Vol. 81 - 17

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OMAHA STAR

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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

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Nebraska’s Only Black Owned Newspaper Vol. 81 - No. 17 Omaha, Nebraska

Friday, August 23, 2019

Education is the most important investment anyone can make.

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“Stakes Is High” for a Dallas Drum Major for Justice – and The Rest of Us

By Terri L. Crawford, J.D. If you want to say I’m a drum major, say I was a drum major for justice … peace … and righteousness. All of the other shallow things will not matter.”

– Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1964) Every generation has its drum majors, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was socially conscious far ahead of his time, is one we often make comparisons to. “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.

Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Dr. King famously penned these words while confined in jail in Birmingham, Ala., having been arrested for peacefully protesting racial injustice. Those were his prophetic words from the past.

Social justice requires the tireless effort of people who are committed to making our world a more inclusive, equitable, and justice-minded place, and yes it takes drum majors to lead the way. Who will answer the call for a new generation? There are many, but one in particular hails from Dallas, Texas. He is one who can be described

as a Prophetic Activist, a poet and a pastor, and he is the epitome of a drum major for justice for Generation X and Millennials. What manner of man is this? This man is The Reverend Dr. Michael W. Waters, founding pastor of Joy Tabernacle African Methodist Episcopal Church in Dallas, Texas. As a pastor and activist, Michael Waters has his own unique blend of hip-hop, racial consciousness and social justice leadership that speaks to the masses of an awakened generation whose battle cry is to “stay woke.”

If you have not read “Stakes Is High – Race, Faith and Hope for America,” you should. In the book, Michael W. Water takes us on a captivating, painfully familiar journey.

Told from a unique African Methodist Episcopal perspective, Michael Waters juxtaposes historical hurts within a contemporary social context as it relates to the Black experience in America, socially, politically and theologically.

As a bearer of the Baby Boomers’ legacy, with a great deal of pride, Michael W. Waters, is also instilled with a dedication to social justice, perhaps in good measure by his parents

and grandparents (you have to read the book!). He is a drum major that seeks to collaborate when possible to resolve social problems. He champions a cause that many Boomers, view as religiously inspired and divinely ordered. While many Millennials view his platform as intrinsic to humanity, invoked within individuals within religious and secular segments alike.

There is without a doubt a shared embrace of social justice that is likely to ameliorate the distinctive orientation that each generation has towards it. Each generation has been overwhelmingly dedicated to social justice. Where there is injustice, we all want to respond, whether in-person, online, or through power of the purse.

We each realize, there are challenges that must be met with urgency for concrete solutions. While hope for a better future abounds, the wheels of progress at times turn very slowly.

However, there are things that are within reach. For example, criminal justice reform is receiving bipartisan attention even as the number of casualties grows. But with real commitment to address this one facet of inequality, other areas are likely to

After Five Years, N.Y. Police Officer Who Chokes Eric Garner to Death on Video is Finally Fired

be positively impacted as well.

In the age of the first black president, we know that political power can create change. Even in the absence of a fully-functioning Voting Rights Act, we have to realize that our power to shift the status quo lies not only in the streets, but in every place where that status quo is exclusionary, by deliberate design or disparate impact.

Michael Waters knows the power of this principle firsthand. In Stakes Is High, he intersects hair-raising and soul-stirring accounts of killings as a result of police brutality and racial hatred with excerpts of speeches and sermons.

Waters’ unique perspective places you on front line of community responses, protests, rallies, and vigils against police brutality, and contains a plea to the reader to not be an innocent bystander, but to implicate ourselves in the fight for racial justice and equity for all Americans.

The good news, UNO, the Omaha Star and The Reader are partnering to bring Rev. Dr. Michael W. Waters to Omaha, Nebraska on September 9. This free community event will be begin at 6:30 p.m. at UNO’s Barbara

Waters

Weitz Community Engagement Center (2nd floor). Stakes Is High will be available to sale and Waters has agreed to sign books after his appearance.

The struggle continues and Stakes Is High is a call to action for all of us.

Dr. Terri L. Crawford, B.A., M.A, J.D ; University of Nebraska Omaha, Department of Black Studies - Adjunct and Graduate Professor; Political Awareness and Involvement Chair, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (OAC), Policy Director League of Women Voters Greater Omaha, Omaha Star – Staff Writer

New Jesuit Academy Principal Commissioned Jesuit Academy commissioned their new principal, Glenn Mitchell, last week. Mitchell will serve as the 6th principal of the Academy.

The commissioning ceremony took place during the Mass of the Holy Spirit, led by Fr. Kevin Shneider, wherein the entire student body & faculty blessed him. After the Mass concluded, they all celebrated at a reception held in Mitchell’s honor.

The Crippling Effect Another Recession Could Have on Black America, Explained

By Lauren Victoria Burke NNPA Newswire Contributor On Aug. 19, New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill announced the firing of Officer Daniel Pantaleo. Pantaleo choked Eric Garner, 43, to death on a sidewalk in Staten Island, N.Y., on July 17, 2014, after Pantaleo stopped Garner for selling loose cigarettes.

The video of Garner begging for his life and repeating the words “I can’t breathe” eleven times, catapulted the case into the national spotlight and made it an often-mentioned example of police brutality.

Pantaleo was later assigned to desk duty and had his salary raised. Five months after the Garner killing, a Staten Island grand jury declined to indict Pantaleo. Then-District Attorney Dan Donovan made the decision and was later elected to Congress.

In his Aug. 19 announcement, Commissioner O’Neill said he expects rank and file officers to be upset with him for firing Pantaleo. “If I was still a cop, I would probably be mad at me.” Police in New York have long been accustomed to winning political battles in public and rarely does the Commissioner

admit mistakes by individual officers.

“In this case, the unintended consequence of Mr. Garner’s death must have a consequence of its own,” O’Neill stated. “There are absolutely no victors here today,” he added.

“After five long years, justice finally breathes. But firing this guy is just the beginning,” wrote Professor Ibram Kendi of American University moments after the news was released.

The head of the police union in New York had another view.

“He will lose his police department,” said Patrick Lynch, president of the city’s Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association.

Eric Garner’s death on video at the hands of Pantaleo occurred less than a month before the shooting death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. by police Officer Darren Wilson.

(Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist and writer for NNPA as well as a political analyst and strategist as Principal of Win Digital Media LLC. She may be contacted at LBurke007@gmail. com and on twitter at @LVBurke)

By Bruce C.T. Wright

“What the hell do you have to lose?” Donald Trump the presidential candidate famously asked that question to Black voters while appealing for the support of African Americans almost two years ago to the day. The seemingly never-ending stream of negative answers ever since has been playing themselves out in the most perilous of ways.

The latest response to that fateful question has materialized itself as an impending recession, fears of which were, of course, being downplayed by the president, who many people blame for a looming economic crisis. As a result, a clearer picture was emerging of which groups would be most affected by the first recession in a decade. And by “groups,” I mean Black people.

The fact of the matter was that the effects of the Great Recession that began in late 2007 have never dissipated fully, or at all.

And that was especially true for Black people, who have disproportionately fallen short when it comes to homeownership, credit, employment and earning wages overall, among other key economic indicators. The collision of those factors in 2019 means that Black folks should rightfully brace the hardest for another recession, which, economists say, is a matter of when, See Recession continued on page 3

Terence “Bud” Let us pray that students Stakes Is High Crawford parade Grand and faculty enjoy a safe, author coming Marshall – Sept. 2. to Omaha! productive school year.

See In the Village for details.

See article above.

Page Two

LOCAL NEWS

THE OMAHA STAR

Joslyn Welcomes New Associate Curator of Native American Art

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Joslyn Art Museum has announced the appointment of MAILING ADDRESS: 2216 North 24th Street Annika K. Johnson, Ph.D., as Omaha, Nebraska 68110 the museum’s new associate curator of Native American art.

WEB ADDRESS: She specializes in nineteenthwww.theomahastar.com century Native American Like Us on Facebook art and exchange with Euro#OmahaStarNews Americans, with a focus on the Upper Midwest. Dr. Johnson Follow us on Twitter @theomahastar grew up in the Twin Cities – Dakota homelands called Mni E-MAIL ADDRESSES: Sota Makoce – and received fwilliams@omahastarinc.com her Ph.D. in art history from tcooper@omahastarinc.com the University of Pittsburgh.

DShaw@ omahastarinc.com Building relationships with Business Hours: Native communities and Monday – Thursday: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. employing decolonizing strategies have been critical Member of the National Newspaper to her research and curatorial Publishers Association practice.

In spring 2018, Joslyn received Mildred D. Brown: Founder, July 9, 1938 a significant grant from The Dr. Marguerita L. Washington: Publisher, 1989 - 2016 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Phyllis Hicks: Publisher/Managing Editor, 2016 - 2019 to establish this new position, charged with expanding the Frankie Jean Williams: Interim Publisher/Editor visual narrative and didactic Tanya Cooper: Advertising Director/Business Manager program for Joslyn’s historic Debra Shaw: Social Media Administrator and contemporary Indigenous collections. The foundation Barbara Reeves: Retail Distributor funding supports the first THE OMAHA STAR believes that America can best lead the world away from racial four years of Dr. Johnson’s and national antagonism when it accords every man, regardless of race, color or creed, his human and legal rights. Hating no man, fearing no man in the firm belief that all appointment, which began Aug. 12. are hurt as long as one is held back.

“Joslyn’s extensive Native American art collection

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presents a fantastic opportunity to activate new ways of thinking about Native art,” noted Dr. Johnson. “As a nonNative person, my work here begins with listening and also learning about the collection and Indigenous history of the region. Recent efforts to revise and expand the understanding of American art by bringing Indigenous perspectives to the forefront have generated highly provocative and illuminating exhibitions. I am very excited to partner with Native artists and communities to make those critical connections throughout Nebraska and the region.”

Joslyn executive director and CEO Jack Becker said, “Annika has demonstrated considerable passion and success in her work with Indigenous communities.

She will be a tremendous advocate for Native voices, while making a serious scholarly contribution to our Indigenous collections and programming, and we warmly welcome her to Joslyn.” Becker noted that while Joslyn holds significant examples of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Native American art and artifacts, the museum has never had a

Earlier this year, No More Empty Pots re-opened Cups Café at Little Italy, 1502 S. 10th St., with a fresh look and updated menu. Our goal was to continue to support the mission of creating sustainable foodsecure neighborhoods. During this time, we discovered the community has a specific need for a small event space with catering options and we want to focus on that. We are excited to announce that Cups Café at Little Italy will now be an event only space. To book either the Co2 Community Room or the Cafe contact reservations@ nmepomaha.org.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer this community resource for small group meetings and events. We are grateful to each person and organization that has supported the growth and transition of Cups Cafe at Little Italy. We want to make sure that we are leveraging resources to fill the greatest need. At this time, we are making those changes at the Little Italy location to be of greater service with focused intentional community engagement events like Reading Time every third Thursday at 9am.” - Nancy Williams, CEO/Founder, No More Empty Pots.

The second location, Cups Café at Florence, located at 8501 North 30th St.,

is now open! In this unique space, you will have the privilege to be served by Culinary Workforce Training Program students who take part in the production of the menu and front of house service. The menu also features local, seasonal food and beverages as well as product from food entrepreneurs renting the Commercial Kitchens at the No More Empty Pots Food Hub. Cups Café at Florence provides customer service and barista training areas and a place for entrepreneurs to test products before launching to a larger market. To book space at Cups Café at Little Italy or to learn more about Cups Café at Florence, visit www. nmepomaha.org/cups-cafe.

About Cups Café Cups Café serves specialty coffee, local and seasonal food, along with a meeting space available by reservation. It is a neighborhood café committed to helping the community become self-sufficient and food secure. We believe your time and money should make a difference in your community. You should have it all - great coffee, delicious food, and a mission to support. Cups Café, hold the community in your hands. Cups Café is a program of No More Empty Pots. To learn more about

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the Kunsthistorisches Institut Florence, British Museum, and National Gallery of Art (Washington, DC). In 2016 she was co-editor in chief of the art history journal Contemporaneity, and her writings span subjects of cultural exchange and have appeared in Archives of American Art Journal (forthcoming), American Indian Culture and Research Journal, First American Art Magazine, and the Journal of Japonisme.

For more information, contact Amy Rummel, director of marketing and public relations, at arummel@joslyn.org or 402661-3822.

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About No More Empty Pots No More Empty Pots (NMEP) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to connect individuals and groups to improve self-sufficiency, regional food security and economic resilience of urban and rural communities through advocacy and action.

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curatorial position dedicated exclusively to Indigenous art.

“This underserved collection presents the opportunity for Annika to develop new research, installations, exhibitions, and programming, as well as significant new communityfacing initiatives through partnerships with contemporary Indigenous artists, regional tribal communities, and academic institutions at the university, secondary, and primary levels.”

Dr. Johnson has curated exhibitions in Pittsburgh, New York, and Minnesota that examine a range of historic and contemporary works. In 2015, she studied Australian Aboriginal art and curatorial methods in the Northern Territory with funding from the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts (CASVA).

