said Barnhart.

Prospective purchasers, developers or community members had to be committed, each one vetted by the OMLB leadership. Many of the property listings read like warning labels: “This 3 bed, one bath home is in bad shape. There is approximately a (12) twelve foot section of the foundation that has collapsed. The center floor beam is compromised and the floor is sagging.” Purchasers were required to show a clear plan of action, including estimated job costs and proof they had the financial capability to finish projects within two years. Gray said they also wrote protective wording into the ordinance stating that purchasers could not “change the characteristics of the neighborhood” when building.

One of their first priorities was buying property tax lien certificates. This prevented outside investors from cashing in on their generous 14 percent interest rate.

Douglas County has about $5 million a year in tax liens, Barnhart said. Anonymous investors with no ties to North Omaha had been obtaining land this way for years, either sitting on it indefinitely or foreclosing after a redemption period. Private developers weren’t interested, as the taxes owed often totaled more than the property was worth. Tax liens are the number one way North Omahans lose homes.

“We wanted to end that idea,” said Gray. *** Once in place, Barnhart hit the ground running.” “That whole first year was a year of listening for me, over 900 appointments,” he said. “‘What do you want to see in the land bank? What should it do?’ Talking to city officials, talking to grant individuals and organizations. No staff was even hired till January 2017 other than myself.”

Barnhart expressed a desire to “stay in the position for a decade or more,” early in his tenure according to a June 2016 interview with the Omaha World Herald.

“It was the land bank’s interest to protect the community, and the number one thing was to add housing,” he said. “We need housing so badly in our Northeast area and across our state, it’s our number one need.

To that end, they also steered potential buyers from the community towards Omaha 100 and Family Home Advisory Services to assist in getting financing to bring their projects to life.

Though several big land bank success stories made a splash in the local news, progress has been moderate. Starting at zero inventory in 2016, about 42 land bank properties were sold during 2017.

Another 69 properties were sold during 2018. Exact figures from 2019 were not yet available at the time of publication, but an OMLB spokesperson estimated that number at 50, not including properties held for nonprofits.

Then, in May 2019, history repeated itself as the OMBL director abruptly left the position without official explanation.

When asked if he wanted to elaborate on why, Barnhart answered

simply, “No.” Since his departure, Troy Anderson, the mayor’s chief of staff, has served as interim director. At the time of publication, a new director has not been hired. *** Looking back on the past six years, representatives from OTOC who attend monthly board meetings said their organization is satisfied. Records are well-kept and the city is doing “pretty well” with properties compared to eight years ago, they say.

The board has had trouble keeping District 2 and District 4 seats filled during its tenure, with Barnhart saying it was difficult to find people to invest their time and resources into the crucial positions for Northeast and Southeast Omaha.

Turnover from land bank purchases has been a drop in the bucket against the thousands of problem properties across the city. The OMLB website lists the Omaha’s current status as over 7,000 properties with code violations, over 3,000 properties with demolition violations and nearly 4,000 with “unfit/unsafe” designations, with more than half located east of 42nd street.

“Time is one of the biggest factors,” said Barnhart.

Tax foreclosure properties take between one and three years to enter the salable inventory if taxes are not paid off by the owners.

Code violations or condemned properties may take up to a year.

Money is another factor.

“It takes money to bring these properties in, to maintain them, and to assemble the inventory,” Barnhart said. “That was really the biggest problem I had, early on.”

At the December 2019 board meeting, Interim Director Troy Anderson outlined various budget details, including $50,000 in consultation fees to be paid in 2020 to update the organization’s strategic plan. Interview requests to Anderson and Board President Mike Riedmann for further information were not responded to.

Balancing the public good and financial reality is what every city department grapples with.

In fact, besides general directives for community outreach and engagement, there is no specific language in the Land Bank legislation or strategic plan requiring them to prioritize buyers from the community or guide buyers to financial resources.

“No, it wasn’t in the legislation.

It was in our process,” Barnhart confirmed. “Every time a property came into the land bank inventory and was for sale, the first people we notified were the neighborhood associations.”

The new strategy, the new director may not consider this a “business-minded approach.”

After almost a year since his departure, Marty Barnhart misses being part of the OMLB. “It was something that I loved very much and I enjoyed very, very much,” he said “I love our community, I’ve been in our community almost all my life, I graduated from Central High School, I met my wife there, I’ve been very invested in our community all my life and I love Northeast Omaha and every community there; they know of my love for them and also of my involvement and my investment in long-term success for our city.”

OMLB Board Meetings are open to the public on the Second Wednesday of each month at 9 am, Jesse Lowe Conference Room, 3rd Floor, Civic Center, 1819 Farnam St.

Page Four THE OMAHA STAR

COMMENTARY

February 7, 2020

Op-Ed The Path to Racial Reconciliation

By Preston Love Jr. & Palma Joy Strand

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(Preston Love, Jr., is Founder and CEO of the Black Votes Matter Institute of Community Engagement. Palma Joy Strand is Professor of Law and Director of the 2040 Initiative in the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Program at Creighton University. They are both members of the Steering Committee of the Omaha Community Council for Racial Justice and Reconciliation (OCCRJR).)

(This Op-Ed originally appear in the Omaha World-Herald. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the policies and position of the staff and management of the Omaha Star newspaper.)

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In the summer of 2018, leaders from a range of local organizations came together to plan for the 100th anniversary of the lynching of Will Brown on Sept. 28, 1919. Our goals were twofold: to commemorate that horrific incident of racial violence a century ago and to engage in community dialogue and healing around past and present racial violence in our community.

The two goals are intertwined.

Remembering and understanding the racial violence that rocked Omaha a century ago is essential to recognizing and understanding the racial violence that exists in Omaha today.

At the first community meeting in August 2018 by the Omaha Community Council for Racial Justice and Reconciliation (OCCRJR), people from throughout the community identified places where racial violence and injustice continue: housing, education, the media, health, employment, criminal justice, and politics.

The lynching of Will Brown was “fast violence” – brutal and obvious. Much of today’s racial violence, in contrast, is “slow violence” – long-term disinvestment in communities of color, tolerance of high rates of housing code violations and eviction, acceptance of school suspensions and underachievement, disproportionate contact with the criminal justice system, compromised access to the ballot, and more.

On Sept. 28, 2019, several hundred people gathered in front of the Douglas County Courthouse. In the crisp fall morning, local officials and members of the OCCRJR relived the lynching of Will Brown and expressed both contrition and outrage.

A representative from the Equal Justice Initiative’s National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama, spoke of the need for an “era of truthtelling.” Jars were filled with soil from the Courthouse grounds, commemorating the location of the lynching.

In the weeks and months surrounding the September 28 event, a rich range of community organizations joined in remembering Will Brown’s life and death. Film screenings, panel discussions, theatrical productions, historical readings, issue-based forums, museum exhibits – these events all created spaces for acknowledging, for understanding historical context, for reflecting on connections to present-day Omaha, and they were organized and experienced by people of all

races.

This cross-racial community conversation about historical racial violence has created the opportunity for Omaha to reflect on where we are today. We know that the broader political and economic environment sparked and supported the lynching of Will Brown in 1919. What is the broader political and economic environment today?

How is that environment linked to recurring racial violence? How are past and present racial violence connected?

Reconciliation cannot be rushed, and it does not happen without racial justice.

The commemoration of Will Brown has opened the door to beginning that process. It has invited us collectively to ask ourselves: Are we ready to acknowledge uncomfortable truths? Are we open to seeing deep-seated injustices and hearing painful stories? And are we poised to commit to taking action, to changing policy and practice?

There are many paths open: • The OCCRJR will continue holding community meetings, creating the space for examination of how racial violence manifests in Omaha and what measures we can take to move toward racial justice.

• Local institutions – government, faith, business, educational – with histories that are enmeshed with Omaha’s history of racial violence and injustice can acknowledge those histories, reflect, and take action to engage instead in building racial justice from within.

• Public entities can partner with a diverse mix of community members to hold ourselves accountable for developing and implementing policies that reverse the legacy of Will Brown’s lynching.

And, though there are multiple entry points and multiple paths, we will make more progress if we look for intersections and create synergies so that we pull together.

Racial justice is a community project.

Racial justice and reconciliation are the work of the OCCRJR - they are the work of us all.

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Make a difference RIGHT NOW at SHAREomaha.org.

Choose from thousands of ways to make the Omaha metro stronger. Grab your friends and family and do some good.

SHAREomaha.org makes it easy to find the right fit for you. Mentors connect, befriend and guide. The impact of mentors is tangible. Mentoring is linked to improved academic, social and economic prospects for Omaha/Council Bluffs metro young people who become the future leaders of

our community. It can feel daunting to be a part of helping youth make responsible choices, but for many it’s natural! The first step is to show up.

Shelley, a Goal Buddy for Partnership 4 Kids, views her time with Gifford Park Elementary students as a break in the day.

“With the daily grind, it’s refreshing to come over here,” said Shelley as a student walked by and thanked her for coming.

“When I grew up, I never doubted that I would go to college and have a career.

Not all kids have that.” The day’s topic for 4th-6th grade students was careers. One young woman talked about her desire to be a doctor and her classmate a YouTuber as Shelley guided a conversation about how both doctors and social media influencers need to use problem solving skills.

See ‘Mentoring’ continued on page 5

Financial Tips from Veridian Know Your Debt Collection Rights Last month we went over good ways to pay off outstanding debt with your tax refund. Making those payments has an unfortunate side effect, however: Like sharks who smell blood in the water, debt collectors will come calling.

• There’s a law called the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act that limits how and when debt collectors can contact you.

Here are some of your rights when it comes to debt collection, but keep in mind these rules only apply to personal debt, not business debt.

• Unless you give permission (hint: don’t), debt collectors can’t call you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. If you say you can’t receive calls at work, they can’t call you there either.

• While they can contact other people for information like your address or phone number, debt collectors can’t discuss your debt with anyone but you, your spouse or your lawyer.

• You can limit most communications from a debt collector by sending a letter asking them to stop. Consider paying for a return receipt so you have proof the letter was delivered.

• A debt collector must send you a “validation notice” within five days of first contacting you. The notice must include the amount of the debt, the name of the original creditor, and what you can do if you don’t think the debt is yours.

• Debt collectors can’t threaten you with violence, use obscene language or otherwise harass you. They can’t lie to you about how much you owe or claim to be lawyers or representatives of the government.

• Most importantly, debt collectors cannot ask you to pay interest, fees or other charges on top of what you owe, unless allowed by state law or your original contract with the creditor.

Keep in mind that you can’t be sued over debt after enough time passes, and making a payment or providing written acknowledgment of your debt can pause or even restart that process.

