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Omaha Star
The
Proudly Serving Our Community for Over 80 Years
Dedicated to the Service of the People that NO Good Cause Shall Lack a Champion and that Evil Shall Not Go Unopposed
Nebraska’s Only Black Owned Newspaper Vol. 84 - No. 22 Omaha, Nebraska
Friday, October 28, 2022
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Family of the Week: St. Peter Claver are part of the Central States District. The Nebraska Ladies and Knights Units were established in Omaha in 1989. The Ladies first initiation was in August; Mrs. Willa Midder was the Chartering Grand Lady. The Court is named after Sister Barbara Beasley, the first African American to become a member of the Good Shepherd Congregation. The Knights initiation was in September; Chartering Grand Knight was Ron Gaspard. The Council is named after our local parish, St. Benedict the Moor. Both Junior Divisions were established in 1990. Units are encouraged to celebrate St. Peter Claver Feast Day on the Sunday closest to September 09. The St. Benedict the Moor Council 308, Sister Barbara Court 308 along with both Junior Divisions celebrated the Feast of St. Peter Claver Day with the Most Esteemed Supreme Lady Micaela Le Blanc (California) in Omaha, Nebraska for the celebration. We also had Claver guests from Kansas and Missouri. The activities began with our Annual Prayer Service on Saturday morning. The Women of Faith Praise Team performed a Liturgical Dance to “Total Praise”. After a scrumptious brunch, game day activities followed by an array of delicious snacks and laughs. A great day was had by all who attended. On Sunday, the Fourth Degree Sir Knights served as honor guards. At the end of Mass, a history of Fr. Peter Claver was given. The Most Esteemed Supreme Lady LeBlanc gave greetings from the National office and addressed the congregation. The Sister Barbara Court awarded Jr. Daughter Grand Lady Arianna Dacus a $600.00 scholarship. She is currently enrolled in Iowa Western Community College. A luncheon meeting followed.
The Knights, Ladies and Junior Units of Peter Claver Celebrate St. Peter Claver Feast Day. Founded in 1909 in Mobile, Alabama, the National Knights of Peter Claver (KPC) offices are now located in New Orleans, Louisiana. KPC follows the example of the early Apostles, working hard to serve their communities and the Church in a modern world. Associate Director Percy Marchand, states “Our members join because they want to serve and lead within the Church and community.” The KPC is a fraternal organization of Roman Catholic men (Knights), women (Ladies), and children (Junior Knights and Junior Daughters, age 7-18), who are dedicated in service to our God, our Church, and our communities. It is a family organization. The Order’s patron saint is Father Peter Claver, a Jesuit Spanish priest who was an advocate for African slaves and ministered to their needs. KPC is the largest, historically, African American Catholic lay organization in the United States. The organization has been spreading Faith, Hope, and Love through Friendship, Unity, and Christian Charity
New Club Director Named at North Omaha Boys & Girls Club
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands is happy to announce Adrial Mitchell as the new Club Director at the Bruce Fellman North Omaha Boys & Girls Club. Mitchell earned her BS in Black Studies & History from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and began her career with Boys & Girls Adrial Mitchell Clubs of the Midlands in June of 2000 as a part time Education Program Specialist in the North Omaha Club. Over the years, Adrial has played many roles at North, including Teen Director, Career Launch Director and Associate Unit Director in charge of Education programming. She has received many honors from having her North Teen Center be named one of the five Boys & Girls Clubs of America Teen Centers of Excellence in the BGCA Movement in 2007, to being selected as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Keystone Advisor of the Year for the Midwest region in 2007, to her selection as the recipient of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands William Hinckley Distinguished Service Award in 2017. She also has been recognized with Staff of the Season five times. During her 19+ year tenure at the North Club, she has also been asked to serve as interim Club Director Director continued on page 2
BEGINS WEEKLY PUBLICATION NEXT PAPER: November 4, 2022
for over 112 years. Fr. Peter Claver was born in 1580 into a prosperous farming family but chose to use his wealth to assist the sick and dying slaves. He boarded every incoming slave ship and visited the pens, where he nursed and comforted the sick, and taught religion. Despite strong official opposition, Peter Claver persevered for 38 years, baptizing an estimated 300,000 enslaved individuals. The Order was founded by four Josephite priests and three laymen from the Dioceses in Mobile Alabama. It was established to provide greater opportunity for Black Catholics to serve their Roman Catholic Church, and to respond to the discipleship call embodied in the Gospel teachings. The first “initiation” of a band of forty colored men was the nucleus of a fraternal society, which would be known as “The Knights of Peter Claver.” This was undoubtedly the most important movement for Colored Catholics doing this time. The Units are organized regionally; the Nebraska Units
Front Porch Investments seeks individuals to join Committee Front Porch Investments is launching its inaugural cohort of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC), to bring together people who are currently living in areas impacted by redlining, or who have previously experienced the direct impact of redlining. The CAC will be created and invited to share in impact and decisions about future grants and funding disbursements in Omaha for the Greenlining Fund. The CAC's collective vote will have equal power to the vote of the Front Porch staff and vote of the Board of Directors for Front Porch Investments. The Greenlining Fund will be launched Spring 2023. Its purpose is to not only to provide intentional reinvestment and direct resources to create or maintain homeownership
in areas that have experienced historical disinvestment through redlining or other disadvantages, but to also proactively prevent future displacement of residents due to rising property valuations as a result of current and future investments and development in the community. The Greenlining Fund's impact will be realized through "purchase to payoff" support for homeowners and prospective homebuyers possibly including, but not limited to: down payment assistance, low interest home financing, home equity loans, property tax relief, debt consolidation, etc. This inaugural CAC cohort is for current Omaha Front Porch continued on page 6
Publisher’s Pen
By Terri D. Sanders
COVID-19 continues in our community and throughout the world. In this winter season RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) is showing itself in the children from infancy to school age. Do not dismiss sniffles as JUST a cold…it could be any numCredit: Eric Robinson, Atlanta ber of viruses and medical treatment might be necessary. I’m just saying. (IJS) Food pantry lines continue to be long and people still have side effects from COVID-19. Our students scores are reflecting that they have not been in the classrooms in the last couple of years. Only time will tell all of the residual effects of this virus.
There were many activities that took place in our community and the IN OUR COMMUNITY page reflects pictures of the activities. Be on the lookout for more community coverage as the paper moves to weekly publication of our community news in the month of November. We have lots of good news in the community and we will be sharing that with you as our readers. Do you have your voting strategy for November? This paper contains the Non-Partisan Douglas County Voter’s Guide Statewide General Election published by the League of Women of Voters of Greater Omaha. As an information source we are proud to provide this document. Remember YOUR vote decides elections and representation matters. November 8, 2022, is ELECTION Day! Guess what????? See you on November 4, 2022, as we publish for the first time on a weekly basis. This is a big deal!
Jawanza Kunjufu: “We have to give our children something to lose. Children make foolish choices when they have nothing to lose.”