Support from the Smithsonian American Art Museums, Mellon Foundation, the University of Pittsburgh, and a 2017-2019 CASVA Wyeth Fellowship have given her the opportunity to view Native artworks in collections across the United States and Europe. She has recently given lectures on Dakota art and cross-cultural art histories at

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LOCAL NEWS/NATIONAL NEWS THE OMAHA STAR Page Three Ben Carson Does Not Care about International Certifications Earned People Displaced by Gentrification by 18 Men at Penitentiary

August 23, 2019

By NewsOne Staff Ben Carson appears hell bent on destroying Housing and Urban Development. Now, after critiques about his so-called Opportunity Zones, his response is seriously heartless: “Rich people are going to get richer anyway.”

While speaking at the Marriott Hotel in Brooklyn, an area that has been devastated by gentrification, Carson said about the critiques of Opportunity Zones, “Some people have complained, and said, ‘This is just a mechanism for rich people to get richer.’ Um, news flash, rich people are going to get richer anyway.”

Real estate web site RealDeal.com reported Carson’s comments “drew scattered chuckles from the audience of investors and real estate industry players.” One person in the audience allegedly said, “Can you believe he just said that?”

Opportunity Zones is a supposed plan to revitalize urban neighborhoods. The program has designated more than 8,000 census tracts across the U.S. as “distressed,” RealDeal.com explains. Nonetheless, there are already signs this will only be a bonanza for the wealthy by allowing real estate developers to push out poor people. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy reports, “This program runs a high risk of displacing low-income people living in communities from which government has historically and systemically disinvested. Low-income communities targeted by Opportunity Zones are overwhelmingly Black.”

Areas for these so-called Opportunity Zones are “63 percent Black and only 28 percent white.”

The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy clearly states “Opportunity Zones incent gentrification.

Low-income communities can be defined by a comparison of income to the surrounding area and Opportunity Zones can also qualify if they are adjacent to a low-income community. Thus, Opportunities Zones are in communities already vulnerable to gentrification. The program lacks adequate protections to ensure capital investors do not push out current residents or businesses.”

This should be no shocker from Carson. He assumes the worst from people who aren’t wealthy like him. The former doctor thinks Black men sitting on porches in Baltimore are unemployed. He hired a documented racist. He also thinks the answer to affordable housing is throwing everyone in a trailer park.

Ben Carson is clearly making America worse.

Millennials Urged to Build Wealth through Homeownership Washington, DC – During his speech on Aug. 1 at the conclusion of the 72nd Annual NAREB Convention held in Atlantic City, NJ, Donnell T. Williams, newly installed as the 31st president of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB), set a bold yet targeted agenda to increase Black wealth through homeownership with a special focus on reaching the country’s millennials.

NAREB’s national meeting convened just days after the U.S. Census Bureau released its second quarter 2019 homeownership rates which listed the Black homeownership rate at 40.6% the lowest it has been in more than 50 years. In comparison, the non-Hispanic White homeowner rate was 73.1%, representing more than a 30% gap.

“Bold, energetic and effective action must be taken to stop this unthinkable slippage in Black wealth. Homeownership and investment in real estate represent the tools Black Americans in general, and millennials in particular can use to build or rebuild their wealth,” said Williams, taking the helm of NAREB, the nation’s oldest minority professional real estate organization.

“My plan to reverse the downward slide is to reach the 1.7 million mortgage-ready Black millennials who make over $100,000 annually, but have delayed or not considered homeownership as part of their wealth building strategy,” Williams stated.

Several initiatives were outlined in Williams’ speech that speak to the millennial demographic. One moment in particular drew much applause from the audience when he said, “Our people need to know that you’re in violation if you drive a Land Rover and you pay rent to a landlord.” The initiative, www.housethenacar.com launches shortly and concentrates its financial focus on attracting

Donnell T. Williams, president, NAREB

millennials and Gen-X-ers to home buying or real estate investment opportunities to build sustainable wealth.

Williams emphasized that NAREB’s member Realtors must embolden themselves as well as their potential customers. He said, “We must Educate, Empower, and Mobilize ourselves as well as the Black American public. Wealth building through homeownership is indeed possible and we need to make that happen.”

Williams is not new to the real estate profession. First licensed as an agent in 1992 serving the Northern New Jersey area, he established his brokerage Destiny Realty in 2001 in Morristown, NJ with a satellite office in Newark, NJ, now one of the largest Black American, independently owned real estate brokerages in the state.

Recession continued from page 1 not whether, it will happen.

In essence, all one has to do is take a look at the not-so-distant history in order to determine what’s on the economic horizon for Black folks should another recession hit.

While Trump brags about Black unemployment being the lowest it’s been in modern history (thanks, Obama), the rate of which African Americans were out of work was still more than double that of white people. And with the president’s series of misguided tariffs, what the Associated Press called “higher budget deficits” and a racial wage gap that has continued to widen as the country remains recovering from the Great Recession, to say that Black people haven’t made as much economic progress as the rest of the country has is an understatement.

“And even today, although black incomes have recovered, African-Americans are still making only 63 percent of what whites earn,” Vincent Adejumo, lecturer of African American Studies at the University of Florida, wrote earlier this year, well before the widespread reports of a looming recession. “Coupled with the net worth and homeownership figures not recovering and even regressed since the recession officially ended, it means that blacks are still vulnerable to future economic downturns.”

With that said, Adejumo cited the Black homeownership rate and the value of those homes as a factor that contributed greatly to the spate of foreclosures that hit Black folks especially hard a decade ago. Since then, the Black homeownership rate has continued to shrink to a 50-year low. But while those statistics could mean fewer Black people will be as adversely affected by another recession, it could also spell further doom on the credit front, something many Black folks have struggled with.

Without that ready access to credit, capital and collateral in an economic emergency, Adejumo argued, “even the slightest emergency in an economic downturn would result in a weakened ability to meet financial obligations” for Black people.

According to a report from Pew last year, Black people had the lowest household income among all of the races. It was more than $10,000 fewer than the next closest group (Hispanics). The Economic Policy Institute warned that another recession would probably increase that household income gap while also reducing the amount for Black families.

Considering all of the above, it was no wonder Black people were way more worried about another recession coming compared to their white counterparts – twice as many, to be exact, according to a survey published last October.

If there was a silver lining for people wary of a recession, a new one had still not hit as of Monday morning, leaving time for everybody to properly prepare as best they can. That means, according to CNBC, not panicking, bulk up on cash and not running up your credit cards. But, of course, that would mean having ready access to cash and credit, two things that have both been elusive to many Black people, which, in turn, could provoke some level of panic, especially during an economic setback.

There was, believe it or not, another possible bright spot – if another recession does hit, it won’t be nearly as catastrophic as the last one, financial planner Diahann Lassus told CNBC. “None of those signs are there,” she said.

Famous last words.

Left to right: Tessa Demers, Mental Health Association of Nebraska; Lamont Arnold, graduate; NDCS Director Scott Frakes; Michele Wilhelm, warden Nebraska State Penitentiary.

Director Scott R. Frakes is commending the work of 18 men who are the first inmates in the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) to achieve international certifications in the Intentional Peer Support Program. Frakes joined Warden Michele Wilhelm and Kasey Moyer, director of the Nebraska Mental Health Association (MHA), in a graduation ceremony at the Nebraska State Penitentiary on Aug. 12.

Speaking before invited guests, Frakes told participants, “You took on a huge responsibility.

You have signed on with the commitment to provide service to others. It’s the most satisfying work you can do in this life, but it is not easy. I am proud of you.”

NDCS partnered with MHA to bring the Intentional Peer Support Program into the penitentiary as a pilot program.

A majority of the participants completed 80 hours of training, in order to achieve the international certification. The program is based on establishing mutual trust and respect and pairing up individuals who have similar experiences as a way to tackle issues related to mental health, addiction, trauma and other life challenges.

“Trained specialists are able to assist others when they are struggling and help to guide them through tough times,”

explained Warden Wilhelm.

“One of our graduates recently entered community corrections.

He will be able to take the skills he learned and apply them to that environment. Ultimately, it would be ideal if our graduates chose to continue their service once they are released, by helping other people who are transitioning from incarceration into the community.”

“We all have goals and ambitions and we’ve all made mistakes,” said graduate Todd Cook. “Peer support lets us look through a lens of hope and lets us show each other ways to improve our lives together.”

Director Frakes said he is excited about the program and where it will go next. Currently, peer specialists are being trained at Tecumseh State Correctional

Institution (TSCI).

“We do this for our population,” said graduate Ron O’Neill. “We do this for the community as well because these men will be returning there one day.”

“Their efforts truly increase the safety for our staff, the population and the community,” added Wilhelm. ”Those who graduated underwent an application process, interviews and many hours of training.

They want to help their peers and can do so by demonstrating respect, shared responsibility, and a mutual agreement of what is helpful.”

During the ceremony, Director Frakes presented a proclamation from Governor Pete Ricketts making August 12, 2019 Intentional Peer Support Recognition Day.

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PRAISE, WORSHIP, DEVOTION, OBITUARIES & INSPIRATION August 23, 2019

Thank you from the family of Michael Jay Jackson Sad was the parting of the one we love so dear We’re left with sweet memories of him once here In some small way, every single day Precious memories of him will come our way Unseen and unheard, but always near His divine spirit is just as dear We take comfort in your kind and thoughtful expressions of sympathy They are deeply appreciated and gratefully acknowledged The Jackson, Miller and Moore family

Deaths & Funerals George E. Coleman Mr. George E. Coleman, age 75, passed away Saturday, Aug. 17, at a local hospital.

Survived by wife: Beatrice Coleman; sons: George (Erica) Coleman, II, Christopher Turrentine, Omaha; daughters: Cristal Bennefield, Whitney Whitcomb, Shana (Eris) Mackey, Omaha; sisters: Mamie Rose Turner, Shuqualuk, MS, Linda Morris, Omaha; 8 grandchildren, 3 great-grand, nieces, nephews, and extended family.

Funeral Services: 11 a.m.

Monday, Aug. 26, Morning Star

Baptist Church, Rev. Dr. Leroy Adams, officiating.

Interment: Forest Lawn Cemetery Arrangements by Thomas Funeral Home. *** John D. Haynes Mr. John D. Haynes, age 78, passed away Wednesday, Aug. 14, at a local hospital.

Preceded in death by parents: Ervin Haynes, Sr., and Lovie Holmes Haynes; brother: Ervin Haynes, Jr. Survived by sons: Rodney (Corey) Haynes, Jonathan McCreary; brothers: Rufus (Clara) & Gene (Annie)

Haynes; grandchildren; nephews: Allen & Jerel Haynes; niece; Ramona Haynes; 2 great-nieces; 3 great-nephews, goddaughter: Jackie Elliston; special friend: Ethel Williams; a host of cousins and friends.

Funeral Service: 9 a.m.

Saturday, Aug. 24, Salem Baptist Church, Rev. Dr. Selwyn Q. Bachus, officiating.

Interment: Mt. Hope Cemetery Arrangements by Thomas Funeral Home. *** Bessie Lambert Mrs. Bessie Lambert, age 89, passed away Saturday, Aug. 3.

Dorothy Gamble Nov. 21, 1932 – Aug. 13, 2019

Carl LaVell ChaneyLittlejohn Sr. Nov. 5, 1960 - Aug. 11, 2019 Our family is overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, support and generosity we received after Carl’s sudden passing. Please know that we heard every word you spoke, read every card you sent, inhaled the fragrance of every flower that filled the room, savored every morsel prepared for our nourishment, counted every mile traveled to be with us and we were strengthened by every prayer offered up on our behalf. Your support and presence has helped us to understand that we are yet blessed because our beloved Carl is now with God. May the Lord reward you for what you have done! May you receive a rich reward from the Lord God of Israel, under whose protection you have come for shelter. – Ruth 2:12

How Do We Know That God Is Real?

By Dr. William Holland I’ve been asked many times through the years, how do we know God is real when we cannot see Him, touch Him, or hear Him? I admit this is a logical question and there are several things we need to consider in the conversation. I know what God can do but I’ve never walked up to him and shook His hand or had a cup of coffee with him. I can sense the still small voice of the Holy Spirit speak within my spirit and I listen to other people relay what they believe God is saying, but I have not heard God speak from the clouds or a burning bush like He did in the Old Testament. However, just because I have not had experiences like many others have had, this does not in any way diminish my enthusiasm to believe he is who the Bible says he is. Those who are blind and cannot see the moon and the stars, still believe they are there. The Christian life contains unexplainable occurrences and occasional supernatural phenomenon including angel visitations and mind-boggling miracles, but in general, following God is to be lived by faith. Yes, this is much more difficult, but also much more rewarding. The Bible declares that God surrounds us whether we can see him or not and desires that we attempt to develop our spiritual awareness through keeping our mind focused on him.

There is a story in the Bible about a man who placed a high priority on being able to see Jesus before he could believe. Christ had just been publicly crucified and after three days, it was being told that his tomb was empty and that he had risen from the dead.