If you could use some financial advice, Veridian is here to help. We’re a not-forprofit credit union with branches in Council Bluffs, Omaha and Papillion. Simply stop by a Veridian branch or phone 800-2353228 and ask to speak to Areli to schedule a one-on-one consultation today.

COMMENTARY/YOUTH

February 7, 2020

THE OMAHA STAR

Page Five

MCC Named a District Host for National History Day Competition

‘Mentoring’ continued from page 4

Terenza Perkins, Partnership 4 Kids elementary program coordinator says if you are passionate about connecting kids with another positive voice, positive presence, mentoring is for you. A one-hour commitment, twice a month, is all that is needed for the goal buddy program. Looking around a room of Partnership 4 Kids volunteers, you see individuals and couples who have found their mentoring fit. Wayne, Cindy and Alberta have been connecting with kids for 6 and 7 years, and Johnny a full decade. They keep showing up.

Which opportunity is your mentoring fit? Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands: Become a Big Brother, Big Sister or Big Couple; TeamMates: Play games and talk with a student for about an hour a week; Release: Help youth in the justice system lay a spiritual foundation for success; Smart Gen Society: Educate teens on safe, authentic and kind social media use; Catholic Charities Omaha: Empower and educate moms through friendship; and Do Space: Use your specialized tech skills to mentor others. Visit Shareomaha.org to discover more about how you can give your time to help others.

Mentoring Matters!

Subscribe to the Omaha Star 402-346-4041 opt. 3

Metropolitan Community College has been named a host site for the district National History Day 2020 competition. Students from Douglas and Sarpy counties will conduct original research and present their findings through exhibits, live performances, documentaries, essays and websites. The event will be held March 6 from 9 a.m.

- 2:30 p.m. at the South Omaha Campus, 2909 Edward Babe Gomez Ave. More than 300 students from area middle and high schools will be tasked with analyzing and interpreting original research pertaining to this year’s theme, “Breaking Barriers in History.� Examples of competition entries include the Civil Rights

Movement, the Women’s Rights Movement, the Cold War, Americans with Disabilities Act and more. “National History Day provides students with the opportunity of fully immersing themselves in their own education. This is the first year we are hosting it at MCC and we

plan on growing the competition,� said Amy Forss, MCC History faculty and NHD district coordinator.

An awards ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. in room 120 of the Industrial Training Center at the South Omaha Campus.

The top three winners from each category will advance

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The African American Unity Fund Supporting community-led initiatives for the Omaha metropolitan area.

The African American Unity Fund is granting up to $200,000 in funding to eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofits serving the African American community within the Omaha metro area.

Prioritization will be given to organizations focused on arts and culture, basic human needs, community development, health and wellness, or capacity building.

Deadline: March 1, 2020 To learn more and apply: www.omahafoundation.org/AAUF or call 402-342-3458

PRAISE, WORSHIP, DEVOTION, OBITUARIES & INSPIRATION February 7, 2020 Lift Every Voice and Sing Kids Talk About God

Page Six THE OMAHA STAR

What Can We Learn from Adam Naming the Animals?

By Carey Kinsolving And Friends “If Adam hadn’t named the animals, we wouldn’t know one animal from the other. We might have cow brains for breakfast, lizard guts for lunch and dog toes for dinner,” says James, 9.

With such an active imagination, James has more going for him than cow brains.

“If Adam didn’t name the animals, he would call for an animal, and all the animals would come to him,” says Cody, 8.

“Adam and Eve didn’t want to call the animals ‘Thing,’ because they all would be named ‘Thing,’” says Elizabeth, 9.

Good point, but remember, Eve came later. Morgan, 7, has some insight on Adam’s search for Eve: “Adam named the animals because he and God were looking for a helper for Adam.”

Yes, after all the naming, the Bible says, “But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him” (Genesis 2:20). Adam didn’t find a match among the animals. He knew he needed a partner, and God knew it, too.

“God delegated authority to men, since the act of naming the animals shows lordship or dominion. It was also a spiritual exercise to prepare Adam and to make him aware of his aloneness. None of the animals corresponded to him,” says Kelsey, 12.

After creating Adam, God paraded animals before him “to see what he would call them” (Genesis 2:19). The Scripture records that Adam’s animal names stuck, which may indicate the names were more than titles in that they accurately described the animals.

“Names are important to everybody and everything. Adam obeyed God to name every animal,” says Jessica, 8.

Names are important to God. Abram the fatherless at age 99 becomes Abraham (father of many nations); Jacob the manipulator becomes Israel (prince of God), and Simon, not known for his

stability, becomes Peter (rock). Peter’s confession that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the Living God” becomes the rock or foundation upon which the universal church of living stones (Christians) is built.

Adam’s exercise of naming the animals was more than an exercise in linguistic freedom, says author Quentin Schultze in his book “Winning Your Kids Back from the Media.”

“Biblically speaking, the ‘name’ of something is a symbol for its true meaning,” says Schultze. “Parenting is mostly communication. Adults use verbal and nonverbal communication to create identity for themselves and their offspring.

“One of the greatest myths of modern society is that the media are essentially in the entertainment or information business. Mass media, as vehicles of communication, are more fundamentally in the identity business. They create and/ or reflect the basic values and beliefs of the people who use them.”

In the book of Revelation, we learn that God gives a white stone to those who overcome. A new name is written which no one knows except the person who receives it (Revelation 2:17). Here’s your personal ID from the Lord Jesus himself!

It’s a reward for overcoming.

All who trust in the Lord Jesus as their savior share in his victory over death, but there’s something more. Jesus will award special names to those who allow him to live his overcoming life through them.

Think about this: Let God give you a name, and you’ll be free from false identities created for you by advertisers, Hollywood, peers, bosses and even misguided relatives.

Memorize this truth: “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

Ask this question: Who is doing the naming in your life?

“A group of young men in Jacksonville, Florida, arranged to celebrate Lincoln’s birthday in 1900. My brother, J. Rosamond Johnson, and I decided to write a song to be sung at the exercises. I wrote the words and he wrote the music. Our New York publisher, Edward B. Marks, made mimeographed copies for us, and the song was taught to and sung by a chorus of five hundred colored school children.

“Shortly afterwards my brother and I moved away from Jacksonville to New York, and the song passed out of our minds.

But the school children of Jacksonville kept singing it; they went off to other schools and sang it; they became teachers and taught it to other children.

Within twenty years it was being sung over the South and in some other parts of the country. Today the song, popularly known as the Negro National Hymn, is quite generally used.

“The lines of this song repay me in an elation, almost of exquisite anguish, whenever I hear them sung by Negro children.” – James Weldon Johnson

has brought us.

Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, Let us march on till victory is won.

Stony the road we trod, Bitter the chastening rod, Felt in the days when hope unborn had died; Yet with a steady beat, Have not our weary feet Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?

We have come over a way that with tears has been watered, We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered, Out from the gloomy past, Till now we stand at last Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way; Thou who hast by Thy might Led us into the light, Keep us forever in the path, we pray.

Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee, Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee; Shadowed beneath Thy hand, May we forever stand.

True to our God, True to our native land.

Lift every voice and sing Till earth and heaven ring, Ring with the harmonies of Liberty; Let our rejoicing rise High as the listening skies, Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us, Sing a song full of the hope that the present

Life is Filled with Blessings and Choices

By Dr. William Holland We had a power shortage today for several hours and reminded me of how dependent we are on electricity. The house was dark and every time I went to do something, I realized there were no lights and I could not see. Finally, I turned off the flashlight and just sat down in my recliner and tried to relax. Within minutes, I was browsing on my phone while considering, what in the world would we do if we lost the entire power grid? Some are prepared, but for many, this would be a serious problem.

The dangers of an electromagnetic pulse are real whether natural or manmade and I certainly hope and pray that we never experience such a terrible disaster. It’s hard to fathom our lives without electricity.

Typically in the old days, when the evening came, darkness was definitely a factor that hindered people from doing a lot of things except maybe to read, sew, or write by a candle or an oil lamp. Can you imagine how difficult it was before electronic devices? Electric power makes our lives so much easier and with all this extra time it’s given us more time to relax. With less work to devote to surviving, we can now take a quick shower, have dinner brought to us and sit around the rest of the night watching television,

playing on the internet, or whatever we want. As I mentioned, in the old days there was always an endless list of work that needed to be done because your life depended on it, but today we have so much more leisure time, we hardly know what to do with it. Advancing technology is wonderful in many ways and can give us more opportunities to promote the gospel and help encourage others, but if we are not sensitive to this subtle pretense it can enable us to be lazier. The practical understanding of how to fix things and the inexperience of communicating with someone in person is rapidly being reduced to the point where I wonder if we are forgetting how to live?

Many consider the television as a deceptive device that distracts us from important responsibilities and now the cellphone has become even more addicting.

This may be true, however, it’s not fair to blame artificial intelligence or anything else for absorbing our time and attention as every electronic device has an off button.

Sadly, there are a group of people who have a secret desire to avoid reality and experience an uneasy and uncomfortable haunting within their conscience when left in a quiet place alone with God. Could this be conviction from the Holy Spirit as the mind and soul reacts to feelings of guilt and the need to repent? Since God has a plan for our lives and wants to lead and guide us every minute of the day, I believe we can agree that how we spend our time is important to Him. Do you believe we will be judged for how much time we spent ignoring our spiritual accountability? Today is a brand new day of blessings and it also brings many choices and opportunities for us to consider.

Help the Omaha Star Find Its Missing Issues Complete the Nebraska State Historical Society Archives On June 2 representatives of the Nebraska State Historical Society took bound copies of some of the Omaha Star’s earliest issues with them to Lincoln.

The five bound books will complete issues missing from the state archives for the past sixty years, ranging from September 17, 1938 through October 26, 1951.

The Mildred D. Brown Memorial Study Center (MDBMSC) Board is working with the Nebraska Historical Society to create a complete Library Archive of the past and current issues of the Omaha Star. Although many years of newspapers have been microfilmed by the Omaha Public Library and the Nebraska Historical Society, many issues are missing. We are asking readers, who may have copies of the issues that are listed, to please bring them to the Omaha Star to be microfilmed. The issues will be returned to you.

The MDBMSC was formed to continue the legacy of Mildred Brown the founder and publisher of the Omaha Star. The purpose of the Study Center is to provide area students with scholarship support and opportunities to envision career possibilities in journalism and communications through educational programs, field trips, tutoring and mentoring. They are also provided access to resources and inspirational archive materials.

