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Nebraska’s Only Black Owned Newspaper Vol. 79 - No. 26 Omaha, Nebraska
Friday, December 29, 2017
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A Lady Who Made a Difference in the Omaha Community Remembered Bertha’s Battle Bertha Calloway, the Grand Lady of Lake Street, Struggles to Keep the Great Plains Black History Museum Afloat
© by Leo Adam Biga Originally published in a 1996 issue of The Reader (www.thereader.com)
These are hard times indeed for the Great Plains Black History Museum and its 71-year-old founder, director, curator and guardian, Bertha Calloway. The future of the museum, at 2213 Lake Street, is in doubt unless significant funding can be secured. For months now, it’s survived on meager admission income, a few small donations and grants, and the limited personal savings of Calloway’s family. Added to these difficulties, Calloway’s recently experienced personal setbacks and tragedies. In 1993, she underwent brain surgery to remove a benign tumor and then lost her husband of 47 years, James, when he died of a ruptured artery. A grandson was murdered in New Orleans in 1994. She continues under medical care today and sometimes walks with the
aid of a cane. One of the cruelest setbacks, though, has been the partial memory loss plaguing her since the operation. As one whose work depends on a steel-trap mind, she’s keenly frustrated when once indelibly etched names, dates, places and events elude her – just beyond her recall. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Not now. Not in what should be gold-
en years for her and halcyon days for the museum. Still, she hasn’t lost hope of realizing her “perfect dream” – a fully funded, staffed and restored institution free of the financial difficulties that have nagged it over its 20-year history. Calloway saved the turn-of-thecentury building housing the museum from the rubble heap in 1974, when she and her husband bought it. The 1906 red-brick building – headquarters for the original Nebraska Telephone Co. – was designed by famed Omaha architect Thomas Kimball. With the help of volunteers and a $101,000 grant from the federal Bicentennial Commission, the couple converted the structure into the museum, opening it in 1976, and got it listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Now, however, Calloway sees the building she put so much of her life into deteriorating around her. Major repairs and renovations are needed, including replacement of the leaky roof and installation of new climate control and lighting systems. IN some exhibition spaces, ceiling pane;s are water-stained and others are missing, exposing warped wood. Bare light bulbs hang overhead in many rooms. There is no paid staff except for William Reaves, a jack-of-all-trades on loan from the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging. Without anyone to catalog the museum’s extensive archives, heaps of newspapers, magazines and photographs sit in open boxes and on shelves. Calloway, whose ill health has forced her to slow down, relies on her son Jim to help run things. Money’s so tight that paying the utilities often is a leap of faith. At least she can joke about it. When Reaves answers the phone one recent morning, she instantly quips, with her sweet, sing-song voice an
enchanting smile: “Tell ‘em the money’s on the way.” The call was from a Smithsonian Institution researcher, among many scholars who frequently use the museum as a resource. Despite a glowing national reputation, the museum’s always only barely scraped by. Calloway’s kept it intact through guile, gut, sweat, spit, polish and prayer. Lots of prayer. “People just don’t understand how difficult it’s been to keep it going,” she says, “until they come through it and see how much is in here and how much work it takes. It’s even more of a struggle now than ever before. We’re always on the verge of closing. But I don’t want to sound too negative. I think our main focus should be on keeping the building open and providing jobs for people to give tours, file, catalog. Those are things that could be going on right now, but it takes money, and I hope we get the same amount of money from the city that other museums get.” Calloway feels her museum has long been neglected by local funding sources in comparison with mainstream museum such as the Joslyn and Western Heritage. She’s had little cause for hope lately, especially when a major funder – United Arts Omaha – withdrew its support. She poured out her discontent over UAO’s action in a passionate editorial published in the Omaha WorldSee Calloway continued on page 3
Trusting Patton’s Process By Lucas Semb Seven months went by without Justin Patton touching the hardwood. Seven long, lingering months where Patton couldn’t compete, but instead, spectated from the sidelines. His surgically repaired broken foot still needed time to heal. That’s not exactly how every 15th overall NBA draft pick expects to start his NBA career. “This was my first injury of my career,” said Patton, the former Omaha North star. “It was all new to me, so when it happened I didn’t know what to expect. I was just focused on getting better.” The team that traded for him on draft night, the Minnesota Timberwolves, didn’t expect his career to start like this either. Entering the season without a potentially instant-contributing big man kept them thin at the center position, with only all-star Karl-Anthony Towns and reserve Gorgui Dieng. However, the Timberwolves have made the most out of their current situation with their rookie center, guiding him every step of the way. “In terms of development, this is the TWolves’ biggest care as an organization,” Patton said. “Everyone has something to work on and get better at and they make sure that everyone is getting the help they need.” The Timberwolves turned their attention toward rehabbing Patton, working on re-strengthening his balance and timing. It started with work in the weight room, then gradually progressed to “controlled jumping” to 3-on-3 drills, to full practice to now recently being