75 CENTS
OMAHA STAR
Dedicated to the Service of the People that NO Good Cause Shall Lack a Champion and that Evil Shall Not Go Unopposed
Honor your mother with a tribute in the Omaha Star.
Nebraska’s Only Black Owned Newspaper
Details Inside.
THE
Celebrating 80 Years
Vol. 80 - No. 8 Omaha, Nebraska
Friday, April 20, 2018
1938 2018
75 cents
Street Dedication for Media Maven Cathy Hughes Is May 17 The Johnny Rodgers Youth Foundation will host a ceremonial renaming of street blocks along Paxton Blvd. in honor of Cathy Hughes, the native Omahan media trailblazer. The public is encouraged to attend this historic ceremony on May 17 at noon at the Joe & Jean Edmondson Pavilion at 44th and Paxton Blvd. City Council President Ben Gray will provide a proclamation from the city. The younger generation may not be familiar with the legacy of Cathy Hughes – who, at a young age, was employed by the Omaha Star Newspaper. Hughes is a dynamic media pioneer who demonstrates the power of one: one woman, one vision, one company – Radio One. As Founder and Chairperson of Radio One Inc., the largest African-American owned and operated broadcast company in the nation, Hughes’ unprecedented career has spawned a multi-media conglomerate that generates original content across the spectrums of radio, television and digital media. Her humble beginnings in Omaha were not a deterrent to her success, but rather part of the catalyst that fueled her ambition to empower African
Americans with information and to tell stories from their perspective. Hughes began her radio career at Omaha KOWH (AM), a station owned by a group of African-American professionals. In 1971, she moved to Washington, D.C., and became a lecturer in the newly established School of Communications at Howard University. During her tenure, she served as General Sales Manager at WHUR, Howard University Radio, increasing the station’s revenue from $250,000 to $3 million in her first year. She also became the first woman vice president and general manager of a station in the nation’s capital and created the format known as the “Quiet Storm,” which revolutionized urban radio and was aired on over 480 stations nationwide. In 1980, Hughes purchased her first radio station, WOL-AM, in Washington D.C., and pioneered yet another innovative format, “24-Hour Talk from a Black Perspective.” With the theme, “Information is Power,” she served as the station’s morning show host for 11 years. In 1999, Cathy Hughes became the first African-American woman to chair a publicly held corporation, following
the sale of more than seven million shares of common stock to the public. Since that time, she – along with her son and business partner, Alfred Liggins III – has grown Radio One Inc. into a multi-media company that is an urban
Cathy Hughes
radio market leader with 56 stations comprised of hip hop, R&B, gospel and talk radio formats. Radio One is the first African-American company in radio history to dominate several major markets simultaneously and is the first
Historian Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. Challenges Perspectives on Race By Walter V. Brooks
Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Ph.D, is William S. Tod Professor of Religion and African American Studies, and Chair, Center for African American Studies, at Princeton University. He visited Omaha as guest of the Goldstein Center for Human Rights and was keynote speaker on April 12, at the 19th Annual Leonard and Shirley Goldstein Lecture on Human Rights at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Dr. Glaude also was an honored guest at the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation Visitor’s Center on April 11. The program and dinner were part of the 16th Annual Malcolm X Festival sponsored by UNO’s College of Arts and Sciences Black Studies Department. Dr. Glaude enjoyed presentations that included, “What Would Malcolm Think?” by Mandla Stelly; “Malcolm, Will You Make It Home Tonight?” by Withlove, Felicia; “The Other Half of the Story: The Importance of Memory & History” by Jade Rogers; and “I Have a Voice” by Clarissa Love and Shawn Love. Dr. Glaude’s credentials include books, publications, edited collaborations, television news and talk show appearances, and a
female-owned radio station to rank number one in any major market. Its success has earned Hughes hundreds of prestigious awards and recognitions, including: the naming of the Cathy Hughes School of Communications at Howard University; the ADColor Lifetime Achievement Award, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Chair’s Phoenix Award, the NAACP Chairman’s Award, the Giant of Broadcasting Award, the Uncommon Height of Excellence Award, the Essence Women Shaping the World Award, the Ida B. Wells Living Legacy Award, and induction into the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame. Cathy Hughes is also a recipient of an Honorary Degree from Creighton University, presented by local CPA and Creighton board member Frank Hayes. Today, Radio One is the parent corporation of several subsidiaries. TV One, the premiere African-American owned cable television network in the country and current home of the hit show UnSung and the reality show R&B Divas. Reach Media presents syndicated radio programs like the Rickey Smiley Morning Show and the Tom Joyner Morning Show. Interactive
One is home of several popular websites including The Daily Grind and Hello Beautiful. One Solution is a marketing firm that allows advertisers to take advantage of all of the assets under the Radio One brand. Cathy Hughes’ philanthropic works are on par with her success in the business arena as well. Her passion for education is evident in her efforts to continue her family’s work and legacy at The Piney Woods School in Piney Woods, Miss. She is a staunch supporter of the school, which was established by her grandfather in 1909 and is the largest of only four AfricanAmerican boarding schools in the country. In addition, she is a champion for the hungry and homeless, a mentor to countless women, and an advocate dedicated to empowering minority communities. Although Ms. Hughes has lived many years in the D.C. area, she has continued to support numerous organizations in Omaha. Parking for the ceremony will be available on both sides of Fontenelle Blvd at the pavilion. Should inclement weather occur, the ceremony will proceed inside the pavilion at the scheduled time of noon.