The Omaha Star and its affiliated foundation, the Mildred D. Brown Memorial Study Center, are seeking any copies of the following issues: July 8, 1939 to Mar. 15, 1940 May 3, 1940 July 4, 1952 June 29, 1962 Feb. 14, 1964 Apr. 29, 1967 Feb. 29, 1968 Mar. 21, 1968 to Mar. 28, 1968 May 2, 1968 May 23, 1968 July 18, 1968 Aug. 8, 1968 to Aug. 15, 1968 Nov. 14, 1968 May 29, 1969

★ SO THE

Our office will be closed Janu ary 18 th, in observan ce

of Martin MAHA Luther King holid ay TAR Ben Gray to spea k at Mar

Dedicated to the Service of the Shall Lack a Champion People that NO Good Cause and that Evil Shall Not Go Unopposed Nebraska

Luther King Day

’s Only Black Owned Newspaper

Vol. 72 - No. 2 Omaha, Nebraska

Partnership For $10,000 grant Our Kids receives from Staples Thursday, January

7, 2010

50 cents

Omaha City Councilman Ben Gray will commemorative deliver a address on the Monday, Jan. UNMC campus 18, to on Rev. Martin Luther honor slain civil rights leader, King Jr. Gray’s speech, which is sponsored The Nebraska

by UNMC and Medical Center, Truhlsen Campus will be in the Events Center Center. in the Sorrell

tin

event

Festival Self-Empowerment St. Paul Baptist Church July 13th, 2010

★

“We are pleased The Partnership to bring a city For community volunteer leader and tireless non-profit organization Our Kids, a Schools.” to campus,” Newland, M.D., that provides disadvantaged director of UNMC’s said Myrna “The Partnership The mission of students For Our Kids Staples Foundation and coordinator of Equity Office academic enrichment with positive works to for Learning Inc. the Martin Luther provide Commemoration is to teach, King Day received a $10,000 experiences, has mentary school disadvantaged ele- inspire.

Committee. “I Founded in 2002, train and can look grant from Staples students believe our campus Foundation for forward to an the foundaacademic enrichment with positive tion has contributed Learning, a private inspiring and speech.” experiences,” foundation created relevant said Briana Curran, million to national more than $17 manager, Staples The and Funding from SFFL by Staples Inc. Foundation that provide educationallocal charities best annual address is regularly for Learning. will support the one attended events “Staples and opportunities Winners Circle Foundation for on Martin Luther of the city’s job skills for all program, which Learning supports King Jr. Day. people, with a This year, the event starts pro- Winners vides underserved the special Circle program, at noon, is free which cre- youth. emphasis on disadvantaged to the public. Guests and open dents with access elementary stu- ates an environment can park in Lot to rigorous math, Staples Foundation the visitor parking where youth are 15V, which is reading and citizenship recognized for for area located on Learning has also their achievements the south side developed lasting the Student Life Center increase their academic activities to teachers, peers, by relationships of at the corner of parents and the achievement.

40th & Jones com- of America, with Boys & Girls Clubs Streets.

“The Winners munity.”

Circle program Earth Gray is a first-time ensures disadvantaged Winners Circle Heritage Foundation, Force, Hispanic for elected city students and council member the 2nd District.

All Our Kids and the Initiative have joined the resources and for a Competitive forces in 2007 support needed Prior to his election, Inner Omaha City Councilman to form The to Partnership develop an enthusiasm tion, Staples Foundation City. In addi- a Gray had a 30-year For Our Kids, to Ben Gray for learning,” television photojournalist Vol. 72 - No. 28 help dis- supports for Learning said Beth Smith, career as nered advantaged students.

Executive Director, Ashoka, an organization with the emergency “Kaleidoscope” Winners Circle creates a community The Partnership develops and on Omaha’s ABC’s and host of Nebraska that department at Program of The KETV supports of Medical Center affiliate station, caring for stuNewsWatch social entrepreThe Partnership For dents from pre-kindergarten to use intervention neurs around the gies to decrease Our Kids. “With discussions about 7. The show featured passionate world, in nine stratesup- high school youth violence, through tries: port from Staples a variety of engagement after such as immediate Argentina, Belgium, coun- Gray has to help Foundation for community issues. won multiple violent incidents Learning we can taged youth graduate more disadvan- Canada, Brazil, local, regional tion attempts. continue to reduce retaliaFrance, awards as a reporter, and pursue highand national grades and standardized to increase er education Netherlands, Spain Germany, the photojournalist In 1998, Gray to become employable test scores for Gray dedicates and the United and his wife, youth throughout productive citizens much of his time and host.

States. For more Freddie, began ing with the African-America Omaha Public lives of severely who give back information about workto foundation their community. at-risk youth and to improving the to close the or how to apply gang members. the achievement n Achievement Council for a grant, is the emergency team He Omaha gaps of children visit www. staplesfoundation.

Community Connection, director for Impact Public School in the org.

(OPS) District.

Inc. — a non-profit, One A sought lence prevention vio- his Martin after motivational speaker, organization.

Its members Gray titled Luther King Jr. part- Love,” Day speech, “Strength after one of Dr. to King’s most read books.

OMAHA STAR

THE

Cause of the People that NO Good Dedicated to the Service that Evil Shall Not Go Unopposed Shall Lack a Champion and

Newspaper Nebraska’s Only Black Owned

KS Science Fair

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Details on page 4

Empowerment Network

meeting canceled

next meeting will has been cancelled. The Network Monthly Meeting will begin at 9 a.m.

This Saturday’s Empowerment Breakfast and networking High School - Viking Center. be held Aug. 14 at North meeting will begin at 9:30.

Displays to help Parents, and the interactive community Development. Tables and Partner.

Education and Youth become a Mentor or Adopt-A-Class The focus will be on Opportunity to sign up to Presentations & Families, Students & Community. to help students succeed PLUS Special Interactive ways Learn more about specific .

Discussions. the web at www.empoweromaha.com 502-5153 or visit us on For more information call

50 cents

es Omaha Star Celebrat 72nd Anniversary

Excellence Winne

rs

North Omaha Boys & Girls Club Welcomes Club Members New and Old for the New Year

Omaha, Nebraska

Special Thanks

MILDRED D. BROWN 9, 1938

Publisher Dr. Marguerita L. Washington,

Founded Omaha Star July

homes as you are hardly can continue to repair and buy I On Jan. 4 the of the people that no good money and invest it North Omaha now doing, save your “Dedicated to the service Boys & Girls new and old Club believe that the that evil shall not go bonds that you Club opened members. The its doors tocause shall lack a champion and wisely. Buy more Savings a new year with Omaha Star has Club staff looks new Club parents if and when things forward to beginning unopposed.” may be comfortable age appropriate been in existence for and members. programs for We offer a variety change. kids ages gram areas such seventy-two years of a former pastor of to the newspaper, Mildred as, Sports, Fitness, 6-18. We offer five core Reverend Joseph Forbes, Leadership Development, pro- In an introduction and I have been the & Recreation, said, “Mildred was Character & Gilbert wrote: Education & Career St. John A. M. E. Church Life Skills, and publisher for the It is with profound pleaDevelopment, she made her paper The To the Citizens of Omaha: Health & a friend of the pastors ... from certain schools Arts. We are also offering last twenty years. It She Publishing Co., and [sic] FREE transportation anytime we needed a platform. sure that the Omaha Star In order to qualify in the Omaha metro area (please seems like yesterday journalistic available for this special ministry. She believed that call for a listing). organization of energetic, well trained a paid program by saw her work as a service all Club that I started after my One entire page membership fee members this day a paper of the people, God had given her a calling.

Spring program and a valid membership must have minds, give to you aunt Mildred Brown We here and now wish fee is $30.00 devoted to the work of card. Our the people and for the people. that will be valid Club hours are its was per edition was expired. Some of from 3-8 p.m. the Omaha Star dedicates Jan. 4 - May community, submitted by For more Club 7. Our to have you know that and ask for Mr. in the churches in the you have been supinformation call Dave Felici, Unit serving the general public 342-2300 existence to the task of the pastors.

Director.

Happy New Year for porters almost from It shall be our policy and we hope to her concerns was the struggle Among every way humanly possible.

Others of see you at the start. behalf the Brown’s primary path of duty in the Club! racial equality. Mildred to move in an unerring became supporters it already had. She worked bringing to you the local Star was in selling Many others became supportfoothold in Omaha than early role in the Omaha Black America in Omaha, for equalas the years went by. sincere it, as well as the national an excellent salespermany organizations to work you I want to give my news of the city as we find of ads. She was not only of tirelessly with the National The African American ers recently. To all of backing for the welfare could use the ads as a tool She was a member of highlights, promoting and son; she found that she to ity and peace.

Career and Scholarship Achievement Council Colored People thanks. to sell newspaper ads Black America in general. will have its 4th for the Advancement of is fascinating. The Omaha Fair on Saturday her activism. She refused the the citizens of Omaha and She Association Annual High Magnet Working at a newspaper from 9 A.M. to Publishers Association, sea of journalistic advenemploy black workers.

School, 4410 because this is our paper.

(NAACP), the Black 3 P.M. at North As we launch out into the of companies that did not N. 36th St. Those seeking Star is especially fascinating her readers to procan the support of the general League, the Urban League employment should Anyone who is interested also used editorials to encourage and she challenged National Business ture, we sincerely request and dressed for Plains Black museum.

This paper is about us. come prepared in when we as a group must military success. Lunch Nebraska, and the Great with a resume and issues. Where else test the segregation of the public. The time is at hand was will be provided. information call submit their story, events Congratulation the Martin Bomber plant During the time during which it was active, she Omaha Star a firm founda557-4470.

To RSVP or for s to...the King Since the recent recession, begin to build. Give the them to apply for jobs that and also She more Science & Technology Science Fair. this State can this happen? and reading support and in Bellevue, Nebraska. for the De Porres Club, rollerStudents wrote at Offutt Air Force Base tion by way of subscribing an emotional, financial Magnet students remem- the spokeswoman in the Omaha Star building after school congratulated detailed the paper has also been in turn will build an enterto meet Washington, who is widely who won awards we will assure you that we are determined to persevere. and allowed it the eight Award reports, conducted experiments and a hired Charles own facility. for their projects emony. Pictured coaster at times but we for civil rights, as a reporter out of funds to support their consideration, a mouthpiece of Excellence ran work of his club and for worthy the in to contact us concerning are the Awards bered prise the presented annual 7th & winners and working in the commua display board Alec Williams; I encourage the public who was the executive 8th grade 25 first place She spent countless hours Luke Armitage; of Excellence winners (l or even if you want to to at least two columnist. Whitney Young, force for the people of Omaha. commuwinners with to r): Emily Beck; judges. complaints, recommendations are certainly apprecithe Star as a mouthpiece a Breakfast of Urban League before eventu- nity, receiving over one hundred and fifty and Katie Cramer. Nick Schultz; Ian Brummel; In addition to offering Champions awards The the secretary of the Omaha director of the National nity service awards, including the “Unsung Heroine Madeleine Dangerfield; compliment us. Your comments community in Omaha, cerally becoming the executive for the African-American in behalf of the community the NAACP, one of Martha Winterer; the community to realize ated. The staff is working contributed editorials. enlighten for service awarded by more League, Award” and Urban Gilberts also encouraged better a be honored power 16,000 Africanboycotts to call attention and trying to always have people in the country to The country’s The paper supported the positive effect the buying was small, and is an outstanding cater often only thirty-five largest film time of her death. She paper. Our staff is very she and her staff were if they would carefully festival for children and with this award by the to discrimination, and Americans could have working to satisfy you. including traditional, teens will be Lyndon B. Johnson as a businesses that employed team and they are always to making stop in Omaha also appointed by President their purchases only to CGI, collage support base and I wish well. beginning in January a tour stop-motion styles. to East Germany to investigate and Live Action.