Thomas, who was one of Jesus disciples was overwhelmed from all that had happened and declared that he would not believe unless he could see his nail-scarred hands and be able to literally touch him.

Soon after this, it just so happened that Jesus miraculously appeared to him one evening and reached out His hands and said, “Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed; however, blessed are those who have not seen and yet still have believed” John 20:29.

Everything related to God is not presented in clear sight on purpose, including the understanding of scripture. The idea is the Lord draws and leads us, then it’s our responsibility to believe in him with all of our heart. He is not withholding from us to frustrate us, but our determination to know him is directly associated with how much we love and trust Him. To the masses, this may seem like a foolish game of hide and seek with an invisible man, however to those who know God, this intimate relationship is the meaning of life. Our experiences, even the difficult times are meant to teach us how to understand God and are a critical part of us becoming what he wants us to be. II Corinthians 4:18 says, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

When it comes to wisdom and understanding, there has never been a more important message to the world than to discover and experience the presence of God. The beautiful symbolism in the Tabernacle of Moses invites us to enjoy a spiritual reality that is as tangible as anything we could ever know. Today, this secret dwelling place with God is not a certain geographic location, but rather a state of being where we can communicate, worship and freely rejoice in the glories of His love. Meditating and focusing within the peace and security of knowing that Jesus died and rose from the dead to save us, is a truth more valuable than anything in this world. We cannot make people know God, we can only encourage them to look around and notice his work. C.S. Lewis is quoted as saying, “I believe in God as I believe the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” Nothing can separate us from the privilege to walk with God except our refusal to believe he is real.

Dorothy Gamble was born Nov. 21, 1932, in Hope, Ark., to the union of Rev. Freddie Morrison Sr. and Josephine Maxwell.

She was a proud graduate of the 1952 Yerger High School class. Shortly after graduation, she united with William Joseph Gamble who preceded her in death.

Dorothy was the proud mother of nine children. In 1970, Dorothy moved her family to Omaha, Nebraska.

Dorothy was a faithful and dedicated Omaha Public Schools’ Bus Aide for over 30 years. She truly loved watching over the kids to ensure that they were safely tucked in their seats to and from school. At the direction of her father, she accepted Christ at an early age and decided that she would serve him until he called her to her everlasting home.

She was preceded in death by Robert Reed (significant other); 2 sons, Rodney Gamble; Vernon Gamble and 1 daughter, Cathy Gamble. Dorothy leaves to carry on her legacy of faith and family, her children: Donald W., Patricia E., Cynthia L.; Kevin A (Michelle); Stephen E; Norman F. and a host of grandchildren and great grandchildren along with many relatives and friends.

Survived by son: Robert M. (Eva) Lambert, Jr.; daughter: Rosemarie Lambert-Jones; sisters: Mary Bell & Amanda; brothers: Parker (Dana) Leander (Jean); 4 grandchildren, 4 greatgrand, a host of family and friends.

Funeral Services were held 9 a.m. Friday, Aug. 9, at Salem Baptist Church. Rev. Dr. Selwyn Q. Bachus, officiated.

Interment: Mt Hope Cemetery Arrangements by Thomas Funeral Home.

‘Biblical Manhood & Womanhood’ Theme for Laymen’s Conference

Mt. Nebo Missionary Baptist Church, 5501 N. 50th St., presents their 9th Annual Laymen’s Conference on Sept. 14 from 8:30 a.m. till 1 p.m. The theme for this year’s conference is “Biblical Manhood and Biblical Womanhood.” The scriptural references are I Corinthians 16:13-14 and Genesis 1-3.

The presenters for this year’s conference include Dr. Harold and Sis. Doris Simmons of Eighth Street Baptist Church of Kansas City, KS will serve as classroom lecturers.

This year’s keynote speakers are Sis. Ivory Woods of Mt. Nebo and Min. Monroe Relford of Pleasant Green Baptist Church. Breakfast and registration will be available at 7:20 a.m. and lunch will also be served. Guest preacher for Sunday, September 15, will be Rev. Arthur Powell, pastor of the Travelers Rest Baptist Church of Morrow, GA. Attendees can pre-register on the church website at www. mtneboomaha.org.

Rev. Terry L. Arvie is the pastor of Mt. Nebo Baptist Church.

Edward Reed Sr. Mr. Edward Reed Sr., age 84, passed away Aug. 10 at a local hospital.

Survived by wife, Shirley; children: Edward Reed Jr., Darlene Weaver, Robin Poindexter, Kimberly Lessley, Shawna Reed; a host of grandchildren, great grandchildren, great-great grandchildren; brothers, Aaron and Miles Lee Reed; many nieces, nephews and loving friends.

Preceded in death by parents, Daniel Sr. and Sadie Reed; grandson, Edward

Reed III; brothers: Daniel Reed Jr., DeForest Reed, Thomas Reed; sisters: Martha Franklin, Mildred Bruton, “Aunt Little” Theresa West and Josie Mae McDaniels.

Visitation was held on Thursday with funeral service following at Roeder Mortuary, 4932 Ames Ave. Burial at Omaha National Cemetery.

Roeder Mortuary, Inc. – Ames Chapel – 4932 Ames Ave – Omaha, NE – 402453-5600, www.RoederMortuary.com.

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Kids Talk About God

What Does the Bible Mean When It Says Jesus Was Full of Grace and Truth?

By Carey Kinsolving And Friends “If you had a bad day and had a timeout, God would forgive you,” says Hayes, 6.

Hayes, you’re thinking like me. You need a lot of grace for life’s truth timeouts. In Jesus, we see the perfect balance of grace and truth.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

The word “dwelt” as in the Word or Jesus dwelling among us has a history in the Old Testament. The word can be translated “tabernacled.” Moses constructed the Ark of the Covenant and placed it in a tent so that God dwelt among his people as they wandered in the desert.

Pastor Emile Wolfaardt puts it this way: “A little more than 2000 years ago God stepped onto our earth, pitched His tent and set up camp right in the middle of us all. That is what the word ‘dwelled’ can mean – to set a tent. In other words, the Word became flesh and pitched His tent among us. And when He did that it was the most profound revelation of God man would ever know on this earth.”

Theologian J.C. Ryle eloquently writes of the grace and truth that came together in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ: “This constant undivided union of two perfect natures in Christ’s Person is exactly that which gives infinite value to His mediation, and qualifies Him to be the very Mediator that sinners need. Our Mediator is One who can sympathize with us, because He is very MAN. And yet, at the same time, He is One who can deal with the Father for us on equal

terms, because He is very GOD.” Ryle gives one of the best explanations ever placed in print of how grace and truth came together in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

You may want to read it again.

When I think of grace, the words of the Lord Jesus on the cross come to mind: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34). Truth demands justice, but forgiveness is grace in action.

The truth behind the unjust trial and crucifixion of Jesus is that he could have snapped his fingers and annihilated his accusers. Jesus allowed himself to be falsely accused, unjustly whipped and brutally crucified as a common criminal. Why didn’t he resist? Grace.

The truth is that our sins drove him to the cross. He took our sins on himself and bore the punishment that we deserve. Why? Truth demands justice, and justice demands punishment for wrong doing.

What kind of world would this be if people were permitted to kill each other when they got angry? God is righteous in that he punishes sin, but he also loves us because he sent his son to take the punishment we deserve.

“It means that God was full of grace,” says Katie, 10. “When people sinned, he gave grace.”

Think about this: Jesus Christ left the glories of his dwelling place in heaven to suffer the humility of crucifixion so that he could prepare a heavenly dwelling place for us.

Memorize this truth: John 1:14 quoted above.

Ask this question: Have you received the truth about your need for a savior and God’s gracious provision in the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ?

AND

THOMAS FUNERAL HOME

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THE BLACK PRESS

& Cremation Services

And Both Black - Owned.

A Tradition of Caring Since 1939

Together, The Press And the Pulpit Can Give Us Full Citizenship Immediately

3920 North 24th St. Omaha, NE 68110 402-453-7111 www.omahathomasfh.com

Both Born Out of Necessity For Self-Expression

PRAISE & WORSHIP DIRECTORY

August 23, 2019

Rev. Benjamin R. Finnell

Rev. Benjamin R. Finnell Presiding Elder and Pastor Tammi Tate, Public Relations Chairperson 2842 Monroe St. Ph: (402) 502-8003 Fx: 934-8581 Sunday School....................................9:00 a.m.

Sunday Worship...............................10:00 a.m.

Thursday Bible Study..........................8:00 p.m. via teleconference, dial-in number 563-999-2090 and access code 576989

ST. MARK BAPTIST CHURCH

MOUNT CALVARY COMMUNITY CHURCH

ALLEN CHAPEL A.M.E.

THE OMAHA STAR Page Five

Pastor Jarrod S. Parker 3616 Spaulding Street, Omaha, NE 68111 Phone: 402-451-0307 Email: smbcsecretary@stmarkbaptist.org

“Jesus is the light of the world” mtcalvarycommunitychurch.org 5112 Ames Avenue Omaha, NE 68104 Ph: 402-457-4216

Sunday School – Sunday 9:00 a.m.

Sunday School .................................................... 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Morning Worship Experience ......... 11:00 a.m.

Wednesday Food and Fellowship.................... 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday (WOW) Word On Wednesday... 7:00 p.m.

Worship Service – Sunday 10:15 a.m.

Children’s Church (except 2nd Sunday) Holy Communion every 1st Sunday Prayer and Bible Doctrine Study Midday - 12:00 noon; Evening – 7:00 p.m.

Pastor Jarrod S. Parker

Televised Broadcast – Sundays at 6:00 p.m., KPAO Cox Channel 22 & CenturyLink Channel 89 Our Mission: “To exalt the Savior, edify saints, evangelize sinners and elevate society.”

“Where Life is for Everyone”

MT. MORIAH MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

Drs. Mar n & Lynnell Williams

Dr. Ralph B. Lassiter, Pastor 2602 N. 24th St. Off: (402) 451-8800 - Fax: (402) 451-8522 mtmoriahomaha.net pastorlassiter@gmail.com

Founders & Lead Pastors SUNDAYS Prayer 9:00 AM Worship 10:00 AM

WEDNESDAYS Prayer 6:00 PM Worship 7:00 PM

www.ambassadorswc.com 402-341-1866 5417 N 103rd St. Omaha, NE 68134

Rev. Ralph Lassiter, Sr.

SALEM BAPTIST CHURCH Serving God and One Another in the Spirit of Excellence Rev. Dr. Selwyn Q. Bachus Senior Pastor

Sunday School ...................................... 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Worship ..................................10:45 a.m.

Overcomers in Christ...............Sunday 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday Bible-Prayer Service 11:30 a.m. & 6:30 p.m

3131 Lake Street Omaha, NE 68111 402-455-1000 www.salembc.org

Rev. Dr. Selwyn Q. Bachus

CLAIR MEMORIAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

MT. NEBO MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

“Come Get Your Hilltop Experience”

“The Church Where Fellowship is Real” Pastor Terry L. Arvie 5501 N. 50th Street Ph: 402-451-4245 Fx: 402-451-2130 office@mtneboomaha.org www.mtneboomaha.org

Rev. Portia A. Cavitt, Pastor 5544 Ames Avenue, Omaha, NE 68104 Telephone: 402-451-8322 • Website: www.cmumc.net Email: clairumc@cumc.omhcoxmail.com Sunday School………………………8:45 a.m.

Sunday Worship Experience………...10:00 a.m.

Wednesday Bible Study….…….…….6:00 p.m.

Weekly Services Sunday Morning Worship Service ..................................8:30 a.m. & 11:30 a.m.

Children’s Church (2nd & 4th Sunday) .............................8:30 a.m. & 11:30 a.m.

Life Development (Sunday School) .....................................................10:15 a.m.

Wednesday Word and Worship (WWW) ............................................ 6:30 p.m.

Rev. Portia A. Cavitt, Pastor

TABERNACLE OF FAITH CHURCH

Sunday Morning Worship ...................................9:00 a.m.

Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting .....................7:00 p.m.

Wednesday Night Church School ......................7:30 p.m.

Youth/Children Ministry Focus (Wed.) ............7:30 p.m.

Pastor Barbara Mitchell 2404 Fort Street, Omaha, NE 68111 402-455-1800 Church 402-455-3390 Fax

Pastor Terry L. Arvie

Pastor Barbara Mitchell

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Rev. Kent H. Little, Lead Pastor

PLEASANT GREEN BAPTIST CHURCH

Services on Sundays at 8:30 am & 10:50 am

“Where CHRIST is Preeminent and the Word Prevails!”

7020 Cass Street, Omaha, NE 68132 402.556.6262 www.fumcomaha.org First United Methodist Church is a welcoming and inclusive community, inspired to grow with and in God.

