75 CENTS
OMAHA STAR
Honor Our Veterans on November 11
THE
Celebrating 80 Years
1938 2018
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. 80 - No. 22 Omaha, Nebraska
Friday, November 2, 2018
NAACP Rejects Don Bacon’s False Implication of Support and Endorsement Congressman Don Bacon’s campaign has misleadingly used the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) name and good reputation to falsely imply an endorsement in their latest TV ad. We demand this ad be taken off the air. For generations politicians have swooped in before an election and sought support from communities of color while offering nothing in exchange and then leaving after the votes are cast. Don Bacon has taken this to a new low by using the good name and reputation of the NAACP to imply an endorsement that does not exist. The NAACP is an organization with a strong legacy. We have been known nationally and locally, for over a century, as a protector and promoter of the rights and dignity among disenfranchised communities. The Bacon campaign abuses that legacy in its blatant attempt to tie support of fallen heroes to an endorsement of a base political candidate. According to the NAACP Civil Rights Federal Legislative Report Card, Congressman Don Bacon received an “F” based upon his voting record of supporting only 5% of the NAACP’s legislative priorities. “It is blatant pandering to use the oldest and most respected civil rights organization in America as a prop for political gain,” said Vickie R. Young, President of the Omaha Branch of the NAACP. She added, “We’re non-partisan. We do not endorse candidates and we most certainly do not endorse the Bacon campaign’s unauthorized abuse of our good name in misleading the community we serve.” The Omaha Branch of the NAACP did, in fact, support the “Kerry Orozco” bill because it was the right thing for our community. We did not endorse Don Bacon or his political apparatus. This ad and any implied endorsement of Congressman Bacon must be removed from the air. The Omaha Branch of the NAACP was founded in 1914. The Omaha Branch is proud to be the oldest Civil Rights organization in Nebraska. The NAACP is dedicated to protecting and promoting the civil rights of all people of color. We currently serve a diverse community throughout Omaha.
Vote on November 6! 75 cents
Kelly To Oversee Voting Rights Complaints United States Attorney Joe Kelly has announced that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Laurie Kelly, no relation, will lead the efforts of his office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming Nov. 6 General Election. AUSA Kelly has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the District of Nebraska, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with the United States Department of Justice’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. United States Attorney Kelly said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote be counted. The Department of Justice will act promptly and aggressively to protect the integrity of the election process.” The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open on Election Day. Federal law protects against such crimes
Gladys Knight Showed Omaha: Greatness Never Goes Out of Style
as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them. For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or illiteracy). In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses on Nov. 6, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, United States Attorney Kelly stated that AUSA/DEO Laurie Kelly will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. Polling sites are open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. in the Central Time Zone, and 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. in the Mountain Time Zone. AUSA Kelly can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: 402661-3700. In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to
School Safety Remains a Top Priority Every Day By Cheryl J. Logan, Ed.D. Superintendent/Omaha Public Schools logancomm@ops.org
By Walter V. Brooks The one and only Gladys Knight, now 72 years young, graced Omaha’s Holland Center on Saturday night, Oct. 20. Her performance, at one hour, 20 minutes, covered 13 songs, and when she said goodbye, I thought she’d only been on stage for 20 minutes. It was like I had been hypnotized and just finger-snapped out of it. Gladys Knight is utterly enchanting, absolutely hilarious, still moves and shimmies like it’s the Apollo Theater in her 20s, and has not lost a single drop of power, delicacy, octave range, or silky smoothness in the voice Rolling Stone magazine declared one of the greatest of all time. Gladys Knight, with the recent death of Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, is now one of the last surviving true keepers of the flame of blues and R&B traditions. During her performance, she reminisced about meeting the great Sammy Davis Jr. and the things he taught her about style on stage, musical phrasing, and how to capture and hold an audience. She told us how the great Ella Fitzgerald came to her dressing room after a performance, told Gladys how much she enjoyed her on stage; then offered performance suggestions that Gladys still banks on 50 years later. Gladys Knight is no mere songstress. She is an iconic American singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian and author. The seven-time Grammy Award-winner is best known for the hits she recorded with Gladys Knight and The Pips during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Gladys, her brother Merald “Bubba” Knight and her cousins Edward Patten and William Guest recorded for the Motown and Buddah record labels. Knight has recorded two number-one Billboard Hot 100 singles, “Midnight Train to Georgia” and “That’s What Friends Are For,” eleven numberone R&B singles, and six number-one R&B albums. She and The Pips were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, a year after receiving her Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She recorded the theme song for the 1989 James Bond film, License to Kill. She has 18 See Gladys continued on page 3
receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on Election Day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 402-493-8688. Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington, D.C. by phone at 1-800-253-3931 or 202307-2767, by fax at 202-307-3961, by email to voting.section@usdoj.gov or by complaint form at http://www.justice.gov/ crt/complaint/votintake/index.php. Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale reminds voters that, should the need arise, the state’s Election Integrity Unit is on standby for Election Day concerns or complaints. Anyone can call his office to express concerns or file a formal complaint if necessary. Nebraskans who wish to contact the Election Integrity Unit can do so by calling 402-471-2555, or tollfree at 888-727-0007. If a voter is unsure about the location of their polling site, they should call their county election office or go online to https://www.votercheck. necvr.ne.gov. United States Attorney Joe Kelly said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate. It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available immediately to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”
OPS Community: Each morning, our families entrust us with the education of their most precious assets, our students. That responsibility comes with the accompanied assignment of ensuring a safe and secure learning environment. We take that responsibility very seriously. Today’s society requires each of us to remain vigilant. That means regularly monitoring our surroundings, paying attention to the well-being of one another and alerting administration and/ or authorities anytime we see, notice or hear something that causes concern. As the Superintendent of the Omaha Public Schools, safety is the number one priority for me. The leadership team continuously engages in safety and preparedness activities alongside our supportive partners in local law enforcement and emergency response. Daily, we work to ensure a proactive approach to safety and threat assessment, and to enhance our preventative measures, as well as our emergency response plans. Here is a brief snapshot of some of the activities happening around school safety: • School leaders are receiving additional training in safety and threat assessment best practices, crisis management and crisis communication. As part of the training, school leaders learn how to build positive, trust-oriented relationships designed to tend to the emotional well-being of our kids. They also learn to identify and escalate information about concerning behaviors early. • Our Safety Office is providing consistent training across our district in Standard Response
Protocol (more than 200 school districts across the state of Nebraska use SRP to ensure consistent response vocabulary and emergency response actions). • Our School Resource Officers and security officers provide oversight during regularlypracticed safety drills. • Administrators are reviewing and updating emergency/crisis management plans. • Central office level school leaders have engaged in table-top exercises (Discussions regarding holding mock and full-scale exercises in the future are underway). • We have invested a significant amount of resources into fire, life safety and security upgrades thanks to support from Omaha taxpayers. • Administrators review and update communication protocols and monitoring systems as needed. The national conversation around school safety continues to evoke questions and concerns for all of us. We want you to know that the safety of our students and staff remains at the very top of our priority list daily. When our students walk through the doors each morning, we know many of them experience school as much more than “a place to learn.” School is where our kids come for fellowship. It is where they come for respite. It is where they come to prepare themselves for their futures. Our daily commitment to our staff and students is that all of those activities take place in an environment that is safe and secure. We will continue to work diligently to do everything within our power to keep that commitment. My ask of each of you is that, together, we continue to fulfill our individual responsibility toward supporting our students and staff, remaining vigilant and guiding our students toward making good choices. We appreciate your continued confidence in us as well as your support of the students and staff of the Omaha Public Schools.
Problems at See Black Votes Matter’s General Election the polls? Phone 402-444-8683 Phone 402-312-2891 endorsements on page 8
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