We have a large religious and treated the community ambassador churches the goodwill of Film Streams African-Americans More when tries are In English. Australia; for the support than ten counfollowing the conpresents the Best issue of the paper, Edward express sincere thanks, represented, including Recommended alleged human rights violations worked to improve 95 min.

Specifically, in the second of the New York International clergy leaders. ages: 9 to adult. works from She also Australia, members of the North Omaha in the community and the Children’s Film our struction of the Berlin Gilbert pointed out that (NYICFF). From least, I want to thank Festival Germany, Denmark, Finland, France, an ice cream shop carriers and her office Last but certainly not Jan. 9 to March Latvia, Sweden, the lives of the newspaper black community were patronizing which would be Feb. 6-7, 11, 13-14, there would not be Streams’ Ruth 18, Film U.K. that someone did not have Ice Cream, advertisers. Without advertising, 18 — Sokolof Theater, and the U.S. Tickets Switzerland, the Azur workers. If she learned of at 24th and Lake, Reed’s published. Advertisements nonprof it cinema, & Asmar Directed Omaha’s within hiring practices over she would buy them bags for all screenings an Omaha Star Newspaper enough food at home, will screen five Best targeted for their discriminatory an

by Michel Ocelot. the printing of the publicabest programs larded The newspaper carriof the for seniors, of NYICFF are $9 general, Porres Club. Gilbert spent and retail sales pay for from the 2009 groceries to supply their a decade later by the De $7 advertisers have stuck with students, teachers A dazzling animated NYICFF. The Christmas or Easter party series continues shop and counted at least tions. Many of our older us. dren, and ers often received a special and chil- boys hour outside the ice cream Film Streams’ Newer ones have joined $4.50 for approving of their work, when they might raised as brothers, feature about two Young family Forever Members. us throughout the years.

Film Streams adverin gratitude for their hard one hundred African-Americans and children’s who set off on that they don’t have to dangerous quest were given all year. their purchasing power. which is made program, Streams’ All screenings will occur a Others have the feeling them receive the only gifts they through faraway hiring practices through possible in part at Film find Americans we will give Ruth Sokolof in 1989, the Omaha Star divorced in 1943, and lands to and free the port from Lincoln with tise because as African Theater, located At the time of her death Mildred and Edward Gilbert in Fairy of the Star readers look at the Financial Group. sup- the corner of 14th at Animation. a circulation of 30,685 her maiden name, Brown. our business anyway. Omaha and Mike Fahey Founded in 1997, had a staff of twenty, and us and In English. France; Djinns.

Mildred resumed using Mildred Brown wrote, (for- Recommended NYICFF is dedicated merly Webster) Streets, paper for those who support 1969, Omaha Star, the longest the In the in of states.

99 advertising publisher to promoting min. the thirty-nine As one block south ages: 6 to adult. from those advertisers.

Cuming Street. persist? The answer intelligent, of newspaper run by a woman, we encourage them to purchase or think our readers passionate, “Why then do Negro publishers of his press, all of provocative cinematic operating black-owned refuse More information deprived neighborhood news and works for audiences For those advertisers, who is clear. If the Negro is Mildred Brown provided ages 3-18 and on all five programs Feb. 20-21, 25, 27-28, to market to, we encourage through the years since within Best helping to define March 4 — than fifty years. The paper are not important enough NYICFF Kids the tortuous gains achieved of NYICFF commentary for more compelling f a more online can be Flix shop to ask those merchants lost, and tomorrow’s Negro by calling attention to ilm experience at our readers when they his emancipation will be served an important function www.f ilmstreams.orgfound A kaleidoscopic Juried by such for kids. www.gkids.tv/t of the powerful forces, they don’t? If they continue people in the black commucollection of well-known filmmakers or animated that do not advertise Why youth will be at the mercy our the accomplishments of the best John Turturro, man the ramparts of bigshort films the Omaha Star, I urge values. The newspaper as contact Casey our. For questions, please Susan Sarandon, from around North and South that still to refuse to advertise in $$ nity and emphasizing positive got world, featuring Logan at Mildred Brown Schamus, Matthew the James email their products. Remember who received awards, or traditional animation, otry, prejudice and discrimination.” to do so. From readers to stop buying at casey@filmstre 933-0259 x11 or CGI, collage, recognized individuals been closed Sant, the festival Modine and Gus Van compelled previously felt had she ams.org. that and because industries stop-motion. In persisted The schedule: speak. new jobs in has been described civic 65 min. Recommended she had established English. readers, supporters, merThe New York It announced acts of by the first edition of her newspaper, Thanks again to my staff, Times as being to African-Americans. good ages: 3 to 8. writers and all others They highlighted one She guided the newspa- a challenge to herself and her staff, “that no “devoted to the kind of fare chants advertisers, contributing labeled “troublemakers.” pride and community charity.

Jan. 9-10, 14, of that may be found and that evil shall not March 6-7, 11, the continued existence eras of the Civil Rights 16-17, 21 — week in order to continue Academy Awards at the Razzle cause shall lack a champion through the tumultuous 13-14, 18 — who lend support to making neighborhood family per staff were but not at the Dazzle Directed On the occasion per to the demonstrations Your help is greatly appreciMildred Brown and her local multiplex.”

by Darren Ashton. NYICFF Party Mix in to foster a sense of community. Ms. Brown again Movement, from segregation the Omaha Star possible. for late go unopposed.”

A mockumentary of their community, Brown to the racial unrest of the bright and continued future An all-animated skewering the Best of NYICFF of the 1950s and 1960s, of the Star’s ninth anniversary, ated. I look forward to a the certainly champions outspoken voice in the wilderprogram featuring absurdi- ious, features one live-action ties of competition community, congratulated The Omaha Star reported hilarcomedy and particular. She was an 1960s and early 1970s. pledged her support to the the Star in the Omaha community.. youth dance troupe between kids on the vokingvisually stunning, and thought-profour animated of their emancipation not of its businesses and that occurred both locally ness that the tortuous gains programs, involved circuit – and the triumphs and the tragedies North Omaha on the growth shorts, specifically end. up this advice for her Mildred Brown was not are lost, and she worked tirelessly toward that hyper- older parents who intended for and throughout the nation. fast development, and offered audiences. In live through get any further a Seniors Alexis English them. titles.

Page and Ayomide neighbors. interested in letting discrimination 75 min. Recommendedor English suband queen at wishes to urge that you Adekunle were Central High ages: 9 to 16.

The Star on its anniversary crowned Homecoming on Sept. 12, 2009. king

Career & Scholars

hip Fair

Best of the New

York International

North Omaha Development Project Community Meeting is scheduled for January 28th Details on page 10

Children’s Film

Festival

On Monday, January 11 on NET1 and NET-HD, Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye See page 2 for details

p 2010 Awards

City of Omaha' s Annual MLK, Jr. celebra tion will be at the Holland Perform ing Arts Center See ad on page 10 for more information

Women of Color in Leadershi

and Engage, Business Success “Power to Lead: Leverage, for the Perpetual stewardship. the theme Adopt & Deliver” was Winters advised the in Leadership steps to 3rd Annual Women of Color Awards group of eight Summit & legacy of Leadership at the Inclusion on their per25, 2010 jourLuncheon held on June Center. sonal diversity Holiday Inn Central Conventionluncheon neys; the Over 200 people attended 1. Know self first – was Marywhere the keynote speaker am I? What do I of CEO’s Who Who Quaites-Ferris, Dr. Marguerita Frances Winters, Author for? What makes (L-R) Tanya Cook, Vicki from the Heart stand Get It; Diversity Leadership Leadership Award Recipients: of the Winters me “me”?

Crowder and Soul and President Washington, Annette 2. Value self – What can become? enhance who I am and gifts?

Group.

How are other ences Inclusion are my unique 5. Learn about others – What can learn from differences? circle to Ms Winters spoke on Women’s is my best self? your different from me? How today. She gave Who 4 . individuals/groups 7. Include others – Expand your Tawanna Black and Dr. Winters in the business world Acknowledge 3. succontinued on page 2 to sustained my are they the same? examples of eight steps How do differ- See Leadership to change – What are prejudices – In what 6. Value differences – contribute to Open yourself be my best self? cess: Motivation, Passion/commitment, do I exclude? How do I opportunities to grow? To Magnitude of the ways What are my blind spots?

In-depth Inquiry, and and transforming, intolerance? gap, Resolve, Learning

on July 9, 1938 History was made

Please contact the Omaha Star at 402.346.4041 or by email at fwilliams@omahastarinc.com if you have complete issues, or any portion, of these missing issues.

THOMAS FUNERAL HOME & Cremation Services TRADITION • RESPECT • DIGNITY

A Tradition of Caring Since 1939 3920 North 24th St. Omaha, NE 68110 402-453-7111 www.omahathomasfh.com

THE BLACK PRESS AND THE BLACK CHURCH: Both Born Out of Necessity For Self-Expression And Both Black - Owned.

Together, The Press And the Pulpit Can Give Us Full Citizenship Immediately

PRAISE & WORSHIP DIRECTORY

February 7, 2020

ALLEN CHAPEL A.M.E.

Rev. Benjamin R. Finnell

Rev. Benjamin R. Finnell, Presiding Elder and Pastor Tammi Tate, Public Relations Chairperson 2842 Monroe St. Ph: (402) 502-8003 Fx: 934-8581 Sunday School...........................9:00 a.m.

Sunday Worship......................10:00 a.m.