8:30 am Early Sunday Morning Worship 9:30 - 10:15 am Sunday Morning Breakfast 10:15 - 11:15 am Sunday School 11:30 am Sunday Morning Worship 6:30 pm Wednesday Bible Study 8:00 pm Friday Night Service Noon day prayer Thursday - Saturday

Rev. Kent H. Little

Pastor Brian Page 5555 Larimore Avenue Church: 402-346-8427 www.pleasantgreenomaha.org

ZION BAPTIST CHURCH Rev. Kenneth A. Allen, Pastor

Wednesday: Prayer Power Hour ......................................12:00 p.m

Pastor Brian Page

Thursday: Youth For Christ ............................................6:00 p.m Prayer & Bible Study ....................................6:30 p.m

Televised Broadcast Sunday @ 10pm on KPAO Cox Communication channel 22 & Century Link channel 89

Sunday: Sunday School.................................................9:00 a.m.

Morning Worship..........................................10:15 a.m.

2215 Grant Street Omaha, NE 68110 Ph: 402-346-1502 Fax: 402-344-2720 SUNDAY Sunday Morning Worship……………9:00 A.M. Sunday School……………………...11:15 A.M. WEDNESDAY 11:00 A.M. ~ Hour of Power Bible Study Wednesday is Family Night!

6:00 P.M. ~ Prayer & Praise Service 6:30 P.M. ~ Feast & Fellowship (Light Meal) 7:15 P.M. ~ Discipleship Academy (Classes for ages 5 & up)

Pastor Kenneth A. Allen

Charles Galloway - President, Rev John Deang - Pastor, Dr John Beasley - Elder

HOPE LUTHERAN CHURCH

ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CATHOLIC CHURCH

Missouri Synod 2721 N. 30th Street 402-453-1583 Sunday School................................10:00 a.m.

Church Service...............................11:00 a.m.

YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME

2423 Grant St. Omaha, NE 68111 Ph: 402-348-0631 • Fax 402-342-4451 Sunday Mass: 9:00 a.m.

Reconciliation: Sunday after Mass or by appointment Rev. Vitalis Anyanike

THE WORSHIP CENTER

& HOLY NAME CATHOLIC CHURCH

2901 Fontenelle Blvd. 68104 Ph: 402-451-6622 • Fax 402-457-6901 Mass Schedule: Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m., Sat. 8:30 a.m. & 5:00 p.m.

Sun. 8:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m. & Noon (Spanish) Reconciliation: Sat. 4:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. or by appointment

JOY OF LIFE MINISTRIES COGIC Pastors Eric and Cynthia Butler 6401 N. 56th Street • Omaha, NE 68104 Ph: 402-399-9628 E-Mail: Jolpastor@aol.com Sunday School...................................9:30 a.m.

Sunday Worship...............................10:30 a.m.

Sunday Evening Worship.................6:00 p.m.

Wednesday Night ..............................7:00 p.m.

Bible Study and Youth Ministries

Pastor: Rev. Vitalis Anyanike

Pastor Eric Butler and Co-Pastor Cynthia Butler

MORNING STAR BAPTIST CHURCH “Where Christ Jesus Is the Center of Attention” Rev. Dr. Leroy E. Adams, Jr. Senior Pastor 2019 Burdette Street Omaha, NE 68110 Ph: 402-342-0018 Fx: 402-346-9300 Radio Broadcast: 101.3 fm 9:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. each Sunday Worship Service .............10:00 a.m.

Rev. Dr. Leroy E. Adams, Jr.

Sunday School .................8:45 a.m.

Excluding First Sunday Tuesday Evening Service.........7:00 p.m.

Dr. Stan Rone Senior Pastor

North 24th Street Church of God “Presenting the Never-Changing GOD to an ever-changing World!”

Dr. Stan Rone - Senior Pastor 2021 N. 24th Street • Omaha, NE 68110 (402) 341-4297 Sunday Kingdom Academy 9:00 a.m.

Worship Celebration 10:15 a.m.

Tuesday Prayer Hour 7:00 a.m. & 12:00 noon Wednesday Power Hour (Prayer/Bible Study) 6:30 p.m.

Youth and Children 6:30 p.m. www.theworshipcenter24cog.org

Page Six

BACK TO SCHOOL

THE OMAHA STAR

August 23, 2019

Back to School!

The Omaha Star Education Special Edition Tips for Establishing a Good Morning Routine

By Laura Jackson

As families prepare for back to school, it’s time to plan for morning success. If your typical a.m. begins and ends with smiles, high-fives and time to spare, read no further and congratulate yourself on parent of the year. If, however, you’re searching for new ways to get out the door on time – and with a little sanity left for the day ahead – here are a few ideas to consider.

Rehydrate – After several hours of sleep, our bodies crave fluids. Drinking a full glass of water first thing in the morning not only helps flush out impurities, but also aids in a healthy flow of oxygen, helping everyone stay more alert and energized as they begin the day.

Remember this for you and the kids!

Get Enough Rest – Good mornings actually begin the night before. Sleep deprivation has become a national epidemic for adults and far too many children, especially teens. Just how much sleep should kids get?

Teens should get at least eight hours, and younger children need between 10 and 12 hours.

Have a Weekly Breakfast Plan – Avoid a week of Pop-Tarts, by letting the entire family participate in choosing the week’s daily breakfasts.

Then have all the items either prepped or prepared beforehand for easy morning accessibility. Set out bowls and ingredients for older children.

Think Protein – A high protein breakfast is good for growing bodies.

It also helps replenish and repair essential tissues while refueling our energy stores. Try some peanut or almond butter on toast, eat Greek yogurt or mix your morning banana with cottage cheese.

Let There be Light – And at the right times, too.

There’s a powerful connection between light levels and our body’s chemistry. It’s important to understand that bright blinking electronics at night can interrupt sleep cycles, as well as the positive effects morning sunlight produces.

Check the Family Calendar – Reduce morning emergencies by reviewing the next day’s needs. Time to turn in that permission slip? Supposed to bring two-dozen cookies to preschool? Did you pack the soccer practice clothes? Create a digital calendar with automatic alerts if you’re prone to forgetfulness.

Set a Bedtime Alarm – This may be just as important as the morning one. Create a reminder that it’s time to wind down and prepare for rest.

Equip all Backpacks – This sounds like a no-brainer, but make sure to check on afterschool needs for the day.

Are you going straight from school pickup to dance?

Nothing derails an afternoon faster than realizing you’ll be late because you forgot that leotard.

Prepare the Next Day’s Clothes – This doesn’t mean making a mental decision on a coordinating outfit – actually set aside each piece, including socks, undergarments, hair bows and baseball caps. Make sure a parent won’t need to iron it five minutes before

departure. If you’ve got an indecisive child, set out two choices the night before and let them pick with a set of fresh eyes.

Assign a Specific Place for Morning Items – From lunches and school notes to permission slips and backpacks, have a consistent drop spot to shave valuable minutes off your departure time. Take stock of what would actually help in your house. Do you want kids to have individual baskets? More hooks for jackets? Plus, don’t forget your own needs.

Understand the Power of Routine – Practice actually does make perfect, and consistency is key to success. Research shows establishing a habit can take anywhere between 21 and 66 days, so don’t expect changes overnight. Remember starting a new school schedule takes patience and determination.

Plan to be Early – Take the phrase “Being early is on time, being on time is late and being late is unacceptable” to heart. Building in that extra time can make all the difference when the unexpected arises.

Minimize Distractions – Beware of the hidden time snatchers. The familiar background noise of the morning news may slow down the already sluggish.

Don’t want little ones to turn on the TV in the morning? You may have to hide the remote.

Keep Them on Task – Gentle verbal reminders like, “It’s now 7:05, just making sure you’re dressed and on the way to the breakfast table,” work wonders for some, but for others, visual reminders such as checklists and colorful time charts work best. Try not to start the morning with a screaming match if at all possible.

Praise the Positive – Compliments can go a long way to diffuse the morning rush. Don’t miss any opportunity to acknowledge good behavior when you see it.

Try Music – This may initially seem like one of those distractions we mentioned above. But playing upbeat music while the family gets ready can be very energizing. Just remember, you know your kids’ unique styles. Too much noise early on may lead others to extra frustration and incapacitating grumpiness.

Move the Alarm Clock – If you have a family member with an excessive snooze button issue, make them get out of bed to hit the snooze. Try placing the loud beeping alarm across the room.

Set Consequences that Matter – Knowing they will have to wake up 30 minutes earlier for a lack of cooperation may do the trick. For others, it might be losing a favorite afternoon treat or television show time.

Just make sure your rules are clear and consistent.

Reward their Triumphs – Has it been a whole week of getting up on time, accomplishing their morning tasks and not physically hurting a sibling in the process?

It’s time to celebrate with a Friday night reward.

Mornings don’t have to devolve into stressful power struggles. Teach your children good habits from the start, and you’ll reap the rewards for years to come.

computing and emerging technology,” said Rebecca Stavick, Do Space’s Executive Director. “Do Space empowers students with the resources they need to open new doors, change their futures and shape ideas into tangible innovations.”

There is always something new to learn at Do Space, with over 50 free classes a week. Students can learn how to use a new piece of technology, like a 3D printer or new software or even learn to code, all for free.

There is also the “Littles Labs” program where young children (ages 3 to 5) can learn about technology as well as experiment with tech kits filled with robots and mini programmable computers. These resources are a great way to introduce younger children to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines early on. To learn more about the free tools and classes available, visit dospace.org or stop by Do Space at 7205 Dodge St.

Duolingo – The best new way to learn a language. Learning with Duolingo is fun and addictive. Earn points for correct answers, race against the clock, and level up. Their bite-sized lessons are effective, and they have proof that it works. To see the proof, visit duolingo.com Life360 – Feel free, together.

Life360 brings your family closer with smart features designed to protect and connect the people who matter most. It is a family networking app released in 2008. Its location-based service is designed primarily to allow friends or family members to share location with each other. To learn more, visit life360.orgLife360 brings your family closer with smart features designed to protect and connect the people who matter most.

Khan Academy – If you haven’t heard of Khan Academy already we encourage you to try this free tool for both students and teachers.

You need to know that the app is an extension of the Khan Academy website which is a non-profit, open source educational website with the aim of ‘changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education for anyone anywhere’. Using the app you can watch more than 4,300 video lessons on topics including math, science, economics, and humanities either by streaming them from the site or downloading them for later viewing or when you don’t have an Internet connection. The app receives a 5 star EAS Certification and the EAS Recommended status.

For more information, visit khanacademy.org Photomath – Math can be a daunting task when you don’t have the right support. Photomath is the #1 app to learn math, to take the frustration out of math and to bring more peace to your daily student life. Whether you are a mathlete or math challenged, Photomath will help you interpret problems with comprehensive math content from arithmetic to calculus to drive learning and understanding of fundamental math concepts. Visit photomath.net to learn more.

By Chelsea Dickan Summer is almost over and your senior year is either here or fast approaching. You may have heard horror stories about hectic senior years – and while some of the causes of senior year stress are unavoidable, there are certainly things you can begin to do this summer that will help your final year of high school go a bit more smoothly.

Begin Preparing for Your PostSecondary Life Now. “What? Now?” Yes, now! Most students find that their senior year flies by and they have very little time to get to all the things they intended. While you should enjoy the remainder of your final summer as a high schooler and do lots of fun stuff, if you begin getting ready for life after high school early, you will be relieved later when your senior year gets busy.

If you are planning to go to college immediately after high school, you may find it helpful to begin: • Seriously researching and deciding which colleges you would like to apply to.

Many colleges open their application cycles in the fall or spring of your senior year. While you won’t be able to apply until then, having a list of colleges you would like to apply to will make the application process a lot smoother.

If you already have a list and are considering many different colleges, now would also be a good time to research further and narrow down your college choices.

• Searching for scholarships.

You will have the best window for finding scholarships from the fall through early spring of your senior year, you can begin researching scholarships now. A good place to begin your search is on the websites of the colleges you are interested in: many colleges list “in-house” scholarships on their websites, usually under “financial aid.” Additionally, you may be able to find scholarships or grants available through your major(s) of interest, hobbies, or even organizations with whom you have volunteered.

If you are able to find out what some of those scholarships require, you can help yourself out by gathering necessary materials and drafting essays (both of which will save you time and make the scholarship application process easier). You might be able to reuse some of your essays for your

college applications, which would also save you some time.

Check out a past EducationQuest blog about scholarships at educationquest.org, and learn more about ways you can find scholarships there also.

Whether you plan to go to college immediately, wait a year, or not go at all, you may also find it useful to: • Research job shadowing opportunities.

On top of being able to experience firsthand what a job in your field(s) of interest might entail, job shadowing looks great on a résumé or college application and gives you the opportunity to network. Even if you decide that you are actually not interested in that career after you see what it’s like, it’s great to have the experience so that you know ahead of time that it isn’t the right fit for you.

• Get involved with volunteer opportunities.

Akin to job shadowing, volunteering may give you the opportunity to explore fields related to the career you are interested in – but don’t feel compelled to only volunteer in those fields. There are so many volunteerism opportunities available, including opportunities at animal shelters, hospitals, schools, and homeless shelters.

Volunteering will not only bolster your résumé, but will also help you feel more fulfilled as an individual in giving back to your community.

The best thing you can do to decrease your senior year stress in advance is to avoid procrastination and begin preparing for things ASAP. If you can find time to pursue even one of the above suggestions, you should find some of your senior year stress alleviated.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by the college planning process, check out our Junior/Senior Timeline or contact your nearest EducationQuest office.

