75 CENTS
OMAHA STAR
THE
Proudly Serving Our Community for Over 80 Years
Congratulations Ida B. Wells & Nikole Hannah-Jones, New York Times 2020 Pulitzer Prize Honorees
Dedicated to the Service of the People that NO Good Cause Shall Lack a Champion and that Evil Shall Not Go Unopposed
Nebraska’s Only Black Owned Newspaper Vol. 82 - No. 10 Omaha, Nebraska
Friday, May 15, 2020
75 cents
Urban League African American Leadership Awards Honorees Announced The Urban League of Nebraska Guild is proud to announce the recipients of the 2020 African American Leadership Awards. Each year, the Guild recognizes eight deserving local African Americans for their significant contributions in their community and professions in the following categories: Business, Community, Education, Faith, Health, Young Professional, Youth and Someone Special. The 2020 Honorees are… Business: Carmen Tapio, North End Teleservices Community: Doris E. Moore, Center for Holistic Development, Inc. Education: Janice Garnett, PhD, University of Nebraska at Omaha Faith: Pastors Eric and Cynthia Butler, Joy of Life Ministries Church Health: Sherita Strong, M.D., University of Nebraska Medical Center Young Professionals: Dominique Morgan, Black and Pink Youth: Emilio Haynes, Central High School Someone Special: Ronald Parker V. The 2020 AALA recipients will be honored at the 31st Annual African American Leadership Awards Gala in July at the
Hilton Omaha. Individual general admission tickets are $75 and reserved tables of ten are $1,500. Patron sponsorship levels are also available. To purchase tickets, tables, or sponsorships, contact rebecca.valdez@urbanleagueneb.org. About The African-American Leadership Awards In the summer of 1988, an invitation was extended to Mr. James R. Beatty to serve on the board of the Western Heritage Museum (now the Durham Museum). He accepted and became the first African American elected to the board. At that time, the board was comprised of numerous business and civic leaders, such as Del Weber (chancellor of the University of Nebraska Omaha), Ken Power (president of US West, which is now CenturyLink), the president of the Omaha Royals — just to name a few, who were dedicated to the concept of presenting, preserving and celebrating the history of Omaha and its people. In the mind of Mr. Beatty, history meant all people, and he was inclined to ask the chairman of the board about the museum’s plans to celebrate Black
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History Month? The answer was that nothing was planned and, to Mr. Beatty’s surprise, nor had anything ever been done at the museum to recognize Black History Month. Mr. Beatty and the museum director devised a plan to have the museum serve as a platform to showcase the accomplishments and achievements of Black people who have made significant contributions to the City of Omaha. These accomplishments would be in areas like Sports, Business, Civic, Religion, Education and Politics. After Mr. Beatty’s ideas were presented to the board, they decided to recognize and memorialize individuals through a formal ceremony held at the museum and open to the public. In 1989, the very first ceremony was held in the main lobby of the museum with about 50 to 60 people in attendance. The ceremony honored Mildred Brown, founder and publisher of the Omaha Star, and Bertha Calloway, founder of the Great Plains Black History Museum. Each honoree received a plaque commemorating their achievements, which remained at the museum for public display. In 2009, the Urban League of Nebraska
became the coordinating agency to host this annual event, and the ULN Guild, an auxiliary group of the organization, now presents the awards. The League is dedicated to preserving African-American history and proud to recognize the honorees at this distinguished commemorative event. The Urban League of Nebraska is an empowering voice in the community advocating for economic self-reliance, parity, power, civil rights and equal opportunity for all. The ULN envisions a Nebraska where the social economic gap in the African-American and other emerging communities is closed and disadvantaged families achieve social equality and economic independence and growth. The ULN is a non-profit organization as described in section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. | www. urbanleagueneb.org.
Mildred D Brown Memorial Study Center Seeking Your Donation During Omaha Gives Omaha Gives is your opportunity to support the Mildred D Brown Study Center on May 20 during the Omaha Gives Campaign. The Mildred D Brown Study Center was organized to promote the future of community-based media; to help area students, especially African-Americans, to envision career possibilities in journalism and communications and provide access to the Omaha Star’s inspirational archive materials and resources. In April 2019, the MDBMSC a 501c3 organization purchased the assets of the Omaha Star Newspaper and is now managing the paper through the Staff of the paper. Programs that the MDBMSC supports is Junior Journalism and other programs centered on community engaged journalism. To support the MDBMSC via Omaha Gives supports the future of young people in the professions of journalism and communications and supports our multiple scholarship programs for students pursuing a college education in colleges and universities throughout the United States. WE appreciate your support during this campaign which will also will allow us to receive matching funds from the sponsoring organizations.