Thursday Bible Study..............8:00 p.m. via teleconference, dial-in number 563-999-2090 and access code 576989

MOUNT CALVARY COMMUNITY CHURCH

Page Seven

ST. MARK BAPTIST CHURCH

“Jesus is the Light of the World” Bishop Kevin Chambers, Senior Pastor (Elect) www.m3comaha.org 5112 Ames Avenue Omaha, NE 68104 (402) 457-4216 Church Phone (402) 453-4084 Pastor’s Office

THE OMAHA STAR

Pastor Jarrod S. Parker 3616 Spaulding Street, Omaha, NE 68111 Phone: 402-451-0307 Email: smbcsecretary@ stmarkbaptist.org Bishop Kevin Chambers

Pastor Jarrod S. Parker

Sunday School – Sunday 9:00 a.m.

Services: Sunday School .................................................... 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Morning Worship Experience ......... 11:00 a.m.

Word On Wednesday (WOW) ........................ 7:00 p.m.

Worship Service – Sunday 10:15 a.m.

Children’s Church (except 2nd Sunday) Holy Communion every 1st Sunday Prayer and Bible Doctrine Study Midday - 12:00 noon; Evening – 7:00 p.m.

MT. MORIAH MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

“Where Life is for Everyone”

Dr. Ralph B. Lassiter, Pastor 2602 N. 24th St. Off: (402) 451-8800 Fax: (402) 451-8522 mtmoriahomaha.net pastorlassiter@gmail.com

Drs. Mar n & Lynnell Williams Founders & Lead Pastors SUNDAYS Prayer 9:00 AM Worship 10:00 AM

WEDNESDAYS Prayer 6:00 PM Worship 7:00 PM

www.ambassadorswc.com 402-341-1866 5417 N 103rd St. Omaha, NE 68134

Televised Broadcast – Sundays at 6:00 p.m., KPAO Cox Channel 22 & CenturyLink Channel 89 Our Mission: “To exalt the Savior, edify saints, evangelize sinners and elevate society.”

SACRED HEART CATHOLIC CHURCH

Rev. Ralph Lassiter, Sr.

Fr. Dave Korth

Sunday School .............................................. 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Worship ..........................................10:45 a.m.

Overcomers in Christ......................Sunday 7:00 p.m.

2207 Wirt Street Omaha, NE 68110 Phone: 402-451-5755

Wednesday Bible-Prayer Service 11:30 a.m. & 6:30 p.m Fr. Dave Korth

CLAIR MEMORIAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH “Come Get Your Hilltop Experience” Rev. Portia A. Cavitt, Pastor 5544 Ames Avenue, Omaha, NE 68104 Telephone: 402-451-8322 • Website: www.cmumc.net Email: clairumc@cumc.omhcoxmail.com Rev. Portia A. Cavitt, Pastor

Sunday School………………………8:45 a.m.

Sunday Worship Experience………...10:00 a.m.

Wednesday Bible Study….…….…….6:00 p.m.

Mass Schedule: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday - 8:00 am in Rectory (2218 Binney)

MT. NEBO MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

Thursday - School Mass 8:10 am in Church

“The Church Where Fellowship is Real”

Saturday - 5:00 pm Sunday - 8:15 am and 10:30 am

Pastor Terry L. Arvie 5501 N. 50th Street Ph: 402-451-4245 Fx: 402-451-2130 office@mtneboomaha.org www.mtneboomaha.org Pastor Terry L. Arvie

Sunday Morning Worship ...................................9:00 a.m.

Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting .....................7:00 p.m.

Wednesday Night Church School ......................7:30 p.m.

Youth/Children Ministry Focus (Wed.) ............7:30 p.m.

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

SALEM BAPTIST CHURCH Serving God and One Another in the Spirit of Excellence Rev. Dr. Selwyn Q. Bachus Senior Pastor 3131 Lake Street Omaha, NE 68111 402-455-1000 www.salembc.org

Rev. Dr. Selwyn Q. Bachus

Rev. Kent H. Little, Lead Pastor Services on Sundays at 8:30 am & 10:50 am

PLEASANT GREEN BAPTIST CHURCH

7020 Cass Street, Omaha, NE 68132 402.556.6262 www.fumcomaha.org First United Methodist Church is a welcoming and inclusive community, inspired to grow with and in God.

Weekly Services Sunday Morning Worship Service .....................8:30 a.m. & 11:30 a.m.

Children’s Church (2nd & 4th Sunday) ................8:30 a.m. & 11:30 a.m.

Life Development (Sunday School) .........................................10:15 a.m.

Wednesday Word and Worship (WWW) ................................ 6:30 p.m.

“Where CHRIST is Preeminent and the Word Prevails!”

Rev. Kent H. Little

Pastor Brian Page 5555 Larimore Avenue Church: 402-346-8427 www.pleasantgreenomaha.org

TABERNACLE OF FAITH CHURCH

Pastor Brian Page

Pastor Barbara Mitchell 2404 Fort Street, Omaha, NE 68111 402-455-1800 Church 402-455-3390 Fax

Wednesday: Prayer Power Hour ......................................12:00 p.m Thursday: Youth For Christ ............................................6:00 p.m Prayer & Bible Study ....................................6:30 p.m Sunday: Sunday School.................................................9:00 a.m.

Morning Worship..........................................10:15 a.m.

Televised Broadcast Sunday @ 10pm on KPAO Cox Communication channel 22 & Century Link channel 89

Charles Galloway - President, Rev John Deang - Pastor, Dr John Beasley - Elder

Pastor Barbara Mitchell

8:30 am Early Sunday Morning Worship 9:30 - 10:15 am Sunday Morning Breakfast 10:15 - 11:15 am Sunday School 11:30 am Sunday Morning Worship 6:30 pm Wednesday Bible Study 8:00 pm Friday Night Service Noon day prayer Thursday - Saturday

HOPE LUTHERAN CHURCH Missouri Synod 2721 N. 30th Street 402-453-1583 Sunday School................................10:00 a.m.

Church Service...............................11:00 a.m.

YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME

Rev. Vitalis Anyanike

ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CATHOLIC CHURCH

ZION BAPTIST CHURCH

2423 Grant St. Omaha, NE 68111 Ph: 402-348-0631 • Fax 402-342-4451 Sunday Mass: 9:00 a.m.

Reconciliation: Sunday after Mass or by appointment

Rev. Kenneth A. Allen, Pastor

&

JOY OF LIFE MINISTRIES COGIC

HOLY NAME CATHOLIC CHURCH

Pastors Eric and Cynthia Butler

2901 Fontenelle Blvd. 68104 Ph: 402-451-6622 • Fax 402-457-6901 Mass Schedule: Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m., Sat. 8:30 a.m. & 5:00 p.m.

Sun. 8:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m. & Noon (Spanish) Reconciliation: Sat. 4:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. or by appointment

6401 N. 56th Street Omaha, NE 68104 Ph: 402-399-9628 E-Mail: Jolpastor@aol.com Sunday School..........................9:30 a.m.

Sunday Worship......................10:30 a.m.

Sunday Evening Worship.......6:00 p.m.

Wednesday Night ....................7:00 p.m.

Bible Study and Youth Ministries

Pastor: Rev. Vitalis Anyanike

Pastor Eric Butler and Co-Pastor Cynthia Butler

2215 Grant Street Omaha, NE 68110 Ph: 402-346-1502 Fax: 402-344-2720

Pastor Kenneth A. Allen

SUNDAY Sunday Morning Worship……………10:00 A.M. Sunday School……………………….. 9:00 A.M. WEDNESDAY 11:00 A.M. ~ Hour of Power Bible Study Wednesday is Family Night!

6:00 P.M. ~ Prayer & Praise Service 6:30 P.M. ~ Feast & Fellowship (Light Meal) 7:15 P.M. ~ Discipleship Academy (Classes for ages 5 & up)

THE WORSHIP CENTER North 24th Street Church of God “Presenting the Never-Changing GOD to an ever-changing World!”

MORNING STAR BAPTIST CHURCH

“Where Christ Jesus Is the Center of Attention” Rev. Dr. Leroy E. Adams, Jr. Senior Pastor 2019 Burdette Street Omaha, NE 68110 Ph: 402-342-0018 Fx: 402-346-9300 Rev. Dr. Leroy E. Adams, Jr.

Radio Broadcast: 101.3 fm 9:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. each Sunday Worship Service .............10:00 a.m.

Sunday School .................8:45 a.m.

Excluding First Sunday Tuesday Evening Service.........7:00 p.m.

Dr. Stan Rone - Senior Pastor 2021 N. 24th Street • Omaha, NE 68110 (402) 341-4297 Dr. Stan Rone Senior Pastor

Sunday Kingdom Academy 9:00 a.m.

Worship Celebration 10:15 a.m.

Tuesday Prayer Hour 7:00 a.m. & 12:00 noon Wednesday Power Hour (Prayer/Bible Study) 6:30 p.m.

Youth and Children 6:30 p.m. www.theworshipcenter24cog.org

Page Eight

THE OMAHA STAR

LIFE & STYLE/HEALTH & WELLNESS

‘Just Mercy’ Exclusive: Stevenson Highlights Criminal Injustice

Don’t Fret Over a Career Path; Take the Road Less Traveled

By Sandra A. Miller

Stevenson in front of the ‘Just Mercy’ poster

By Micha Green AFRO DC Editor

THE AFRO — On Jan. 11 Bryan Stevenson, the lawyer, social justice advocate and author of the book Just Mercy, which inspired the film, sat down at the NAAMHC with historian, professor and filmmaker Dr. Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, for a frank and progressive conversation on injustice within the prison system.

The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) set the stage for a red carpet premiere of Just Mercy and more importantly offered a platform for a powerful conversation. The film tells the story of Bryan Stevenson’s (Michael B. Jordan) historic fight to get the wrongly convicted Walter McMillan (Jamie Foxx) off death row, which made the NAAMHC a perfect location to converse about {Just Mercy} and the need for criminal justice and prison reform.

Prior to the discussion, moderated by Gates in the Oprah Winfrey Theater, the AFRO caught up with Stevenson and the Rev. Al Sharpton to discuss the importance of Just Mercy.

“If people saw what I see on a regular basis, they would want things to change,” Stevenson said.

“I’m excited about the film because it’ll bring people into spaces that I’ve seen, but most people haven’t seen. I hope that it does have an impact. I think it can, and we know that art and narrative have been incredibly influential in many instances and I’m hoping that it’s the same in this issue,” the lawyer, on whom the story is based, said.

Sharpton, who offered the convocation at the official event, shared how he hopes the film will affect audiences.

“I think where the culture shifts, the politics shift. So I think the timeliness of it, the effectiveness of it and what Bryan has done, will be very challenging to the people,” he said.

Stevenson shared Sharpton’s sentiments on audiences taking action after seeing Just Mercy.

“I hope they get involved. I hope they will become active in these issues. Most people don’t know who their prosecutors are. You’ve got to learn that, to be able to hold people accountable,” he said.

The discussion between Gates and Stevenson was a meeting of the minds, which allowed for tough questions to be answered supported by statistics regarding the status of the criminal justice system, which is disproportionately filled with Black and Brown bodies.