assigned to the Timberwolves G-League affiliate Iowa Wolves as he prepares to return to the NBA. “To a certain extent, it was frustrating sitting out,” Patton said. “However, my teammates were really good about keeping me focused on getting better and staying calm about my injury.” Now Patton is starting to see the fruits of his labor pay off in the G-League. In his first official game back from injury, Patton came off the bench for 15 points, seven rebounds, and four blocked shots. He followed it up with a performance of 13 points, two rebounds and two blocked shots while shooting six of eight from the field. Since then, Patton has continued to keep the ball rolling, averaging 10 points and five rebounds per game so far in his time with the G-League Wolves. “It feels great (to be competing again) and I’m honestly just trying to take advantage of every workout and game,” Patton said. “I never expected to be out, so I’m just having fun with it. I just have to find my groove again, but basketball is like riding a bike so I’ll be alright.” Since the last time Patton played competitive basketball, the competition has also gotten much stiffer. Playing his college ball at Creighton University out of the NCAA Big East, each contest came with a handful of NBA-level players. Now each time Patton takes the floor, he’s playing against the top guys from college; each roster spot comprised of former college standouts. “The intensity and competition is different,” Patton said. “But the NBA, it’s just basketball. You just have to play your game and get acclimated.” Iowa Wolves Head Coach Scott Roth thinks Patton is handling the transition from injuryto-court and college-to-professional all very well. Still, he believes Patton has a long way to go before he is back up to speed, but he likes a lot of what he sees.
See Patton continued on page 3
Re-entry Prepares Incarcerated Individuals for Success on the Outside By Leo Adam Biga Photos by Vizionz Photography A growing community of re-entry pathways serve current and former incarcerated individuals needing work upon release. Many re-entry programs are run by people who’ve been in the criminal justice system themselves. “Those closest to the problem are closest to the solution,” said ReConnect Inc. founding director LaVon Stennis-Williams, a former civil rights attorney who served time in federal prison. “You have people like myself coming out of prison no longer waiting for others to remove barriers. There is a network of movements being led by formerly incarcerated individuals taking control of this whole effort to make reentry something more than just talk. We’re developing programs that try to ensure people coming out are successful and don’t go back to prison.”
LaVon Stennis-Williams, Director of ReConnect Inc.
Executive
Some area re-entry programs are formalized, others less so. Several are grantees through the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services’ administered Vocational and Life Skills grant stemming from 2014 state prison legislation (LB 907). Programs work with individuals inside and outside state prisons. ReConnect provides services Stennis-Williams didn’t find upon her own release in 2010. “When I came out of prison, many second chance programs started under the 2008 Second Chance initiative either did not get refunded or the funding dried up,” she said. “So when I came out there weren’t many out there – just kind of the residuals.” What there were, she said, were disjointed and uncoordinated. “I wanted to create a program I wish would have been in existence when I was navigating re-entry. What I realized from my own personal experience – it did not matter how well educated you were, how much money you had, what connections you had, when you’re going through re-entry, you’re going to face barriers. I developed a program to fill service gaps and to be not so much a hand-out as an empowering thing to help overcome those barriers.” Employment assistance is a major piece of ReConnect. “We look beyond just helping them with creating a resume and building interview skills. We spoke with employers to find out what soft skills they’re looking for in people. In our employment readiness program Ready for Work we put a lot of emphasis on those core competencies employers want:
Got the Blues? See In the Village for a cure – Jan. 6
Jasmine Harris, Ventures.
Director,
Defy Diane and program staff in front of their wall of achievement for program participants
dependability, reliability, strong work ethic, problem solvers.” ReConnect’s Construction Toolbox Credentials Training workshops prepare participants for real jobs. “We worked with construction companies to find out what they’re looking for in people and we developed a training program using industry professionals to come teach it. They issue industry recognized certificates.” Metropolitan Community College has convened around re-entry for more than a decade. Today, it’s a sanctioned service provider with The 180 Re-entry Assistance Program. “The thing we constantly hear from employers is that the pool of potential employees they’re fishing in do not have employability skills,” said director Diane Good-Collins, who did a stretch in state
MLK Holiday activities listed In the Village See page 13
prison. “They don’t know how to show up on time, how to communicate with their supervisor, how to be a team player. Those are the things we’re teaching clients while they’re still incarcerated, so when they come out of prison they’re on a level playing field with those without criminal histories they’re competing against for jobs.” Programs like 180 and ReConnect build background friendly employer pipelines. “We work now with over 80 employers,” said Stennis-Williams at ReConnect Inc. “These employers are very receptive to hiring men and women who participate in our job readiness workshops. I think employers’ attitudes are changing, partly because of economics. Employers are realizing they cannot ignore this labor force anymore. See Re-entry continued on page 3
It’s A Rap on Race – Jan. 9 See In the Village for Details