Pulitzer Prize Board Recognizes Hip Hop and Makes Itself Suddenly Relevant By Kaitlyn D’Onofrio
Nobody has talked about the Pulitzer Prize in popular press for a long time. This decision suddenly made it relevant. It is the power of diversity. The Pulitzer Prize Board is better late than never in awarding Kendrick Lamar the prize in music for his critically acclaimed album “DAMN.” Lamar’s album is the first non-classical, non-jazz album to win. According to the Pulitzer Prize Administration, “DAMN.” is a Lamar collection of “rhythmic dynamism that of the board and people of color just 22 offers affecting vignettes capturing the percent. Ten years ago, women were just complexity of modern African-American above a quarter of the board, and people life.” of color only 16 percent. It’s unlikely that such a glowing review Lamar’s album could not be more would have come out of one of the previous relevant to today’s social climate – unlike Dr. Glaude boards. The 2017-2018 16-member winners of the prize in recent years. Photo credit: Sameer A. Khan/ Pulitzer Prize Board is comprised of Withlove, Felicia at Malcolm X Center. The 2015 award, for instance, went Fotobuddy roughly 44 percent women and about 38 to Julia Wolfe for “Anthracite Fields,” Photo credit: Adrienne Henderson percent people of color. described by the committee as, “A critically acclaimed best seller, Baptist preacher who was Student This is a far cry from just two years ago, powerful oratorio for chorus and sextet “Democracy in Black: How Race Government President at HBCU when women made up about 28 percent See Pulitzer continued on page 7 Enslaves the American Soul.” He’s Morehouse College, Dr. Glaude has even been portrayed by a cast member climbed to the top of Ivy League in a sketch on NBC’s “Saturday Night academia, without any apparent loss Live.” of soul or cool. After doing a one-on-one interview At UNO, in a panel discussion with Dr. Glaude for North Omaha’s following the screening of the Mind & Soul Radio 101.3 FM, The Academy Award-nominated Brooks Report, it was clear that he documentary, “I Am Not Your is not your standard academic and Negro,” Dr. Glaude pointedly, and By Kaitlyn D’Onofrio black history expert. The son of a See Glaude continued on page 7 Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson’s white privilege shone brightly in his apology over the weekend after two Black men were arrested in a Philadelphia Starbucks. According to Johnson, “Our store manager never intended for these men to be an election IT provider in Nebraska.” websites related to elections. In arrested and this should never have escalated as it did.” It is unclear then why the Gale said that while there may addition, vendors were cooperative manager, who is white, called the police if she didn’t want the men arrested. have been an issue detected with a in reviewing their own security Perhaps Johnson is saying the manager assumed the men would not be arrested, third party election provider, there protocols and performing self-scans because if the men were white, as are Johnson and the manager, it is less likely they was never a hack or manipulation of of their systems. would have been arrested. Studies in multiple cities have shown that Black people are the voter system maintained by that Gale said that since 2016, his more likely to be arrested for low-level vendor for Nebraska. office has enlisted services provided offenses, including trespassing, than white “I can say with complete confidence through DHS to further enhance the people. In Minneapolis, Black people are that Nebraska was not impacted 8.7 times as likely as white people to be security of the state’s election system. during the 2016 election and that the arrested for a low-level offense. In New “Obviously, I cannot speak to the steps taken by my office during that York City, Blacks and Latinos collectively situation involving the election IT period are steps that continue today, make up 54 percent of the population – provider that was mentioned in the 60 to ensure that websites associated but constitute more than 90 percent of with election processes in Nebraska Minutes story. However, I can assure those arrested for trespassing. And in voters that Nebraska’s data was not are safe from intrusion.” Jersey City, N.J., Black people are close In 2016, the Nebraska Office of the manipulated or hacked in 2016 and to 10 times more likely to be arrested than Chief Information Officer (OCIO) that I continue to have confidence in See Starbucks continued on page 2 Johnson provided scanning services to state the security of the system today.”
Starbucks CEO Whitesplains Defense of Manager Who Called Cops on Black Men in Philly
Sec. Gale Responds to ‘60 Minutes’ Election Security Report
LINCOLN – Secretary of State John Gale is reiterating that voter registration information was secure leading up to and following the 2016 presidential election. No breaches occurred and based on confirmation provided by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Nebraska was not one of 21 states allegedly targeted by Russia. Sec. Gale is responding to a story that aired on the CBS television program 60 Minutes on April 8. The program stated that its reporters had obtained a previously undisclosed internal DHS document that included information that hackers had “tried to get into 20 state election systems and
Candidate Forums Election 2018 – April 25. See In the Village for Details.
531.444.8601 Remember that number to: Request a ride to the polls, volunteer to drive others to the polls, or ask questions about voting.
North “O” Spring Cleanup – April 28. See In the Village for Details.