Michelle Obama’s College Prep Learning Playlist

‘Do Space’ Supports Omaha Students with Free Technology for All One of Omaha’s hidden gems is located at one of its busiest intersections, 72nd and Dodge. Do Space is a one-of-a-kind concept: It’s a community technology library, a digital workshop and an innovation playground filled with new opportunities to learn, grow, explore and create.

Do Space has everything needed to make this school year easier for students and their families. With a free computer lab open seven days and 90 hours a week plus ultra-fast Gigabit Internet, it’s the perfect place to do homework, study something new and create projects. Do Space also has technology to use within the building, including laptops, tablets, printers, scanners and a variety of software. This is a huge asset for families that may not have access to technology at home.

“We are proud to work with the Omaha community, especially students, to provide access to software,

How to Make Your Senior Year of High School a Success

Freshman year of college can be stressful, scary, and overwhelming for students. While there is no shortage of resources to help students get into college, we’ve found that it is difficult to find the tools needed to thrive during freshman year all in one place.

That is why YouTube Originals and NowThis teamed up to create a learning playlist called “A Student’s Guide to Your First Year of College,” in partnership with Michelle Obama and Reach Higher, an education initiative Obama started while at the White House. This 10 episode crash course will give students the tools they need to succeed and transition into their first year of college – covering topics ranging from financial aid, to finding mentors, to living on your own for the first time.

The learning playlist features videos from Obama, interviews with experts, advice from upperclassmen, and encouraging messages from a panel at the Beating The Odds Summit that includes Obama, Malcolm Jenkins of the Philadelphia Eagles, and Wes Moore, CEO of Robin Hood.

The playlist will debut on the NowThis YouTube channel on Sept. 4 and will also be available on YouTube. com/Learning.

Back-to-School Health Check List

By Dr. Tony Sun Senior Medical Director UnitedHealthcare of Nebraska August marks back-to-school season, an ideal time for parents in Nebraska to help improve their children’s health. Before schedules become packed with classes, homework and extracurricular activities, here’s a back-to-school “health checklist” to help give children a better chance to succeed inside and outside the classroom: Get a Comprehensive Eye Exam About 80 percent of what children learn is through their eyes. With that in mind, a child’s first comprehensive eye exam should occur before age 1, again at age 3 and before entering school. If no vision issues are detected, school-aged children should have an exam at least once every two years. Also, a school’s vision screening is not a substitute for a comprehensive eye exam, as screenings can miss conditions such as poor eye alignment, focusing issues and farsightedness.

The inability to see clearly can affect a child’s physical, emotional and social development, which in turn can affect academic and athletic performance. Children often don’t complain if their vision isn’t normal, so it’s important to look for possible signs such as squinting while reading or watching television, difficulty hitting or catching a ball, or headaches when

watching 3D movies.

Also, be aware of digital eye strain, which is caused by prolonged use of computers or smartphones. Help your child practice healthy vision habits by keeping computer screens at least 30 inches from their eyes, resting their eyes every 20 minutes and blinking frequently to avoid dry eyes.

Get a Dental Cleaning Maintaining proper oral health matters more than just keeping a sparkling smile – it’s also important for good overall health. This is especially true for children, as untreated dental problems may diminish attention, decrease self-esteem and limit a child’s ability to learn at school.

Tooth decay is largely preventable, yet it ranks as the most common chronic disease among children. About 33 percent of young kids (ages 2 to 8) have cavities in their baby teeth, and 20 percent of kids in the same age group have cavities in their adult teeth. With that in mind, parents should schedule regular dental exams every six months, especially at schools that require a back-to-school dental checkup.

For parents with teenagers, it is important to recognize the risks of opioid addiction, especially after wisdom teeth removal. If you or a loved one is prescribed an opioid following a dental or other medical procedure, ask your health care professional if there

are alternatives, including over-the-counter pain relievers such as a combination of acetaminophen and ibuprofen.

Get Recommended Immunizations Many schools in Nebraska require that children are properly immunized before they enter the classroom to help to avoid serious diseases and prevent other students from contracting them. Children’s vaccines are 90% to 99% effective and may help protect kids from diseases such as mumps, tetanus and chicken pox. By helping reduce the risk of contracting potentially preventable diseases such as the flu, children may have fewer school absences.

Parents should check with their doctor to determine what immunizations are appropriate based on age. Most shots are given by the time children are 2 years old, but some are administered into the teen years. If your child runs a low-grade fever or has swelling in the shot location after the immunization, these minor side effects typically last a couple days.

Apply a cool, wet washcloth on the sore area to help ease discomfort, but check with your doctor about the appropriateness of over-thecounter pain medications.

Back-to-school season is an exciting time for many children and their parents. Consider these guidelines to help encourage your child’s health and success throughout the school year.

August 23, 2019

BACK TO SCHOOL

es h r F

Fashions

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As girls and boys across the country are returning to school, we pray that the 2019/20 school year is a safe, rewarding experience for them as well as the teachers who will educate them. We have found, no-matter if it’s kindergarten or college, students want their school day fashions to be as fresh as the air they breathe. We thank the parents who submitted their children’s first-day-of-school photos. We also extend our thanks to the models for sharing their sense of fashion with us.

BACK TO SCHOOL August 23, 2019 Steps in the Right Direction: Tips for Parents of College-Bound Kids

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As a parent, navigating the college application process can be daunting.

You don’t want to limit options, but yet need to be realistic with your child’s expectations. While attending college is a big step toward independence for your child, you still play a key role in guiding your child as they make crucial decisions about their future. So what steps do you need to take to get your child ready for college?

Do your research, then get in touch The first step of navigating the path to college is to get to know the landscape.

That’s why UNCF provides a wealth of resources to equip you for this journey.

Check out the For Parents page on the UNCF website, and download a checklist specially created for parents of collegebound kids who are still on the younger side. For high school kids, have your child check out the UNCF “Getting Into College” checklist. It’s a great first step to planning out the crucial years leading up to enrolling

in a university. To get a better idea of student experiences and to catch up on the latest news about HBCUs, check out UNCF’s blog.

As your child begins to research schools and compile a list of colleges that interest him/her, encourage your child to contact admissions counselors at his/her favorite schools or reach out with some questions yourself. Schedule a visit to campus if you can. Not only does communicating with college staff and making efforts to visit campus give you a more concrete idea of life at the school, but it also demonstrates that your child has a high level of interest in that university. This bodes well for their application – many colleges gauge

level of interest as they consider a prospective student’s application.

Talk about your budget, but keep an open mind As your child decides what he or she wants and needs from a college, give them an idea of how much money you can or will contribute to help them narrow down their options and focus on universities that are a real possibility.

It’s important, however, to keep an open mind. Scholarships can significantly cut down the cost and open up options you may not have thought possible.

Many schools offer scholarships based

Mark Your Calendar to Attend a College Fair this Fall!

College reps from across the state, region, and nation will be available to answer your questions and provide materials about their schools.

Lincoln Area College Fair Sept. 22, 1-3 p.m., Southeast Community College - Lincoln Omaha Area College Fair Sept. 29, 1-4 p.m., University of Nebraska at Omaha - Sapp Fieldhouse Admission is free.

Educational Planning Programs If you can’t attend a College Fair, check out an Educational Planning Program (smaller College Fair) near you.

College Fair Tips 1. Visit NebraskaCollegeFairs.org to register for a barcode. Print the barcode, or save it to your smartphone, and take it to the fair so college reps can scan your demographic information.

2. Arrive early enough to visit all colleges that interest you.

3. Stop by the EducationQuest booth to get free college planning materials and for a bag to collect college view books.

4. Come prepared with questions for the college reps: • What are admission requirements and deadlines?

• Does the school offer academic programs that meet my interests?

• What is the cost of tuition and fees – and room and board?

• How do I apply for college-based scholarships?

• How many students attend the school?

• What are the housing options?

5. Attend a financial aid program offered during the College Fair.

How to Adjust to College Life

By Allison Ourada Going to college for the first time is an exciting experience, but it can also cause a lot of anxiety for incoming freshmen. It can be difficult trying to navigate an entirely new environment, but there are ways to make that transition go more smoothly. Check out these tips to start turning your new college into your new home: • Step outside your comfort zone: It can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to settling into your new environment. The truth is, the most important thing that you can do is to go beyond your usual comfort zone. You’re in a new place, which is the perfect time for a fresh start. Go to some start of the year festivities, or knock on your neighbors’ door and introduce yourself. Get to know your roommate a little better. Get out on your new campus and see what your new environment has to offer. There’s life outside your dorm room. Go find it!

• Be open to new opportunities: One of the great things about entering a new situation is that you have the freedom to try things that you’ve never done before. Keep your eyes open for clubs, jobs, internships, and volunteer work that you may not have considered in high school. There is no need to change yourself into a completely different person, but adding new experiences will add positive change to your life and bring new people your way.

• Find your support system: Finding your support system consists of multiple parts. First, you’ll need to make some new friends at school, even if you already have a friend group at college with you. You can meet people in your dorm, at your job, in clubs, in a fraternity/sorority, and more. Most clubs are recruiting during the first couple weeks of school (and a lot of them are offering free food!), so this would be a great time to check some of them out. It is also important to find caring adults who will be part of your support system. This can be a professor, advisor, work supervisor, mentor, or any combination of these. Adults can help open up professional opportunities for you and also provide resources if you need assistance during college.

• Adjusting takes time: Adjusting to any new situation takes time. Your first couple months of college will be all about planting seeds for a good life in your new environment: seeds of academic success, seeds of new relationships, and seeds of the person you want to become. It may feel like you’re putting in a lot of effort for nothing at first, but eventually you will see the fruit of your labor. Keep trying and keep putting yourself out there, and eventually your campus will feel like a second home.

Starting college is not easy, but it can be an unforgettable experience.

on merit and on need. When in doubt, encourage your child to apply to the college or university and see what financial support they offer.

Applying for a UNCF scholarship can be a game-changer. As the nation’s largest private scholarship provider to minority group members, UNCF awards more than $100 million in scholarships to more than 10,000 students at more than 1,100 schools across the country each year.

Stay informed The landscape of higher education is constantly changing. Whether college is right around the corner or a few

years away, staying informed is key.

Sometimes, it can seem like the amount of information available for parents of prospective students is simultaneously a blessing and a curse. While having lots of resources at hand is helpful to address questions and confusions you might have, staying on top of all the latest news can be overwhelming.

And, subscribing to UNCF e-mail communications is a great way to help filter out the noise and stay up to date on the things that really matter. With the right resources, you can guide your child to put their best foot forward – in college and beyond.

Why You Might Need Dorm Insurance for Your College-Bound Child

By Jeff Blyskal If your son or daughter is headed to college for the first time this year, you might want to consider buying dorm insurance for all the electronics and other possessions your kid is taking along.

Such policies usually cover not only laptops, smartphones, and wireless speakers but also bicycles, sports equipment, musical instruments, and digital cameras.

But before you plunk down your money for dorm insurance, assess the risks and know your options. Size up the level of maturity and responsibility your child will bring to the more public environment of campus living. Is she/he too trusting of people or street smart?

Careless with belongings or mindful of their value? An easy mark or a hard target?

Insurance Options If you’ve concluded that your kid’s belongings face greater risk than you’re comfortable with, tote up the cost of replacing the valuables and shop for the best price from among these options: • Your homeowner’s policy will typically cover your offspring while they’re living in an on-campus residence at no extra cost. But the coverage is usually only 10 percent of your limit on the contents of your home. So if your policy covers up to $50,000 in losses, your student’s belongings are covered for only up to

$5,000.

• A renter’s policy costing $11 to $22 per month on average, depending on the state, will be necessary if your child lives in an apartment off-campus because your homeowners insurance won’t extend there.

Premiums vary based on the amount of coverage needed.

• A dorm insurance policy may be your best option because deductibles are as low as $25, vs. $500 to $1,500 on home insurance policies, and your home coverage should really be reserved for bigger claims involving damage to the structure and contents, not smaller losses like a purloined computer. A $5,000 policy with a $25 deductible might cost $140 per year.

• A homeowner’s policy “floater,” or endorsement, is necessary if you want to make sure very high value possessions, such as computers, are covered.

Omaha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Provides School Supplies to Delta G.E.M.S On Aug. 10, the Omaha Alumnae and Gamma Xi Collegiate Chapters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. collaborated to distribute 72 book bags full of school supplies to its returning and new Delta G.E.M.S members; students from the Omaha area.

Each book bag contained folders, notebooks, loose leaf paper, pens, pencils, a composition book, highlighters, colored pencils, markers, lead refills, glue sticks, erasers, index cards, page dividers, sticky notes and personal hygiene items. The items were all donated internally, by members of the Sorority. The sorority’s efforts demonstrate the enthusiasm the Chapters have about the GEMS program and their commitment to the academic success of these young women. The Sorority takes great pride in its efforts to impact and support the community it serves.

Delta Sigma Theta was founded in 1913 and operates within the framework of a Five-Point Programmatic Thrust.