“What we’re doing now is, we’re putting people in jails and prisons where they’re actually being beaten and abused and crushed and isolated in a way, that when they come out, their risk of re-offending is even greater than when they went in,” Stevenson told Gates and the audience in the filled theater.

Stevenson offered a solution to cut down on the high prison population.

“We’ve got hundreds and thousands of people, who are in jails and prisons for drug related offenses, they don’t need a criminal justice response, they need a healthcare response,” Stevenson said. “Addiction and dependency is a health problem, and if we use the healthcare system to respond to that, we could keep people out of jails and prisons, and we could keep families together.”

The lawyer and advocate also discussed how spending could be greatly decreased with a much more health centered approach.

“We went from $6 million in spending in 1980 to about $86 billion in spending last year.

If we had $40 billion to invest in communities where kids are experiencing trauma and healthcare for people with addiction and dependency and re-entry services, not only could we improve public safety, but I think we would have a future that is much more secure and much healthier. So I would love to see a wholesale reassessment of people in jails and prisons,” Stevenson said.

(This article originally appeared in THE AFRO.)

Health and Spirituality Hidden Salt

By Mark Darby, RN APRN, FNP-C Director of North Omaha Academy of Healthy Living First off, let me be clear – I love barbeque sauce, all kinds: mustard based as well as vinegar and tomato based. I love it all.

However, barbeque may be killing me. In addition to my striking good looks, my father gave me a genetic predisposition for high blood pressure and heart attack. The sodium in the barbeque sauce I love may be killing me because of its exceptional high sodium content. It is a proven fact; high sodium diets leave us at greater risk for heart trouble.

Good taste or good health, what a choice. Well, during February Heart Month we want to give a different message. A spiritual message of hope. We can have good taste and live long. The key to this is knowledge.

Let’s look at a few facts. I work at NOAH clinic on 56th and Ames. Within a mile radius of our clinic, there are people of all races and ages who suffer from greater rates of high blood pressure than almost anywhere else in the city.

In that same mile, how many places are there where I can get any food low in sodium? One. In that same mile, how many places are there where I can get sodium rich foods like packaged snacks, pizza, fast food, frozen TV dinners or, everybody’s favorite, Ramen Noodles? I stopped counting after I reached 30 places.

30 sodium rich places versus one healthy place.

I don’t want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but somebody is making decisions about our health based on money.

Another fact – most sodium is hidden. Breads, processed meat and cheese have sodium mainly as a preservative. Let’s get a visual on this. We are supposed to eat the equivalent of a teaspoon full of salt per day. A toasted bagel, ham and cheese sandwich can have this much salt. Eating this sandwich is like going to my kitchen, taking out a soup spoon, filling it full of salt and popping it into my mouth. Yech! I would never eat that much table salt in one sitting, yet in this one sandwich is enough salt for an entire day.

I don’t want to add to conspiracy again but who hides salt? People with something to hide.

What should we do about this? Be aware of salt by reading labels, limit breads, processed meats and cheese and salty snacks. Avoid too much sauce.

Salad dressing, ketchup and yes barbeque sauce is loaded with salt. Try different herbs such as basil, thyme or garlic rather than table salt.

When I go for my next barbeque, I am going to ask for the sauce on the side or to not cook the meat with the sauce on it. Good taste and good life both obtained.

I can enjoy my striking good looks while I am alive and not have to be satisfied to look good in my coffin.

February 7, 2020

“The road less traveled” is an iconic idiom that has bounced around for decades, but sadly, not enough young people are taking it as they head into adulthood.

Paraphrased from a line in the Robert Frost poem, The Road Not Taken, the road less traveled conjures the image of a young person acting independently, freeing themselves from conformity and perhaps making bold choices or even ill-advised, risky ones. It sounds exciting and can lead to spectacular successes – or failures.

Most, of course, prefer the safer path, with a four-year college degree becoming almost cliché as the most secure way to go forward in life. And there are other conventional routes: getting a stable job right out of high school, a training program leading to a career, etc.

Look, college is still a great gateway to your future. It’s one I took and recommend. I teach writing in college now. But what I’m saying is, whatever you do, don’t let societal conformity or expectations, peer pressure, know-itall professors, parental pressure, or your own fears and insecurity prevent you from taking the road – or several side roads – less traveled.

There cannot possibly be a better way to learn about yourself. Take the scenic route down the dirt path by the creek. Through the woods, over the mountains. The road less traveled. Follow your heart wherever it leads.

Give yourself a green light Allow me to flash a blinking red light on your safe path as an absolute danger to the quality of your life, your development and potential, and not least of all, to the wealth of your memories.

From the luxury of looking into my own rear-view mirror, I can tell you that being spontaneous, courageous, and zestful can lead to extraordinary experiences that will make your life far richer than it otherwise would be.

Most of us grow up being told what to do by well-meaning parents, or at least guided in some ways. And that’s as it should be, to a degree; on the other end of the spectrum, the overbearing or helicoptering parent snuffs the freedom out of you before it has a chance to breathe once you’re out of the house. You feel obliged to a life of conformity.

But as you teeter on the threshold of your adult life, having this golden chance that will never come again, I want to tell you some things.

First of all, use your voice and be big in the world. Be big and loud and bold.

After 18 years of being told how to think and what to believe in, this is your chance to show who you are and to decide which direction you want to start in.

Don’t feel guilty. Try owning your voice to reject what doesn’t feel true and right, and then consider what you’re passionate about, what enthralls you. Go for it then; don’t wait to have time for it later. Otherwise, that time might not come as life’s conformities start

coming at you in waves – the 9 to 5 job, marriage, children – all before you took the grand opportunity to explore and discover more of yourself.

Don’t worry about choosing wrong. You can change your mind again, and then again.

Live in the moment – and live large That’s the incredible thing you don’t realize yet: Life is more fluid than fixed. You get to jump streams, change paths until you find the one that’s singularly yours.

And while you’re looking for your path, you can also stress a little less. Getting A’s in college is commendable, sure, but grades aren’t the real stuff of life. That comes with impromptu adventures and midnight escapades, meeting new people, even messing up a little. These are some of the best years of your hopefully long life, and there’s a lot of fun to be had and things to discover – including yourself.

So, with that, you might think about leaving the library now and then and shedding the nickname “bookworm.” Cram less. Live more. Maybe even crawl into the bell tower and drink beer with your friends.

You do not want to look back with regrets.

I had fun in my younger life as an adventurer, but one major event stopped me in my tracks when I was in college and really before I embarked on out-of-the-box choices and the road less traveled.

I was driving home on a dreary December afternoon in the middle of final exams, shortly after getting the call that my father had died. Our relationship had long suffered. I wondered what I could have done differently before losing him, and I would spend decades trying to heal my broken heart.

From the vantage point of midlife, people who suffered similar losses in their distant past can finally see the truth behind the pain.

For me, my difficult relationship with my dad was part of my journey, and looking back now, the perpetual ache I felt to connect with him propelled me, led me around the globe to the most magical places.

It led me to Asia to teach. To Europe, where I fell in love with languages. And South America, where I stumbled onto a spiritual path.

Sometimes taking the road less traveled may create the impression you’re running away, but this is all part of your search to find yourself apart from your family. You’re beginning on the edge of adulthood as I did, a shy, 18-year-old worrier, constantly wondering if you are doing the right thing for your future.

The right thing is being you, and the journey is about discovering you.

Whatever road – or roads – you take, don’t worry about wrong turns, and just keep living forwards, not backwards or sideways. You’ll find your way, in part by stumbling into your truths far down the road. Every step, every mistake, every regret and every moment of incalculable joy is essential to this journey you are on.

Coronavirus Q&A: What You Need to Know

By Nebraska Medicine Biocontainment Unit Nebraska Medicine primary and Immediate Care clinics and emergency rooms are screening patients to promptly identify and evaluate any suspected cases.

By now, you’ve probably heard about the novel coronavirus outbreak. While it originated in China, it is beginning to spread to other countries, including the United States. Our infectious disease experts help shed some light on this new virus and provide tips on how you can best protect yourself and your loved ones.

What is the novel coronavirus?

There are numerous coronaviruses.

Many infect animals such as bats, camels, cats, etc. Coronaviruses can also cause infections in humans and, in most instances, result in a mild upper respiratory infection (common cold). Prior to the Wuhan coronavirus, two other coronaviruses (SARS, MERS) were known to cause more serious lower respiratory infection (pneumonia). The 2019 novel coronavirus is a new virus strain that is believed to have originated around the city of Wuhan, China, and started spreading among people in late 2019.

What is the main concern with this virus?

Health experts are concerned because we still don’t have complete information on how the virus behaves and the full spectrum of disease. This information will become clearer over time as scientists investigate further.

What do experts know so far about the severity of the illness caused by the novel coronavirus?

Most reported cases have been mild (similar to a cold). However, some cases have resulted in severe pneumonia that requires patients to spend time in a hospital, and a small proportion of victims have died. We currently do not know enough about the illness to predict who will develop more severe disease, but current data indicate that older age and underlying disease (COPD, diabetes, immunosuppression, etc.) may be risk factors.

What are the symptoms and complications?

Symptoms can range from quite mild to severe illness. Fever, cough and shortness of breath are characteristic symptoms of infection. Symptoms have shown up as soon as two days to as long as 14 days after exposure to the virus. In more severe cases, pneumonia develops, which may make it difficult to breathe.

What’s the risk to Nebraskans?

Currently, we estimate low risk to people living in this region. We do not know of any active cases in Nebraska or of sustained human-to-human transmission in the United States. Nebraska Medicine Health Centers, Immediate Care Clinics, emergency rooms and the UNL and UNO campus health clinics are screening patients to promptly identify and evaluate any suspected cases. Travelers to certain

parts of the world, particularly China, may have a higher risk.

How can I avoid getting the novel coronavirus?

The best advice is to practice good hygiene and common sense measures like you would with the seasonal flu. Those things include: 1. Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds – hand sanitizer is a second option 2. Don’t touch your mouth, nose or eyes, especially with unwashed hands 3. Avoid contact with people who are sick 4. If you are sick, stay at home 5. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing – DON’T cough or sneeze into your hands 6. Frequently clean and disinfect frequently touched objects in your home, car and workplace 7. If you are traveling overseas, make sure to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines at wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel. Right now in the U.S., there are very few cases and they are all linked to travel or close contact with an ill person.

What is the treatment for the virus?

A vaccine isn’t available yet. Most people have recovered by drinking lots of fluids, resting and taking pain and fever medication. If symptoms worsen, medical care might be needed.

Will the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit be activated to care for novel coronavirus patients?