From the iPublisher’s Pen L to R: Richard Webb, Dr. Danita Webb, Jaiyda, Jayohna, Jay (Richard Jr.) Jai’lynn
The Webb family represents our community in various aspects of life. Richard Webb is the Executive Director of 100 Black Men of Omaha, Incorporated, a position he has held since 2017. He is the BIGGEST kid in The 100. His hobbies include fishing at an “undisclosed” lake in the area. Dr. Danita Webb is Omaha Public Schools PROUD and is the Assistant Principal at Prairie Winds Elementary School. Dr. Webb is also an adjunct professor at The University of Nebraska Omaha. Working in Family Centered Partnerships. She enjoys fellowshipping with the Women’s Ministry at TheGreater St. Paul Church of God in Christ. Jaiyda, 16 is a Junior at North High Magnet School where she participates as a Varsity Cheerleader and the Black Student Leadership Council. Her favorite subject is biomedical sciences. After graduating she would like to attend Xavier University, New Orleans and her career goal is to become a cardiac surgeon or an anesthesiologist. Jayohna, 13 is in the eighth grade at Buffett Middle School. Her favorite subject is science. Her extracurricular activities include basketball and she is a member of the Junior National Honor Society. Jay, 13 is a Freshman at Burke High School. His sport activity is football and he plays the position of wide receiver. He is active in the Red Bridge Academy, an organization that helps teens become great adults. He participates in the 100 Black Men of Omaha Mentoring program and his mentor is Brandon Louis, Huskerland Popcorn Owner. Jay’s career goal is to become a lawyer. Jai’lynn, 8 is a fourth grader at Fullerton Magnet Elementary School where she enjoys math. She is an Elite Cheerleader and she enjoys hip hop dance. The Webbs are a busy family that give back in our community.
By Terri D. Sanders Globally Covid19 is still with us and we continue to adjust our lifestyles and make personal and professional choices aimed at our health and safety. While this engine runs in the background, positive accomplishments are happening all around us. As a publisher, as a Black woman and as a person dedphoto credit: StableGray icated to informing the community I am “peacock proud” of the Pulitzer Prize winner in the person of Nikole Hannah-Jones, the New York Times Magazine reporter that received the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for her initial writing of the 1619 Project. Her articles covered racial injustice for the New York Times Magazine and she is the creator of the landmark project, 1619. If you are not familiar with this narrative it details the legacy of slavery in America. Check out the writing in the New York Times Magazine. There is also a News and History podcast 1619. Listen and learn. The second Pulitzer Prize that I am going to highlight is one that was awarded posthumously (after the death of the originator) to Ida Bell Wells-Barnett (1862-1931) for her investigative journalism in the civil rights movement. She was born a slave in Mississippi and was decreed free thanks to the Emancipation Proclamation six months after her birth. He father helped to start Shaw University (now Rust College). She received her early education at Shaw. She wrote about issues of race and politics in the South. She was the owner of several news-
Salute to the Class of 2020
Next Issue:
May 29 & June 12
Submissions to paper by May 21, 2020
Submit materials by 5/19 & 5/26
May 29, 2020
papers: Memphis Free Speech, Headlight and the Free Speech. She was an anti-lynching activist. Wells was one of the founders of the NAACP. She was a maverick. It is important to note that in this time of Covid19 the Class of 2020 in all learning institutions will not celebrate in the traditional way. I say to every student PERSEVERE. Neither of the Pulitzer Prize winners glided along in life without serious obstacles. Our society cannot celebrate our graduates nor are we sure when universities will resume in person classes or when students will be able to travel to cities that they have chosen to receive advanced education. Changing times. Both of these women PERSEVERED. While during her time, Ida B Wells was not celebrated in the majority society, LOOK AT HER NOW. Students have an impact, persevere and pursue. The Omaha Star has planned a pictorial celebration in our next two issues for The Class of 2020. Do submit the requested information on the graduates in your family. Our community will celebrate the accomplishment of education among our young people. The Omaha Star awards several scholarships to students who pursue higher learning. That too is a celebration. Our scholarships are supported by the Mildred D Brown Memorial Study Center (MDBMSC). Your donation to the 501c3 organization can be your way to contribute to the celebration. Contribute through the Omaha Gives Campaign on May 20, 2020. Mildred D Brown valued education and her legacy continues with the work of the Mildred D Brown Memorial Study Center. The Omaha Star Newspaper is a program of the MDBMSC that continues to provide opportunities for young and old to contribute to the narrative of our community. Remember: PERSEVERE…
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