75 CENTS
OMAHA STAR
My Life
Dedicated to the Service of the People that NO Good Cause Shall Lack a Champion and that Evil Shall Not Go Unopposed
Vivian Strong
Proudly Serving Our Community for Over 80 Years
James Scurlock
THE
Nebraska’s Only Black Owned Newspaper Vol. 82 - No. 13 Omaha, Nebraska
Friday, June 26, 2020
Mondo
75 cents
From the iPublisher’s Pen
Family of the Week:
By Terri D. Sanders
The Rodgers Family
Shalon, Evan, Chris, Ellis
Chris and Shalon Rodgers have made Omaha their family home for the last eighteen years. Shalon hails from Forrest City, Arkansas. She is a graduate of Howard University. She is currently enjoying family life as she stepped back from her former career in the hospital medical industry. Chris is the District 3 Douglas County Commissioner (15 years). Chris came to Omaha from East St. Louis, Illinois, August 1987 as a basketball scholarship recipient at Creighton University. Chris is the Director of Community and Government Affairs at Creighton University. The heirs to the Rodgers dynasty are Evan, 10 and Ellis, 15. Evan will attend Beveridge Middle School as a 6th grader in the fall. His favorite subject is social studies because he enjoys history. Ellis is a Sophomore at Burke High School. His preferred subject is science and he aspires to have a career in biomechanics and ultimately work with a sports shoe company. Ellis participates in basketball, track: sprints, and jumping events at Burke. The Rodgers family likes Omaha because of the friendly Midwest mentality of the people. Their leisure time is spent with family and traveling.
Black Lives Matter (BLM), Juneteenth, COVID19, Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Massacre have been the recent headlines in the news. Our students graduated virtually. Our offices are having zoom meetings. National conferences have been cancelled, rescheduled or are being held virtually. Our families have logged more screen time at the computer than ever. Citizens around the world now have an understanding of the meaning of Juneteenth. While this holiday was widely celebrated in Texas it has been elevated to being discussed as a national holiday. As you go shopping and are in public are you wearing your mask? A mask is as important as your glasses and car keys. Some masks are fashion statements, some are David Turnbo Photography paper, and some are government issued. No matter the material, a mask could save your health and the health of your loved ones. Yes, a mask can be hot. As you look around everyone may not have a mask on, but you have to take personal responsibility until this “thing” is over. Listening to the talk about the Tulsa Massacre and Black Wall Street it came to my attention that this was not universal knowledge nor was it a focus in the classroom. There is a generation of people that know nothing about our rich history because it is not mainstream news. I have a passion for history after being associated with the Great Plains Black History Museum. I became diverse on the contributions of MY people to the history of the great plains. As I travel and people ask me: where are you from? I proudly say Omaha, then I get a puzzled look and the response: Are there Black People in Nebraska? I know you have heard it too. YES YES YES … Beginning in our next issue there will be a feature column: There are Black People in Nebraska and this will feature Black People who are from, lived in or contributed to life in Nebraska. This will run for one year (26 issues) and will give you points to discuss and give you points that make you say hmmmmmm. July marks the anniversary of The Omaha Star Newspaper. I am VERY proud to carry on the legacy of Mildred D. Brown, publishing the GOOD news in our community and representing Omaha on national platforms. If you have family history to share, write it up. If you have photos to share send them in. Send to publisher@omahastarinc.com. There were times that The Omaha Star was the only place to get news about our community. In the past, The Omaha Star was the only place that our community celebrations were featured. It may not be the only place in 2020, but it should be the first place you look to get the information in our community. Please share with us your family, we would love to feature you as the Family of The Week. We will feature business persons and give you their story. Did you know that we are active on social media? Since we publish biweekly we do not want you to wait to get important information so in between issues we share on Facebook in The Omaha Star group page and Facebook page. We tweet and we are on the ’gram. Follow us and stay informed. See you in our Anniversary Celebration issue.