At this time, the unit hasn’t been activated. It’s possible if an American citizen living elsewhere in the world develops

the virus, the Biocontainment Unit could be used for treatment as it was with patients who had the Ebola virus in 2014.

However, patients with the novel coronavirus may not require that level of care and may be cared for in a standard hospital room or in their home while practicing effective isolation methods.

Will Nebraska Medicine’s newly opened Training, Simulation & Quarantine Center (TSQC) be used to care for patients?

The National Quarantine Unit within the TSQC consists of 20 negative-pressure rooms that were designed to hold quarantined individuals. We are currently evaluating how we may best use this facility to meet the needs of the country and the community.

What is the source of the outbreak?

We know that the closest coronavirus relatives of this current virus are all harbored in Asian bats. Although it is most likely that the virus was recently introduced into the human population from an animal source in China. Initial cases appear to be linked to a live food market in Wuhan, China. Investigations are ongoing to determine the virus’ source and mode of transmission.

How does the virus spread?

This virus probably originally emerged from an animal source, but can now spread from person to person. At this time, it’s unclear how easily or sustainably this virus is spreading between people. Coronaviruses generally spread by respiratory droplets generated when a sick person coughs or sneezes. Coronaviruses may survive on surfaces that have been contaminated with respiratory secretions.

(For example, a sick person coughs on their hand and then touches a door knob.)

Thus, contaminated surfaces may be another, less common, route of transmission. It should be noted that common disinfectants kill coronaviruses on surfaces.

Are some people more susceptible to getting the novel coronavirus?

We do not know enough about the virus to determine this. However, older people with chronic medical problems may be more susceptible to severe disease and death based on preliminary reports.

How do you test a person for the novel coronavirus?

Currently, testing for novel coronavirus is only available at the CDC. However, this may change as the outbreak progresses.

Look for more questions and answers in next issue

February 7, 2020

EVENTS/CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

City Council continued from page 1 ity of churches and a grow- hol would only make things After nearly two hours ing business improvement worse. of testimony, which rivaled district. In the nearly two “It would be a self inflict- action earlier in the day on hours of testimony, business ed wound that only adds to the mayor’s proposed propowners, church leaders and the immense challenges the erty tax levy which would lifelong community mem- community is trying to over- add $200,000 over six years bers testified that beer sales come,” she said. to street maintenance starting would detract from years of William King, owner of in 2022, city council memhard-earned progress in the radio station 95.7 The Boss bers opposed the license community. Jerram said vot- which is located blocks from unanimously. ing “No” was as simple as the Family Dollar, said his Quiet applause and cheers the Sesame Street rule. work as a probation officer filled the room as many “One of these things does showed him how alcohol and quickly picked up their coats not belong,” he said. other substances have held and bags. The light of the The Nebraska Liquor his community back. North dreary February day had Control Commission will Omaha won’t have another faded as they streamed out have the final say on the alcohol distributor, he said, into the cold night. Back in Family Dollar’s poten- and he’d use his voice on the legislative chamber, Gray tial beer sales at 1500 N. the radio to make sure the said tonight signaled just 24th St. as well as anoth- community’s in line about how far the North Omaha er Family Dollar at 3552 what is good neighborhood community has come. Eight Leavenworth St. which the stewardship and what’s not. years ago, this probably council opposed on a 5-2 “We’re in the mode right would have passed, he said. vote. However community now of rehabilitating our But, because of communiopposers said they’ll travel community,” King said. ty organizing, acts like the to Lincoln to testify in front “And we don’t need inter- good neighbor ordinance and of the three-person commis- ference from anyone outside $33.5 million dollar nonsion, already shouting back trying to continue the perpet- profit and public investment and forth in the legislative uation of manipulating peo- in the Siena Francis House, chamber to arrange carpools. ple who don’t have a voice.” ownership in the community That’s important for the The issue struck a partic- is stronger.

Liquor Control Commission ular chord in the communiNow people feel confident to hear because it speaks ty because of longstanding coming before the city counlouder than the City Council’s opposition to Family Dollars. cil, speaking plainly and with vote.

Councilman Ben Gray who authority about what’s right “They take you seriously represents District 2 and and wrong for their comand they listen,” said Council northeast Omaha, said every munity, many bringing thick Member Aimee Melton. Family Dollar he’s been to packets of documentation “And that’s what it’s going in his area is undermanaged, that impressed city council to take.” unclean and unsupportive of members. For Gray, it’s not Louis Masters spoke in growth in the community. surprising, though. support of the resolution “I don’t think a single perThere’s a larger plan to support a liquor license. son in the community would for North Omaha at work.

Family Dollar’s district man- miss one of those Family Tuesday’s hearing just disager to oversee liquor license Dollars,” he said. played the force turning its implementation in Nebraska Other council members wheels. said adding beer to these questioned the ethics of “We got a plan in place stores is about customer choosing these two locations to address homelessness, demand and filling gaps in among the many Omaha we got facilities built, we those neighborhoods.

Family Dollars as needing have outreach people that “A lot of our customers liquor licenses saying they are going out and getting walk to our locations so they seem to be targeting vulner- people,” Gray said. “So are really don’t have the option of able communities. we going to turn around and going anywhere to buy pack“They’re in there to take put a beer place there? No aged liquor,” he said, speak- the money,” said Gray. man. That just doesn’t make ing about the Leavenworth “That’s all they want to do.” sense.” location which is down the street from a Kiwk Shop gas station as well as bars like OMAHA POLICE DEPARTMENT Alderman’s and The Down The Omaha Police Department is now accepting applications Under Lounge. Similarly for Police Officer. This is general police work that involves on N. 24th Street, Masters enforcement of all ordinances, statutes, and laws in said customers would have accordance with Police Department policies and procedures. to walk to Ames or Cuming Salary: $47,919.82 with step increases to $84,081.40 Annual. streets for alcohol.

Excellent benefit package.

In total 18 community members testified against the Apply online on or before March 19, 2020. store. They included Carmen www.cityofomaha.org and www.joinopd.com Tapio who owns North End EOE Teleservices, a telecommunications business that started in 2015 with 0 employees and now has 120 people, church leaders who quoted scripture and elicited amens from the audience and many 24th street residents.

Terence Haynes, a community advocate and lifelong resident, said his childhood home faced several liquor stores and so he’s long witnessed alcoholism’s stranglehold on the community.

“I had to deal with that and I watched it my entire life from my bedroom window,” he said.

Tapio, whose business is in the same strip mall as Family Dollar, said the business is not doing enough already to curb illicit activity outside its store.Littering, public intoxication, assault and other issues are common already, she said, and adding alco-

All rights reserved re common law copyright of trade name/trademark, ERICK ROGER RIDLEY as well as any and all derivatives and variations in the spelling of said trade name/trademark Common Law Copyright © 1987 by Erick Roger Ridley®. Said common law trade name/trademark, ERICK ROGER RIDLEY®, may neither be used, nor reproduced, neither in whole nor in part, nor in any manner whatsoever, without the prior, express, written consent and acknowledgement of Erick Roger Ridley® as signified by the red ink signature of Erick Roger Ridley®, hereinafter “Secured Party.” With the intent of being contractually bound, any juristic person, as well as the agent of said juristic person, consents and agrees by this Copyright Notice that neither said juristic person, nor the agent of said juristic person, shall display, nor otherwise use in any manner, the common law trade name/trademark ERICK ROGER RIDLEY®, nor the common law copyright described herein, nor any derivative of, nor any variation in the spelling of ERICK ROGER RIDLEY® without the prior, express, written consent and acknowledgment of Secured Party, as signified by Secured Party’s signature in red ink. Secured Party neither grants, nor implies, nor otherwise gives consent for any unauthorized use of ERICK ROGER RIDLEY®, and all such unauthorized use is strictly prohibited. Secured Party is not now, nor has Secured Party ever been, an accommodation party, nor a surety, for the purported debtor, i.e. “ERICK ROGER RIDLEY,” nor for any derivative of, nor for any variation in the spelling of, said name, nor for any other juristic person, and is so indemnified and held harmless by Debtor, i.e.

