★
75 CENTS
OMAHA STAR
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. 4 Omaha, Nebraska
Friday, February 23, 2018
March is Women’s History Month. Who is your Shero?
75 cents
2nd Annual And We’ll Rise Up – Students Making Their Voices Heard There is a new voice in the debate over gun violence. It is poised, American society,” said Tucker Carlson, founder of a popular conservative ‘Men of Courage’ passionate – and young. The student survivors of last Wednesday’s massacre website, Daily Caller. He spoke on his show on Fox News. “Tragedies like – many not old enough to vote – have been saturating the airwaves and this happen for a reason, and it probably doesn’t have a lot to do with guns.” Convening With social mediaeven A lot of Americans agree that guns aren’t the problem. “Unfortunately, with a resounding message: Something is broken in a country there’s evil in the world,” said Mimi Garcia from North Carolina who was that can’t stem bloodshed wrought by guns. Dr. Wes Bellamy In the week since a gunman murdered 17 in Parkland, Fla., Marjory visiting the Parkland area this week, donating blood after the shooting. “You Black Men United and Fellowship Christian Center, where the Rev. Edward Rollerson is pastor, will host a Black History Month event from 5-7 p.m. on Sunday at Fellowship Christian Center, 3211 Pinkney St. The keynote speaker, Dr. Wes Bellamy, is the past Vice-Mayor of Dr. Wes Bellamy Charlottesville, Va. He is the youngest individual ever elected to that office. Dr. Bellamy came into the national spotlight after leading the effort to remove statues of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson from local parks in Charlottesville. He has since become a leading voice in the movement towards greater equity in the United States. In addition to his legislative accomplishments, Dr. Bellamy regularly speaks to a wide range of audiences including universities, conferences, public rallies, and civic organizations. His primary focus is on improving the lives of those who lack resources and positive role models. Dr. Bellamy has appeared on CNN, NPR, and On One with Angela Rye, as well as being featured in the New York Times, the Root, Washington Post and other outlets. Senator Justin Wayne and Franklin T. Thompson will receive the Men Of Courage Awards this year. The Malcolm X Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Senator Ernie Chambers This event is free and the community is invited to attend.
Omaha Star Family Loses a Cherished Member
Eleanor Riggs
Long-time Omaha Star staffer Eleanor Riggs passed Tuesday evening, Feb. 20, after a brief illness. “L,” as she was affectionately nicknamed, made her transition at home surrounded by her three loving sons, J. Duke, Terry and Jeffrey Riggs, and her four adoring sisters, Pauline Saunders, Lois Daniels, Marilyn Craft and Carolyn Reddix-Johnson. At “L’s” request, a memorial service will be held at a later date. Condolences can be sent in care of Jeffrey Riggs, 4913 Manderson St., Omaha, NE 68104.
Stoneman Douglas students have organized a national campaign against school violence with a forceful, simple message for the country: Never Again. They say, in order to prevent the next school shooting, America needs stricter gun laws, safer schools and for the National Rifle Association to get out of politics. And their message is being heard – on TV and across social media. “Everyone’s listening, everyone cares. Change is going to be seen everywhere,” junior Cameron Kasky said. But there is one place where the Parkland students and their campaign have fallen flat: conservative media. Most conservative media reject the idea that shootings like the one in Parkland are a gun issue. The real concern isn’t that semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15 are widely available and can be purchased for less than you would spend on a good bicycle. Instead, they argue that the real crisis involves a breakdown in the fabric of American society, disintegrating families, and a lack of Christian values. And it’s a message Republican politicians in particular hear a lot in Emma Gonzalez the media they follow most closely. It was echoed in President Trump’s speech to the nation right after the Parkland shooting. “We must also work together to create a culture in our country that embraces the dignity of life,” Trump argued. On the TV, websites and talk radio favored by tens of millions of Americans, the student activists are either invisible or they face fierce criticism. During an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” with Chris Wallace, radio host Rush Limbaugh described the student survivors as articulate and angry, but he also said they’re being used by the left and by Democrats in a bid to take away people’s gun rights. The real answer, Limbaugh said, is more guns in schools: “The solution, to me and I know this is going to cause all kinds of angst, the solution is we need concealed carry in these schools.” He went on to argue that rallies and marches and attacks on the NRA won’t make kids or teachers safer. “Every thoughtful person knows something horrible is going on in