These thrusts include programming in the following areas: Economic Development, Educational Development, International Awareness and Involvement, Physical and Mental Health and Political Awareness and Involvement.

The Delta G.E.M.S (“Growing and Empowering Myself Successfully”) program is a component of the Educational Development Thrust and a natural outgrowth and expansion for the continuation of the highly successful Dr. Betty Shabazz Delta Academy. The GEMS program serves as a motivational tool targeting African American or minority, female, teenage girls between the ages of 14-18 or grades

9-12.

The GEMS framework is composed of five major components (Scholarship, Sisterhood, Show Me the Money, Service, and Infinitely Complete), forming a road map for college and career planning. Topics within the five major components are designed to provide interactive lessons and activities that provide opportunities for self-reflection and individual growth.

The program’s structure is a road map and guide for providing young women with the tools and skills needed to equip them in goal setting and career planning for life in college and beyond. The program utilizes a mentoring component comprised of successful, college-educated, African American women from diverse career disciplines in the Omaha area to instill, plant and nurture the seeds young women need to grow and excel academically and professionally.

Overall, the GEMS program is geared toward educating, assisting, inspiring, enriching and preparing young women for the future ahead of them. GEMS members also participate in public service projects, college preparatory workshops, bonding activities and various other cultural and social outings.

For more information on ways to donate to or help support the Delta G.E.M.S Program, contact the Delta G.E.M.S Chair, Tracey Newby at Omahadstgems@gmail.com or 402301-9161.

COMMENTARY

August 23, 2019

Talking about Charlottesville with Alt-Right Students

By Jennifer Rich, Assistant Professor Director, Rowan Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies Rowan University Pivotal. A turning point. A venue for strong ideas.

These are some of the terms that college students used to describe the 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia that claimed the life of Heather Heyer, a counter-protester who died when a man drove his car into a crowd.

Some students, who used these terms during interviews I conducted for a book I’m writing about politically engaged college students, identify with the alt-right, a white nationalist movement.

The Charlottesville rally took place on Aug. 11 and Aug. 12, 2017.

Many people across the country were alarmed by the white nationalist rally, condemning President Donald Trump for failing to condemn the rally strongly enough, and commenting that there were “fine people on both sides.” But for college students who identify with the alt-right, one of the biggest regrets they have about Charlottesville is that they weren’t there.

“I wanted to go, to be there. I was still in high school, so I couldn’t,” a 19-year-old male student at a large state school in the Northeast told me.

“But now, if something like that was planned? I’d be there.”

Other alt-right students told me how the rally represented a political awakening.

“Charlottesville was the first time I realized that there were other people like me, not in chat rooms and anonymous,” one 20-year-old male student at a small private school on the West Coast told me. “I knew we could change the country if we wanted.”

As a scholar who studies the Holocaust, genocide and other hard histories, I’m troubled yet intrigued by the students’ positive perspectives on a rally that began with angry, tiki-torch wielding white men marching through town giving heil salutes and chanting things such as “Jews will not replace us.”

As a result, I was drawn to learn about the circumstances that lead alt-right students to admire those actions.

Taking a closer look The way alt-right individuals portray themselves online contrasts to how many present in person.

Online, they present as angry, anti-semitic and unwavering in their beliefs. I’ve interviewed dozens of these young men in the past several months who attend different colleges throughout the nation. As individuals, I’ve found a number of these young men to be willing to be challenged on their political thinking and engagement.

This is not meant to suggest that I believe all viewpoints are equally valid, or deserve airtime.

But I do believe that we’ve stopped the discussion about divergent ideas, and need to renew it. Even if we wildly disagree with some of those ideas, even if they go against what we believe, more conversation would do us all some good.

And so I’ve begun talking to alt-right students.

Thus far, all of them have been young men.

he saw his dad lose his manufacturing job “and things got tight.”

“I was angry a lot. I didn’t know that there were so many angry people until Trump came down the escalator,” the student told me. “He said what I was thinking, sort of.”

When the Charlottesville rally took place the student saw “people who were angry, who cared about America, who wanted to say what was on their mind.” That made him realize that “politics wasn’t just for some people.”

“I’d say it was pivotal for me. I could say what I was thinking,” the student said. “I became interested in the economy, in why things were so bad for us. And I came to agree with what I heard from Charlottesville.”

The strong political beliefs of these students are unusual. One in 10 voters in the 2020 election will be members of Gen Z, but most college students are ambivalent about political parties and even the future of democracy. While alt-right students sit outside of the mainstream, all of the students I’ve spoken with have stated that they plan to vote for Donald J. Trump – and, yes, they always use his middle initial.

Some of the students I spoke with spontaneously expressed that they regretted the violence that took place, but placed blame on the counter-protesters.

Understanding and evolving I have also found that these students are not as entrenched in their beliefs as some may think.

For instance, one student told me he arrived on campus as “virulently anti-semitic and a Confederate apologist.” He said he was scapegoating Jews and African Americans for blocking him from his utopia, from having a job he loves, and Jews in particular for supposedly controlling the media and the money in this country.

Then he took a Civil War course and explained some of his beliefs to his professor. Rather than castigate him, his professor acknowledged his viewpoints and pointed this young man on to more credible research.

The student reconsidered his views that slavery was the “first only true way to do things, because blacks are inferior to whites.” And if he was wrong about the South and slavery, the student says he thought to himself, maybe he was wrong about other things, too. He began to investigate what he calls “the Jewish question,” and found that “the Jews were not controlling everything, probably.”

“I was starting to think violence was the answer,” the student told me. “And then I realized that maybe I had more to learn.”

This student’s experience is consistent with research that has shown how one year of college can lead students to become more appreciative of different viewpoints.

For instance, a 2017 report found that one year after starting college, 63% and 49% of students hold appreciative attitudes toward liberals and conservatives, respectively – an increase of 8 percentage points for each group.

The student who changed his extremist views demonstrates how dialogue - as uncomfortable as it may be - opens many avenues for students to change what many believe to be racist, or extremist ideas. This change can take place even among those who look back at Charlottesville with a sense of nostalgia that the rest of the nation does not share.

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Mentoring Matters

It’s A Partnership For Kids

By Debra L. Shaw It began 30 years ago under the idea of adults helping kids with uphill challenges and with no surrounding support to reach their educational goals. The concept was formed by Mike and Gail Yanney. They called the program Yanney’s Kids. After several years, they renamed the program as All Our Kids. In collaboration with another mentoring program, Winner’s Circle, a program created by Jerry and Cokie Hoberman which was specifically designed to motivate elementary students to achieve, the two programs merged and became Partnership 4 Kids (P4K). P4K created a road map for mentor volunteers to follow their students from elementary to high school. P4K provides college bound mentoring and goal setting programs for students living in communities with many challenges economically and socially.

Simply stated, P4K helps cultivate tomorrow’s workforce. Ninety one percent of the students come from low income households and diverse family dynamics. Their past helps to shape them, but it is the guidance and mentorship that they receive today and every day going forward that will have the biggest impact on their futures. https://www.p4k.org/.

P4K offers several options for mentors and mentees to build appropriate mentoring relationships. One mentoring option is the High School Group Mentoring Program for 9th and 10th grade students. The group mentoring program is curriculum focused on nine required workshops at each grade level in the following areas: Values and Life Skill Development; Goal Setting and Future Planning; College and Career Exploration; Leadership Development; Community Responsibility; Accountability; Financial Vitality; Integrity and Moral Courage.

All workshops are held on-site with the P4K

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partner Omaha Public Schools. P4K partner high schools are: North, Northwest, Benson, Central and South. Students and mentors meet in an after-school setting twice a month from 3:30-5 p.m. All workshops are led by a P4K Program Coordinator. Each month, the P4K program coordinator identifies a topic, from one of the nine areas mentioned, to present during the mentoring meeting. One meeting per month allows for real-world application of the material covered and involves an offsite activity. The group mentoring curriculum is built according to the tenets and beliefs for educating middle school students as developed by the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE). Group Mentoring is one of the most crucial parts of P4K’s programming because of its proven link to student success. Research has demonstrated time and again that in terms of educational achievement, health, safety and social development, a young person with a mentor in his/her life is more likely to continue their education, avoid participation in negative behaviors and even have better communication skills. There are 5 key benefits of group mentoring and they are: (1) Mentees are able to build strong bonds with peers within the same age range (2) Mentees are exposed to an increased body of knowledge and learning experience; (3) Group Mentoring creates a learning community which promotes diversity of thinking, practice and understanding; (4) Small group settings build individual confidence; (5) Group Mentoring improves mentee capacity to receive and apply constructive feedback from peers. https://www.p4k.org/afterschool/.

With a commitment of 2-4 hours monthly, P4K volunteer mentors are making a visible impact on the lives of students during crucial milestones in their educational development.

To learn more about this program or join the mentoring efforts, visit the P4K and select become a mentor.

Mentoring Matters!

Why Lady Liberty Weeps

By Oscar Blayton

There is a sickening stench about Ken Cuccinelli.

Ken Cuccinelli is Donald Trump’s newly appointed acting director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and his type of stench is not one that assaults the nose, rather it is a noxious affront that assaults one’s dignity.

Cuccinelli’s main function in his new position is to act as Donald Trump’s gatekeeper to bar America’s doors to people of color. His job description requires a belief in the notion that America is a land for white prosperity and any non-white presence – if not of service to white supremacy – is a trespass.

The Trump Administration recently came under fire when Cuccinelli announced that it would implement its “public-charge rule,” declaring that anyone seeking immigration to the United States Political awakening would be deemed undesirable if they could not One alt-right student spoke of how he wasn’t satisfactorily prove their self-sufficiency – the interested in politics before Charlottesville effect being to bar poor people. because he thought maybe politics didn’t affect Some commentators have described this rule as him personally. But his viewpoints changed when Draconian and point out that it would have barred Cuccinelli’s poor ancestors from entering America as well. And one reporter reminded him that the Statue of Liberty welcomes “your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

Oblivious to the meaning of the words of the poem inscribed on the plaque at the base of the great statue, Cuccinelli insisted that their intent was “Give me your tired and your poor who can stand on their own two feet, and who will not become a public charge.”

When asked to explain his revised version of the famous poem, Cuccinelli said, in essence, the poem was meant for white people. In his words: “That poem was referring back to people coming from Europe…”

Cuccinelli’s remark gives proof to the fact that white supremacy can only flourish when fertilized with the manure of bigoted ignorance.

The Statue of Liberty was conceived by Édouard René de Laboulaye of France to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. The original concept was to have Lady Liberty holding a White nationalists participate in a torch-lit march on the grounds of the University broken shackle and chain in her left hand. But due of Virginia ahead of the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Va., on Aug. 11, 2017. to powerful Americans objecting to this reference Stephanie Keith/Reuters to slavery, the final version of the statue replaced the chains with a tablet inscribed with “July IV MDCCLXXVI,” the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and placed the broken chains beneath her feet.

By the time the statue was installed in New York Harbor in 1886, Reconstruction in the South was over, and America had turned its back on the plight

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of African Americans suffering from injustice and oppression. Little, if any, reference was made at that time to the anti-slavery message of the statue.

By then, America had moved so far away from being concerned about the welfare of African Americans that one African American newspaper expressed derision at the notion of American liberty. In November 1886, The Cleveland Gazette stated in its editorial: “Shove the Bartholdi statue, torch and all, into the ocean until the same ‘liberty’ of this country is such as to make it possible for an industrious and inoffensive colored man in the south to earn a respectable living for himself and family, without being ku-kluxed, perhaps murdered, his daughter and wife outraged, and his property destroyed. The idea of the ‘liberty’ of this country enlightening the world, or even Patagonia, is ridiculous in the extreme.”

Despite Cuccinelli’s assertions, Ellis Island did not officially open as an immigration station until Jan. 1, 1892. And the words of Emma Lazarus’ famous poem were not placed on the base of the statue until 1903 – 17 years after the Statue of Liberty was unveiled.

Given the history of this country, it is not difficult to understand why Cuccinelli believes America is reserved for white people and the Statue of Liberty was meant only for them. But we must always keep in mind that people like Ken Cuccinelli drag this nation further into the mire of despotism as they seek the “blessings of liberty” only for themselves and those who look like them.

Cuccinelli’s political path includes election to the Virginia state senate beginning in 2002 and as Virginia attorney general in 2009. During his career, he tried to eliminate birthright citizenship, proposed making it a firing offense to speak Spanish on the job and distributed lapel pins to his staff at the Attorney General’s Office that were decorated with a state seal adopted by Virginia and used on Confederate battle flags after the state seceded from the Union in 1861.

The stench of bigotry enveloping Ken Cuccinelli is so strong that, according to reports, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell advised Donald Trump not to nominate him for any post that requires Senate confirmation. To this day, Cuccinelli remains acting director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, holding that office without Senate confirmation.

I have been exposed to the stench of racism and bigotry all my life, and as a Virginian, I have endured Ken Cuccinelli’s stench for almost two decades. Now, thanks to Donald Trump, all America is experiencing that stench as well.