Support Awarded To Strengthen Digital Platforms In Newsrooms
To help news organizations better serve their communities with quality news and information, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation today announced the first 24 recipients of support from its $2 million, three-year technology initiative to strengthen digital publishing solutions in newsrooms. After a competitive application process, the first cohort of 24 newsrooms have been selected to receive $20,000 in grants for publishing tools that will improve distribution, community engagement and revenue opportunities, such as digital subscriptions and membership. The first group includes a mix of nonprofit news organizations, small commercial community newspapers and new digital upstarts. Of the selected newsrooms, 58% are nonprofit organizations; 58% are led by or serve communities of color; and 42% are committed to delivering local journalism. “Now, more than ever, it’s critical for newsrooms and publishers to adopt digital solutions that meet audiences where they are and provide new revenue opportunities,” said Paul Cheung, Knight Foundation director for journalism and technology innovation. “These outstanding news organizations now have the opportunity to leverage technology to maximize their revenue and better serve their communities.” To become sustainable and
build trust in the communities they serve, news organizations need the tools to engage in the urgent discussions about race and equity with their users and deliver real-time updates on the coronavirus pandemic. Knight funding will help news organizations achieve these goals with the publishing tools that prioritize and enhance audience development, business development and editorial content production. The selected news organizations and the publishing systems they’ll employ are: • Accion Hispana/Que Pasa, Winston-Salem, NC (Custom WordPress) Que Pasa Media works to inform, educate and drive to actions the Spanish-speaking local community to help them to have a better life (por una vida mejor), increase their knowledge of their rights and duties as members of their communities, and give the information they need to continue becoming better productive and contributing members of society. • Afro American Newspapers, Baltimore, Md. (Custom WordPress) The Afro American Newspapers (The AFRO) is the longest-running African American family-owned newspaper in the nation. Founded in 1892 by John H. Murphy Sr., the AFRO pro-
Do you subscribe to the Omaha Star?
Just Do IT!
motes unity in the community and crusades for racial justice while exposing racism in education, jobs, housing, and public accommodations. • The Atlanta Voice, Atlanta, Ga.(Newspack) Serving Metro Atlanta and beyond for more than 55 years, The Atlanta Voice is a family-oriented, small business enterprise
committed to creating meaningful journalism and telling stories that will help shape media consumption in the Black community. The newsroom is one-part traditional, two-parts learning lab, designed by its editorial team to foster continued learning and development in an ever-evolving industry. • Bangor Daily News, Bangor, Maine (Newspack) The Bangor Daily News is the only statewide news publication in Maine, and has been in business since 1889. As a digital-first newsroom for almost a decade, it serves a largely rural audience in the most rural state in the U.S., with only around 30% of residents living in cities. • BK Reader (The Brooklyn Reader), Brooklyn, N.Y. (Newspack) The Brooklyn Reader is a
digital daily news site covering Central, East and part of North Brooklyn. • Block Club Chicago, Chicago, Ill. (Custom WordPress) Block Club Chicago is a nonprofit news organization dedicated to delivering reliable, nonpartisan and essential coverage of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods. It is committed to covering underserved and urban communities, including neighborhoods on Chicago’s South and West sides. • Carolina Public Press, Asheville, N.C. (Newspack) Carolina Public Press is an independent nonprofit news organization dedicated to nonpartisan, in-depth and investigative news built upon the facts and context North Carolinians need to know. Its award-winning, breakthrough journalism shines a light on the overlooked and under-reported issues facing the state’s 10.2 million residents. • Community Media Center, Grand Rapids, Mich. (Drupal) Community Media Center is a nonprofit media center that includes a citizen journalism website, public access TV, community radio, and other services for nonprofit organizations. • The Daily Yonder, Whitesburg, KY (Newspack) The Daily Yonder provides news, commentary, and analysis about and for rural America. We publish online to a nationwide
Next Issue: July 10, 2020 Submissions to paper by July 2, 2020
audience of rural residents, advocates, policymakers, and journalists. Our reporting aims to inform rural Americans and the people who care about rural communities about important issues and to build bridges between rural and urban communities in ways that strengthen both. • D.C. Witness, Washington, D.C. (Custom WordPress) D.C. Witness is a website that tracks every homicide, sexual assault and domestic violence case in D.C., from act to resolution, by gathering and sharing data. It brings unprecedented transparency to the D.C. criminal justice system. • Fostering Media Connections, Los Angeles, Calif. (Custom WordPress) Fostering Media Connections (FMC) leads the conversation about children, youth and families in America. FMC publishes The Chronicle of Social Change, a daily news site dedicated to rigorous, in-depth journalism focused on families and the systems that impact their lives, as well as a bi-monthly magazine, Fostering Families Today, which is distributed to foster families across America. • Mississippi Today, Ridgeland, Miss. (Largo) Mississippi Today is a nonprofit news and media company with a forward-facing mission of civic See Knight Foundation continued on page 2
JULY: Happy Anniversary Omaha Star!