“ERICK ROGER RIDLEY,” in Hold harmless and Indemnity Agreement No. ERR-040687-HHIA dated the Sixth Day of the Fourth Month in the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Nine Hundred Eighty-Seven against any and all claims, legal actions, orders, warrants, judgments, demands, liabilities, losses, depositions, summonses, lawsuits, costs, fines, liens, levies, penalties, damages, interests, and expenses whatsoever, both absolute and contingent, as are due and as might become due, now existing and as might hereafter arise, and as might be suffered by, imposed on, and incurred by Debtor for any and every reason, purpose, and cause whatsoever. Self-executing Contract/Security Agreement in Event of Unauthorized Use: By this Copyright Notice, both the juristic person and the agent of said juristic person, hereinafter jointly and severally “User,” consent and agree that any use of ERICK ROGER RIDLEY® other than authorized use as set forth above constitutes unauthorized use, counterfeiting, of Secured Party’s common law copyrighted property, contractually binds User, renders this Copyright Notice a Security Agreement wherein User is debtor and Erick Roger Ridley® is Secured Party, and signifies that User: (1) grants Secured Party a security interest in all of User’s assets, land, and personal property, and all of User’s interest in assets, land, and personal property, in the sum certain amount of $500,000.00 per each occurrence of use of the common law copyrighted trade name/trademark ERICK ROGER RIDLEY®, as well as for each and every occurrence of use of any and all derivatives of, and variations in the spelling of, ERICK ROGER RIDLEY®, plus costs, plus triple damages; (2) authenticates this Security Agreement wherein User is debtor and Erick Roger Ridley® is Secured Party, and wherein User pledges all of User’s assets, land, consumer goods, farm products, inventory, equipment, money, investment property, commercial tort claims, letters of credit, letter of credit rights, chattel paper, instruments, deposit accounts, accounts, documents, and general intangibles, and all User’s interest in all such foregoing property, now owned and hereafter acquired, now existing and hereafter arising, and wherever located, as collateral for securing User’s contractual obligation in favor of Secured Party for User’s unauthorized use of Secured Party’s common law copyrighted property; (3) consents and agrees with Secured Party’s filing of a UCC Financing Statement in the UCC filing office, as well as in any county recorder’s office, wherein User is debtor and Erick Roger Ridley® is Secured Party; (4) consents and agrees that said UCC Financing Statement described above in paragraph “(3)’’ is a continuing financing statement, and further consents and agrees with Secured Party’s filing of any continuation statement necessary for maintaining Secured Party’s perfected security interest in all of User’s property and interest in property, pledged as collateral in this Security Agreement and described above in paragraph “(2),” until User’s contractual obligation theretofore incurred has been fully satisfied; (5) consents and agrees with Secured Party’s filing of any UCC Financing Statement, as described above in paragraphs “(3)” and “(4),” as well as the filing of any Security Agreement, as described above in paragraph “(2),’’ in the UCC filing office, as well as in any county recorder’s office; (6) consents and agrees that any and all such filings described in paragraphs “(4)” and “(5)” above are not, and may not be considered, bogus, and that User will not claim that any such filing is bogus; (7) waives all defenses; and (8) appoints Secured Party as Authorized Representative for User, effective upon User’s default re User’s contractual obligations in favor of Secured Party as set forth below under “Payment Terms” and “Default Terms,” granting Secured Party full authorization and power for engaging in any and all actions on behalf of User including, but not limited by, authentication of a record on behalf of User, as Secured Party, in Secured Party’s sole discretion, deems appropriate, and User further consents and agrees that this appointment of Secured Party as Authorized Representative for User, effective upon User’s default, is irrevocable and coupled with a security interest. User further consents and agrees with all of the following additional terms of Self-executing Contract/Security Agreement in Event of Unauthorized Use: Payment Terms: In accordance with fees for unauthorized use of ERICK ROGER RIDLEY® as set forth above, User hereby consents and agrees that User shall pay Secured Party all unauthorized use fees in full within ten (10) days of the date User is sent Secured Party’s invoice, hereinafter “Invoice,” itemizing said fees. Default Terms: In event of non-payment in full of all unauthorized use fees by User within ten (10) days of date Invoice is sent, User shall be deemed in default and: (a) all of User’s property and property pledged as collateral by User, as set forth in above in paragraph “(2),” immediately becomes, i.e. is, property of Secured Party; (b) Secured Party is appointed User’s Authorized Representative as set forth above in paragraph “(8)”; and (c) User consents and agrees that Secured Party may take possession of, as well as otherwise dispose of in any manner that Secured Party, in Secured Party’s sole discretion, deems appropriate, including, but not limited by, sale at auction, at any time following User’s default, and without further notice, any and all of User’s property and interest, described above in paragraph “(2),” formerly pledged as collateral by User, now property of Secured Party, in respect of this “Self-executing Contract/Security Agreement in Event of Unauthorized Use,” that Secured Party, again in Secured Party’s sole discretion, deems appropriate. Terms for Curing Default: Upon event of default, as set forth above under “Default Terms,” irrespective of any and all of User’s former property and interest in property, described above in paragraph “(2),” in the possession of, as well as disposed of by, Secured Party, as authorized above under “Default Terms,” User may cure User’s default only re the remainder of User’s said former property and interest property, formerly pledged as collateral that is neither in the possession of, nor otherwise disposed of by, Secured Party within twenty (20) days of date of User’s default only by payment in full. Terms of Strict Foreclosure: User’s non-payment in full of all unauthorized use fees itemized in Invoice within said twenty (20) day period for curing default as set forth above under “Terms for Curing Default” authorizes Secured Party’s immediate non-judicial strict foreclosure on any and all remaining former property and interest in property, formerly pledged as collateral by User, now property of Secured Party, which is not in the possession of, nor otherwise disposed of by, Secured Party upon expiration of said twenty (20) day default curing period.

Ownership subject to common law copyright and UCC Financing Statement and Security Agreement filed with the UCC filing office. Record Owner: Erick Roger Ridley®, Autograph Common Law Copyright © 1987. Unauthorized use of “Erick Roger Ridley” incurs same unauthorized use fees as those associated with ERICK ROGER RIDLEY®, as set forth above in paragraph “(1)” under “Self-executing Contract/Security Agreement in Event of Unauthorized Use.”

Page Nine

NCNW Harambee Jazz Brunch Dr. Cheryl Logan, Omaha Public Schools Superintendent, will be the keynote speaker for the NCNW Harambee Jazz Brunch sponsored by the Omaha Section - National Council of Negro Women Inc. Dr. Logan’s vision is “Every student. Every day. Prepared for success.” The Harambee theme this year is “Ubantu – I am because we are.”

The Harambee Jazz Brunch will be held Feb. 22 from 10 a.m. to noon at the UNO Thompson Alumni Center, 6705 Dodge St. Entertainment will be provided by the North High School Jazz Ensemble.

The public is invited to support this event. Recommended attire: African or the color purple. For tickets, contact Perlie Whitley at 402-320-0375 or go to Eventbrite.com Dr. Logan and search for NCNW Harambee Jazz Brunch.

Proceeds from the NCNW Harambee Jazz Brunch provides funding for the Omaha Section - NCNW to continue its mission to lead, develop, and advocate for women of African descent as they support their families and communities.

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Have You Heard About The Business Connection?

To advertise your business, please contact Tanya Cooper.

Join Today!

Call 402-346-4041 Ext. 5 or email tcooper@omahastarinc.com

Page Ten THE OMAHA STAR

YOUTH/EDUCATION NEWS

‘Inclusive Communities’ Announces New Partnership Inclusive Communities has announced a partnership with Bellevue University to offer a new educational workshop series designed to bring diversity, equity and inclusion into the leadership skills that front-line leaders need to be successful.

“The Transformational Leadership Series, which begins May 28, is unique in the Omaha metro area because it addresses the needs of emerging leaders who are grappling with the complexities of integrating diverse perspectives to drive competitive business outcomes,” said Tena Hahn-Rodriguez, IC Senior Program Partner. “The leaders who complete this program will not only understand how equity contributes to success, they’ll be able to truly leverage it to achieve business strategies in their own organizations. As they are transformed, their organizations and our community will change for the better.”

The Transformational Leadership Series consists of five sessions focused on leader identity; intentional diversity, equity and inclusion; coaching for performance; succession planning; and operationalizing

the value of diversity. Experienced instructors and faculty from the Bellevue University College of Continuing and Professional Education will teach and lead the interactive sessions. Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) are available for the program.

The series is open to anyone. Nonprofit employees and members of the Commitment to Opportunity Diversity and Equity (CODE) through the Greater Omaha Chamber receive a special program price. Scholarship opportunities are available as well.

For more information or to register, go to: https://www.bellevue.edu/degrees/ continuing-education/leadership-anddiversity

February 7, 2020

Vote in Black History Month Art Contest U.S. Cellular has announced that the top 10 drawings in the company’s third annual Black History Month Art Contest with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands will be on display until Feb. 29. The public is encouraged to visit the central Omaha U.S. Cellular store throughout February to vote on their favorite piece of artwork.

In January, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands members created original 8½-by-11-inch pieces of artwork in recognition of influential AfricanAmericans that include business people, athletes, historical figures and celebrities.

The 10 finalists were selected by Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands and U.S. Cellular representatives based on creativity, quality, interpretation, clarity of theme and overall impression.

The artwork is on display at U.S. Cellular,

7059 Dodge St. Anyone age 18 and older can visit the store to vote for their favorite artwork.

The top three winners will be announced in March. Prizes are gift cards in the following amounts: • $250 for first place • $150 for second place • $100 for third place “The artwork that the talented children from the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands created is truly inspiring and is something we are greatly honored to host in our store,” said Will Rowe, U.S. Cellular’s store manager for central Omaha. “This is a program that we look forward to all year, and it is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Black History Month and the diversity of this country.”

Annual Black History Art Contest Underway The 8th Annual Nebraska Black History Art Contest is currently underway. Nebraskan Students grades K-12 are invited to create art that truly commemorates and celebrates Black History. All artistic mediums will be accepted.

Visual art can be created using canvas, pencil, paint, charcoal, crayon, and marker. The students can create a sculpture, write a poem, song or short story, or make a video.

The deadline to submit work is March 6. Art can be turned in at the Union for Contemporary Arts, 2423 N. 24th St. Their office hours are Tuesday, 2-6 p.m., Wednesday-

Friday, noon - 6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. The Union is closed on Sundays and Mondays. The artwork can also be submitted to the students’ homeroom, Social Studies, or Art teachers. Teachers have been provided instructions and permission slips. The documents can also be downloaded at www.blackhistoryartcontests.com.

Gifts will be awarded to winners in three categories: elementary, middle, and high school.

The 2020 Nebraska Black History Art contest is proudly sponsored by Metro Credit Union, Pentagon Federal Credit Union and TD Ameritrade.

Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s isn’t easy.

Reaching us is.

Honoring Nelson Mandela and his Legacy

By Amanda Myroniuk Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) spent 95 years fighting for justice. From a young age, he was raised hearing stories of resistance from his elders, and he vowed to fight for freedom for his people. Nelson Mandela is best known for leading South Africa from apartheid to a multiracial democracy. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. Soon after, he became the first Black president of South Africa in 1994, shortly after voting for the first time in his life.

On the path of resistance, he said, “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve” (“Speech from the Dock,” 1964).

Nelson Mandela Elementary strives to honor his legacy by relying on its community and partnerships to reduce the achievement gap in North Omaha.

Nelson Mandela Elementary is thankful to these organizations for their support, and the many others that are not listed here: Creighton Dental school for providing toothbrushes, toothpaste, and sealant and fluoride checks twice per year; the students from the College of St. Mary Occupational Therapy and Nursing Programs for providing social/emotional and health/wellness lessons; the University of Nebraska-Omaha Department of Social Work for sending practicum students; Creighton Prep, which provides daily tutoring; Ignatian Volunteer Corps,

which offers a variety of volunteer services in the library, the office, and the kitchen; the Lutheran Volunteer Corps, which provides a volunteer for a year in a full-time position; Big Garden, which teaches scholars about plants in the summer term and provides those plants for a community garden; the Omaha Conservatory of Music for providing violins and instructors to teach K-5; the Charles Drew Health Center for providing flu shots/physicals; the Arts in Motion’s program, Dancing Classrooms, which provided ballroom dance lessons to 5th graders this fall; the Omaha Public Library Summer Reading Program for story time and reading club in the summer; American Midwest Ballet for providing free admission and buses to performances; and the College for Kids program at Metro Community College which provides enrichment in science, social studies, art/drama, and technology throughout the year.

It definitely takes a village to raise successful young people, and as modeled

by Nelson Mandela, the school uses all aspects of the community – business, higher education, arts, and health. This village is strong, and grateful for the partnerships that make it so.

If you care for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, memory loss or dementia, you are not alone. We’re here day or night — whenever you need us — offering reliable information and support.

Free 24/7 Helpline: 800.272.3900 Alzheimer’s and Dementia Caregiver Center: alz.org/care

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR CURRENT STUDENTS

Applications for spring scholarships accepted through Feb. 15.

Visit mccneb.awardspring.com to apply.

Metropolitan Community College affirms a policy of equal education, employment opportunities and nondiscrimination in providing services to the public. To read our full policy statement, visit mccneb.edu/nondiscrimination.