(Oscar H. Blayton is a former Marine Corps combat pilot and human rights activist who practices law in Virginia.)

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LIFE & STYLE/HEALTH & WELLNESS

August 23, 2019

As Players Keep Kneeling, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Teams with NFL on Social Justice

By NewsOne Staff Jay-Z’s reach over the social justice realm just got extended that much farther after it was announced last Tuesday that one of his companies was teaming up with the NFL for an “entertainment and social justice partnership.”

According to the Washington Post, Roc Nation, the entertainment company founded by the business man that already seems to have its hand in every aspect of the culture, has agreed to partner with the NFL, allowing Jay-Z to manage “some entertainment options for the league and will tie into the sport’s social justice endeavors.”

That includes being able to control key aspects of the NFL’s famous Super Bowl halftime show that was famously snubbed by Beyoncé’s husband last year.

The Post reported that Jay was cautiously optimistic about the partnership.

“I think we have autonomy,” he said of Roc Nation’s involvement with the NFL’s social justice initiatives and the halftime show. “I anticipate that there will be a lot of — with any big organization, in this building right here we have internal problems. Anything that’s

new is going to go through its growing pains. We put what we want to do on the table. The NFL agreed to it. So we’re gonna proceed with that as if we have a partnership.”

The announcement came after the start of the NFL’s preseason that has seen a number of players continue kneeling during the national anthem to protest that systemic racism that has long tainted the nation’s criminal justice system. It was unclear whether freeagent and Super Bowl quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who famously started the kneeling protests back in 2016 before the NFL seemingly blackballed him, was involved in any aspect of the deal.

Jay-Z seemed to be a smart choice for the NFL to align itself with.

Not only is he a cultural icon, Roc Nation has become increasingly influential when it comes to social justice issues. That includes helping to get his fellow rappers Meek Mill and 21 Savage out of legal trouble recently. The NAACP also honored Jay earlier this year with its coveted President’s Award, a prize that recognizes the honoree’s distinguished record in public service.

Jay has also made a ton of social justice noise in the area of film, something he recently announced he would continue doing. He co-produced the poignant documentary “Time: The Kalief Browder

Story,” helped develop a miniseries about Trayvon Martin and was involved in the creation of the “Free Meek” docuseries which delves into the Philadelphia rapper’s journey against America’s unjust criminal justice system. For his next project, Jay-Z said he was teaming up with Will Smith to produce a television series for ABC called “Women of the Movement” that intends to capture stories from the Jim Crow era through the lens of Black women.

Addiction in the Workplace: How to Help a Co-Worker

By Jill Gill, LIMHP, LADC How can employers and employees help a co-worker suffering from addiction? Each year, addiction costs American businesses an estimated $276 billion. Beyond the financial impact, accidents and fatalities produce tragic consequences. In fact, one out of ten employees has a substance use disorder (SUD) in their lifetime.

As the SUD epidemic spreads, businesses experience low productivity, low employee morale, increase in health care costs, absenteeism, injuries and fatalities. The U.S. Department of Labor reports more than 500 million workdays are lost to addiction annually.

However, there are practical steps and solutions available to help employers confront and reduce the significant impact of addiction in the workplace.

Defining Addiction First, it is essential for employers and employees to understand that addiction to drugs and alcohol, clinically known as substance use disorder (SUD), is a treatable brain disease, characterized by a progressive and problematic pattern of substance use leading to significant impairment.

Supporting the effort to define SUD and offer solutions, the Office of the Surgeon General of the United Stated released a landmark report on the

country’s addiction epidemic in 2017, “Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs and Health.” The report findings are expansive, significant and full of hope for all those affected by this major public health challenge, including employers and their employees.

Perhaps the most important finding of the report identifies addiction as “a chronic neurological disorder” that must be recognized and included in the healthcare system, requiring clinical treatment and ongoing supportive care. Another key piece of the report provides considerable evidence showing that prevention, treatment, and recovery policies and programs really do work. It confirms that high quality, accessible treatment programs can significantly reduce the effects of SUD on workplaces and help employees find productive recovery.

Defeating Stigma Often people living with addiction will avoid reaching out to their employer, fearing they will lose their job. This deadly decision is the result of the stigma of addiction. Stigma prevents millions of employees from seeking treatment for their SUD. Although addiction is a chronic brain disease that requires treatment, the stigma fosters fear of reaching out for help, ultimately costing lives.

“No physical or psychiatric condition is more associated with social disapproval and discrimination than substance dependence,” according to the Drug Policy Alliance. “Stigma is a major factor preventing individuals from seeking and completing addiction treatment.”

Changing attitudes and misconceptions in the workplace and among management can significantly reduce the dangerous stigma that prevents co-workers from reaching out for help.

Warning Signs of Addiction What are the symptoms of addiction?

There are several warning signs that can indicate an employee may be suffering with an SUD, including: • Bloodshot eyes, pupils larger or smaller than usual.

• Changes in productivity, attitude and focus.

• Increase in absenteeism and late arrivals.

• Sudden weight loss or weight gain.

• Deterioration of physical appearance, personal grooming habits.

• Unusual smells on breath, body, or clothing.

• Tremors, slurred speech, or impaired coordination.

Developing Policies, Procedures and EAPs

It is essential for company leadership to learn and understand HR/workplace policies, insurance benefits, privacy laws and employee guidelines and rights such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

To help ease navigating legal, benefits and policy burdens, more and more employers are providing Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). EAPs are cost-effective tools to mitigate these risks. EAPs can help employers reduce absences, workers’ compensation claims, health care costs, accidents and grievances. In addition, they can address safety and security issues, improve employee productivity and engagement and reduce costs related to employee turnover.

Although EAPs provide referrals, resources and counsel for employees and their families on a breadth of issues and concerns, the EAP system was founded to find successful treatment for addiction through thoughtful assessments, informed referrals and ongoing support. Some SUD treatment providers work with countless EAPs across the country to provide the best quality care available for their employees and all patients.

From local businesses and community organizations to large corporations, EAPs have become efficient, effective tools for helping employees

Health and Spirituality

By Mark Darby, RN APRN, FNP-C Director of North Omaha Academy of Healthy Living GoodRx, an App that searches for low drug prices, gives these drugs the following prices: Symbicort Inhaler used for asthma $331.30 Ventolin Inhaler also used for asthma $23.62 Total Cost $354.92 per month.

These were the prescriptions I wanted to write for a patient. The patient worked at a low-income job with an estimated monthly take home pay of $1280.00. His medications would have cost more than a quarter of his monthly income. However, since he had other expenses, such food for his kids and rent, he only got one of these meds. One month he borrowed money from his mother and got the Symbicort. It was the first time I had heard his lungs nice and clear. The next month he lost his job and lost his medications.

A similar patient the week before needed the following insulins:

Lantus Pens (long acting insulin) $286.27 per month.

Humalog Lispro (short acting insulin) $126.45 per month These cost over $400 per month. Again, one month on insulin and none the next. Again, improving health with the meds one month and failing health the next.

Sometimes I ask myself, “Insulin has been around for decades, why $400 per month?”

Drug companies say it is due to cost of research and development. I think it has something to do with the $400 per month, every month for each and every one of the millions of diabetics in this country. Why do drugs cost so much? Make the sound of a cash register.

This problem affects all people, but it affects Black and Latinos much harder. Blacks and Latinos tend to be uninsured at a greater rate than Caucasians, and they tend to have lower incomes. We see it at NOAH and Charles Drew every day. There are valiant efforts by these organizations and many other health providers to get patient’s the medication they need. Yet it seems like there is always something that

blocks us.

Nebraska voted to expand Medicaid which would have helped but Governor Rickets won’t implement this decision until late 2020. This expansion may also include a work requirement even though every person I know who struggles with medication prices are already working.

(By the way, it is still not too late to call the Governor’s Office and tell him to drop the work requirement. His number is 402-471-2244.

What can be done? First, do what you can to prevent the need for medications. Exercise, drink moderately, stop smoking, and use prayer or meditation to reduce stress. This always helps. Secondly, don’t be afraid to discuss medication prices with your provider. Ask how much meds cost. Use the GoodRx app to compare prices. Third, the open enrollment period for Obamacare begins in November. Got to healthcare.gov to see if you qualify. Fourth, work with your provider to see if you qualify for any drug assistance programs. Though the process is complicated, they can be a lifesaving.

Lastly, call the Governor again. He may need two calls to get the message.

Women’s Health & Wellness Conference Set for Oct. 25 The 22nd Omaha Women’s Health & Wellness Conference will be held Oct. 25 from 8 a.m. till 4:30 p.m. at the La Vista Conference Center, 12520 Westport Parkway.

The theme of the conference is: “Protecting Yourself: The Path to Improved Health” and will feature three main sessions and six health education sessions. The conference offers new health insights, encouraging and empowering messages, health screenings, exhibits and fellowship.

The conference is hosted by the Olson Center for Women’s Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Nebraska Medicine, University of Nebraska at Omaha and WELLCOM. It will kick off with a continental breakfast and morning health fair with more than 50 vendors and will include health screenings, education, demonstrations, massage, and consultation.

Registration deadline is Oct. 18. The cost includes lectures, exhibits, breakfast, lunch and afternoon refreshments and door prizes.

Continuing nursing education credit is available at an additional cost.

Low-cost screenings such as lipid and glucose profiles and a complete blood count, will be available for a minimal cost. A thyroidstimulating hormone test and flu shots will be offered for minimal costs as well.

Breakfast keynote speaker will be Athena Ramos, Ph.D., assistant professor in health promotion, Center for Reducing Health Disparities, UNMC College of Public Health.

Her talk titled, “Changing the Game on the

Social Determinants of Health: A Road Map to Well-Being,” will share opportunities to change individual and community health outcomes.

General session speaker will be Michael Summers, M.D., UNMC assistant professor of medicine and director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Nebraska Medicine. His talk, “Women and Sleep Disorders,” will discuss some common sleep disorders that impact women and strategies to improve sleep quality and quantity, as well as a discussion of obstructive sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome.

The closing session speaker, Nick Howe, firefighter, two-time cancer survivor, and new father, will tell his story in a talk titled, “Into the Future.”

Attendees can choose to attend two breakout sessions in the afternoon.

First sessions and topics will feature: • “Vaccine Recommendations for Nebraskans,” Ally Dering-Anderson, Pharm.D., UNMC College of Pharmacy – vaccines that are recommended for Nebraskans from toddlers to their grandparents with emphasis on common, vaccine-preventable diseases and recommended dosing schedules; • “Skin Changes during Each Decade of a Woman’s Life,” Jennifer Abrahams, M.D., UNMC Department of Dermatology – learn what to expect as our skin ages, how to identify signs of concern, and how to keep your skin healthy at each stage of life; and • “Hoarding: The Difference Between Messy and Mental Disorder,” Lauren Edwards, M.D.,

UNMC Department of Psychiatry – learn the difference between the clutter we all struggle with at times, and hoarding disorder, which can be debilitating. Also will include how a diagnosis is made, the science, and treatment.

Second sessions and topics will feature: • “The Work/Life Balance Dance: Staying in Rhythm at Work and Home,” Theresa Nelson, Wellness Council of the Midlands – hear what “work/life” balance really means and discover techniques to change behavior and have a rewarding career and fulfilling home life; • “Women’s Body Image across the Lifespan: Effects on Mental Health and Coping Strategies,” Emaan Lehardy, Ph.D., Nebraska Medicine Psychology Department – learn how body image, social and cultural influences contribute to the psychological effects of a negative body image. This session will share coping strategies for a healthy outlook; and • “Safety in Numbers: Four Lessons in Cybersecurity for Personal and Professional Protection,” Ryan Sothan, Nebraska Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General – protect yourself and your family from data breaches and cyber attacks with simple but effective strategies for using computers, software, smartphones, the Internet, and social media.

Register for the conference online at OmahaWomensHealthandWellness.com. For more information, contact the Olson Center for Women’s Health at 402-559-6345.

receiving effective treatment for addiction, managing the processes and communications, working with insurance providers and relieving management from oversight of an employee’s treatment process.

Reducing employee SUD can help employers decrease health care costs, reduce workplace injuries and improve productivity. Services such as EAPs can help assess, refer and manage employee SUD treatment and any needs to support their recovery.

Ongoing Treatment and Recovery When the employee completes initial treatment, it is critical that they return to a supportive work environment.

Ideally, employees who have participated in and finished treatment programs return to the workplace sober and “in recovery.”

Recovery is an ongoing process where the employee continues to work a program outside of treatment, such as attending Twelve Step meetings, outpatient therapy or other continuing care programs. Ongoing participation in a recovery program is essential to long-term sobriety.

For more information on addiction, treatment and recovery, please visit valleyhope.org or for help 24/7 phone 800- 544-5101.

Drug Overdose Awareness Week Proclaimed in Nebraska

At a ceremony at the Nebraska State Capitol on Aug. 7, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts declared Aug. 26 – Sept. 1 Nebraska Drug Overdose Awareness Week.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, drug overdose is the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50. More than 15,000 people die each year from overdoses of prescription medications.