know, people are just going for that instead of, you know, [choosing] peace, love and God,” she argued. Her husband Manuel Garcia said he feels the same way. “I believe that a lot of things are happening because we took God out of the school system. We took prayer out of the school system. And this is why all this is happening.” If you believe that society is breaking down, then more guns might seem like a reasonable response, a last-ditch way to keep teachers and students safe. “I feel like they should put guns in the classrooms now with the teachers,” said Sabrina Belony, a stayat-home mom in Fort Lauderdale. “I feel like teachers should be trained to be armed or something because teachers lost their lives trying to protect [their classes].” The kids who formed the Never Again movement have no patience for this idea that culture is to blame for last weeks massacre. They say Parkland is already a great town, a tight-knit community with strong values. They say the real problem is that weak gun laws allowed one deeply troubled teen to legally buy a semi-automatic rifle. So far, the students seem to be holding their own against the conservative media’s very different narrative about Parkland. At a powerpacked rally in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, students made impassioned pleas for legislation to regulate guns. “We will be the last mass shooting,” Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School senior Emma Gonzalez declared to wild cheers. She criticized, “every politician who is taking donations from the NRA, shame on you.” That line sparked a roar of applause from the crowd and was followed by chants of “Shame on you! Shame on you!” Video of Gonzalez’s speech went viral on social media. The students held a town hall-style meeting Wednesday that aired on CNN. In response to an invitation to attend the town hall meeting, Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, an outspoken ally of the NRA, responded on Twitter, “Thanks for the invitation, I look forward to participating in this important forum. I want action too. Action that will make a difference.”
Omaha Star’s #BlackPantherChallenge Event Attended by Over 225 Anxious Moviegoers The Omaha Star ’s #BlackPantherChallenge movie event was held on day two of the opening weekend for Marvel’s Black Panther. Over 225 people were treated to a morning viewing of the movie at Marcus Majestic Cinema, 14304 W. Maple Rd. “This event was made possible by generous donations to our GoFundMe challenge. We accepted a challenge issued by Harlem resident Frederick Joseph, who raised over $42,000 to send youth from the Harlem Boys & Girls Club to see Marvel’s Black Panther. We set our challenge goal at $5,000. At this time the total donations exceed $10,000. All monies not used for the movie event will be donated to the Mildred D. Brown Memorial Study Center’s scholarship fund,” said Omaha Star Publisher, Phyllis Hicks. According to the event coordinator, Frankie Jean Williams, at press
See In the Village for a list of Lozier Omaha Table Talks.
time, the 400 nationwide campaigns created raised a total of $620K. Deb Shaw, who oversaw the Omaha Star’s donations said, “It was encouraging to see the wide range of support from donors who came from diverse geographical locations throughout the state. Every donation from $3 to $4000 helped us reach and exceed our targeted goal. These were truly amazing acts of kindness that are greatly appreciated.” Williams said the Omaha Star bought out four auditoriums at the theater. She said it was important to her that the youth in attendance saw black men working, so each of the four auditoriums had a male host who welcomed the youth and awarded door prizes. She said big thanks are in order to the hosts: Marc Austin, Jr., Rev. Darryl Brown, Jr., Robert Cunegin and Christopher McCroy, who readily accepted her challenge of providing the youth with a welcoming movie experience. She added “brothers from Alpha and Omega fraternities were a present force. One Alpha man was there waiting for us to show up at See #BlackPantherChallenge continued on page 3
Former First Lady Takes to Twitter to Praise ‘Panther’
By Sheryl Estrada As the superhero movie Black Panther roared at the box office over President’s Day weekend, former First Lady Michelle Obama expressed why she loves the film that set a record for a February opening. Obama tweeted on Monday:“Congrats to the entire #blackpanther team! Because of you, young people will finally see superheroes that look like them on the big screen. I loved this movie and I know it will inspire people of all backgrounds to dig deep and find the courage to be heroes of their own stories.” Disney and Marvel Studios’ Black Panther was released on Friday, Feb. 16 nationwide. Obama’s review gave a nod to the fact that the big-budget studio film is unprecedented as it has a predominantly Black cast, and it will also “inspire people of all backgrounds.” According to a comScore audience survey, the film See First Lady continued on page 3
It’s the Lenten season and Fish is Frying.
Summer job interviews – March 4
See In the Village for Details
See In the Village for Details