Unused medications can fall into the wrong hands, leading to accidental poisoning or misuse, making it vital to safely and properly dispose of medications.

The Nebraska MEDS Initiative works with 320 pharmacies across Nebraska to take back medications free of charge, no questions asked. These pharmacies accept medications for safe and legal disposal, giving consumers an easy and safe way to keep medications from falling into the wrong hands, and out of the environment. Find a participating pharmacy at www. leftovermeds.com.

Sarah Hunter, Project Coordinator for the Nebraska MEDS Initiative, says that Aug. 31 was established as International Drug Overdose Awareness Day to increase public knowledge about the severity of drug misuse. “For the third year, the proclamation of Nebraska Drug Overdose Awareness Week will help make consumers aware that they can take unused and expired medications back to the pharmacy any day of the year. Every day is Take-Back Day in Nebraska.”

In the signed proclamation, Governor Pete Ricketts urges citizens to visit a Nebraska MEDS participating pharmacy and dispose of any leftover or expired medications in their home, as it protects the citizens and community from accidental poisoning and overdose.

“Since the Nebraska MEDS initiative went statewide in 2016, consumers have taken 82,000 pounds of medications back to pharmacies across the state,” Hunter said. “It’s our hope that the Nebraska Drug Overdose Awareness Week proclamation will spread the message about what each of us to do to play an active role to raise awareness about drug overdoses in Nebraska.”

The Nebraska MEDS initiative is funded by the Nebraska Environmental Trust and the Nebraska Legislature. The Nebraska Medication Education on Disposal Strategies (MEDS) Coalition educates Nebraskans about drug disposal and provides safe ways to dispose of them to better safeguard the environment and protect public health. The Coalition includes the Nebraska Pharmacists Association, Groundwater Foundation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Lincoln/Lancaster County Health Department, Lincoln Police Department, Coalition Rx, Lincoln Public School Nurses, LiveWise Coalition, Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Nebraska Medical Association, AARP of Nebraska, Nebraska Pharmacy Foundation, Nebraska Regional Poison Center, Safe Kids LincolnLancaster County, KETV, Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, and Nebraska State Patrol.

August 23, 2019

EVENTS/CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

In The Village!

Things to do, people to see, places to go.

Now – The Omaha Community Playhouse presents “Sweat,” a play that examines what happens to people when they are deprived of the dignity of honest work. When survival is threatened, human beings under stress will self-protect, leading to isolation and the disintegration of human kindness. Tickets are available at ticketomaha.com. The play runs through Sept. 15.

Aug. 24 – North Omaha Neighborhood Alliance, NONA will host a Community Shred Day from 9 a.m. - noon at the OSBN parking lot, 2505 N. 24th St. Max of 50 pounds per vehicle.

Aug. 26 – It is once again Family Storytime at the Abrahams Branch Library, 5111 N. 90th St. Children of all ages will experience stories, creative movement, and explore the early literacy skills of singing, playing, reading, talking and writing. Childcare groups welcome, please phone in advance. Time: 10:30-11:00 a.m. For more info, phone 402-444-6284.

Aug. 27 – First United Methodist Church, 7020 Cass St., presents “School to Prison Pipeline” at 6:30 p.m. in the Commons area - door 4.

“From the Classroom to the Courtroom: A Review of the School Police Programs,” author Rose Godinez, will discuss how to involve the community in finally addressing our inhumane school to prison pipeline and LB 390 which establishes new roles for School Resource Officers in Nebraska. The event is free and open to the community, however you must register at Eventbrite.

Aug. 29 – Read the book. Then see the movie.

Each month Midtown Cinema and Omaha Public Library (OPL) will partner to bring you a viewing of a book that made it to the big screen.

Following the screening, join OPL’s staff in the Sunshine Taproom for a lively discussion of that month’s book and movie. This month’s movie is The Graduate. For tickets or more info, go to https://drafthouse.com/omaha/series/ novel-pictures Aug. 30 - Sept. 2 – SeptemberFest is back at Omaha CenturyLink Center. Enjoy a car show, MusicFest, Dino Adventures, food booths, and the ever popular carnival rides. Friday 5 p.m. to midnight, Sat., Sun, Mon., noon to midnight.

Aug. 31 – Great Plains Black History Museum will host a book signing for “Your Bridge to History,” written by Portia and Preston Love Jr., from 1-3 p.m.

Aug. 31 – Labor Day Masquerade R&B Edition at Love’s Jazz & Arts Center, 2510 N. 24th St., at 8 p.m. A live R&B musical performance themed around the mystique, sexiness, and allure of masquerade balls of the past. Purchase tickets at https://www.eventbrite. com Sept. 1 – 2019 Rhythm Blues & Arts Fest 2-11:30 p.m. Keith Sweat will Make It Last Forever! at Lewis & Clark Landing, 345 Riverfront Dr. Pop-up shops with regional arts & crafts, food and beverages from local favorites are will be available. Vendors who wish to display or sell their wares need to fill out the form at www.rbafest.com. Tickets and VIP packages available now at Eventbrite.

Gates open at 2:00 p.m. No refunds.

Sept. 2 – North Omaha’s own Terence “Bud” Crawford, WBO Welterweight Champion of the World, is the Grand Marshall of The SeptemberFest parade. The parade starts at 16th and Cass Streets, travels south on 16th Street to Capitol Avenue, continues east on Capitol to 10th Street and concludes by proceeding north on 10th Street to Mike Fahey street. The two hour parade goes on rain or shine. There will be flag carrying honor guards, marching bands, labor unions, businesses, floats, animals, horses, clowns and roaming artists. The fun begins at 10 a.m.

Sept. 6 – The catfish is fresh, hot, and waiting for you at Clair Methodist, 5544 Ames Ave. Come for lunch, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. and return for dinner, 4-7 p.m. Menu includes fried

catfish, two sides, a beverage and homemade lemon cake. Phone 402-451-8322 to place your order. Delivery available on 3 or more orders.

Sept. 7 – Book Signing: Author Nicole Ryan for release of her new book “Moving Forward,” Divine Nspirations, 2118 N. 24th St. For more info, phone Valerie Bradford at 402-707-7139.

Sept. 7-8 – Rockbrook Village Art Fair is a 2 day event at the Rockbrook Village Shopping Center. This event showcases glass, jewelry, leather, photography, printmaking, painting, sculpture, wood, ceramics or fiber. You are sure to find something special at this one of a kind event.

Sept. 9 – UNO in cooperation with the Omaha Star and The Reader presents Stakes Is High, a conversation on Race, Faith & Hope for America featuring Rev. Dr. Michael W. Waters.

The event will be held in the UNO Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center on the 2nd floor at 6:30 p.m. Dr. Waters’ book, Stakes Is High, will be on sale and he has agreed to sign books after the presentation. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required at Eventbrite.

Sept. 9 – STARZ documentary, Out Of Omaha, makes its broadcast debut at 8 p.m.

CT. This is an intimate portrait of twin brothers Darcell and Darrell Trotter, two young black men coming of age in the racially and economicallydivided Omaha, NE. In a time when our country is being further racially divided every day, this story shines a light on the damage that discrimination does to a community and the struggle individuals face while trying to break the cycle.

Sept. 11-13 – Shake the Nations 2019.

Ambassadors Worship Center hosts Succession: Passing It On. Day Sessions: Thursday from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Friday from 9:00 a.m.

- 1:00 p.m. Evening Sessions: Wednesday, Thursday & Friday at 7:00 p.m. Speakers: Wednesday Evening: Bishop Joseph Garlington, Thursday Evening: Bishop Tudor Bismark, Friday Evening: Bishop Tudor Bismark. To celebrate 25 years of ministry, they are offering this event with free registration at Eventbrite.

For more info, phone 402-341-1866.

Sept. 14 – ACFO19! The second annual African Cultural Festival from 2-10 p.m. at Stinson Park in Aksarben Village. The festival will showcase live music, dance, arts & crafts, and authentic African cuisine, as well as a variety of organizations, businesses, student groups, and individuals who are working to create a vision for themselves and their community.

Sept. 15 – The Black Family Excellence Festival will be held at Benson Park Pavilion, 7028 Military Ave. Join New Rising Star for Church on Purpose as they bring health screenings, community resources, food, face painting, animal balloons, carnival games, live Mixxedfit class, a DJ, and raffle prizes.

Sept. 20 – The Great Plains Black History Museum will host the Will Brown and Lynchings throughout the Great Plains of America Exhibit from 6-8 p.m. This Exhibit commemorates the 100th anniversary of the lynching of Will Brown and will map out all Terror Lynchings throughout the Great Plains.

Sept. 20 – Joslyn Art Museum’s Young Art Patrons (YAP) presents GLOW in the Garden from 7-11 p.m. in the Peter Kiewit Foundation Sculpture Garden, 2200 Dodge St. Attendees will enjoy games, music, dancing, tasty local fare, and cocktails. GLOW attire is classic or creative cocktail, masks are encouraged. This is a 21 and over event. Tickets are available online at http://bit.ly/GLOWtix. For more info, phone 402-342-3300.

Sept. 21 – Urban Financial Services Coalition will host a community shredding event from 2-5 p.m. at First National Bank Omaha, 50th and Ames Ave.

Metropolitan Utilities District

Subscribe to the Omaha Star 402-346-4041 opt. 5

The Metropolitan Utilities District is seeking qualified individuals for the following positions: DATES POSTED: 08/15 - 08/29/2019 • Director, Construction DATES POSTED: 08/16 – 08/30/2019 • Supervisor, Security Administration DATES POSTED: 08/19 - 09/03/2019 • Intern, Human Resources DATES POSTED: 08/02 - Open Until Filled • ERP Technical/Functional Analyst II • Senior Software Developer • Software Developer I Visit www.mudomaha.com, under the careers tab to fill out an application. Applications will be accepted until the close date of the position. Resumes will not be accepted in place of applications.

Employment Contingent Upon Results of a Drug Screen and a Background Check.

An Equal Opportunity Employer “Minority/Female/Disabled/ Veteran/Gender Identity/Sexual Orientation”

Page Eleven

Free Training Teaches Life-Saving Skills In the event of an active shooter or mass casualty event, bystanders have the power to save lives. Nebraska Medicine is partnering with Nebraska Community Blood Bank for a free Stop the Bleed Training event on Sept. 5 from 5:306:30 p.m. at the Nebraska Community Blood Bank donation center near 120th and Pacific.

Anyone over the age of 14 is welcome to attend.

Stop the Bleed is a national campaign created in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy. Evaluation of the 20 children and six teachers killed revealed that many of deaths could have been prevented if their bleeding could have been controlled at the scene. No matter how rapid the arrival of medical professionals is, bystanders will always be first on the scene. Stop

the Bleed training empowers individuals to act quickly and help save lives.

Those who take part in the training will: • Learn to identify life-threatening wounds • Learn best practices for treating injuries until medical help can arrive • Hear real-life experiences from people who have been first on a scene • Practice techniques through hands-on training.

Trauma experts will offer participants handson practice in pressure control, packing a wound and applying tourniquets.

The training is free, but those who wish to attend are encouraged to register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stop-the-bleedtickets-68353650609

Free ‘Exploring the Arts’ Classes Open to Adults with Disabilities WhyArts and the Munroe-Meyer Institute have announced “Exploring the Arts,” a series of free art workshops for adults with developmental and other disabilities to be held this fall across Omaha.

Workshops will include topics such as painting, 3D sculpture and theater. All workshops will be led by members of the WhyArts teaching faculty.

“Once people with developmental disabilities have aged out of the school system and the school transition program, opportunities for creative and socially engaging activities can become scarce,” said Carolyn Anderson, director of WhyArts, located at the Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. “WhyArts believes that any ability or age can engage with the arts. But these workshops also offer social engagement and inclusion.”

There will be six classes offered at locations throughout Omaha: • Painting and Drawing, 10-11:30 a.m., Sept. 6, Hot Shops Art Center, 1301 Nicholas St. ; • Theater, Music and Storytelling, 1:30-3 p.m., Sept. 20, B Side of Benson Theatre, 6058 Maple St.; • Writing, Bookmaking and More Stories, 10-11:30 a.m., Oct. 4, Urban Abbey, 1026 Jackson St.; • Clay, 1:30-3 p.m., Oct. 18, Hot Shops Art Center, 1301 Nicholas St.;

• Animation, Video and Garage Band, 6-7:30 p.m., Nov.1, Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center, 6400 University Drive South, University of Nebraska at Omaha campus; and • 3D Sculpture, 6-7:30 p.m., Nov. 15, Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center, 6400 University Drive South, University of Nebraska at Omaha campus.

“The type of art was chosen that best fits each individual venue,” Anderson said. “And all venues are accessible and safe.”

“We are thrilled to partner with WhyArts to provide an opportunity for adults with disabilities access to a wide array of art mediums throughout the Omaha area,” said Rachel Ray of the MunroeMeyer Institute. “The goal of the program places a great deal of emphasis on exploring and enjoying the arts, as well as learning the fundamentals of critical thinking through art and self-expression.”

The free classes are offered to adults, aged 18 or older, with disabilities. Participants can register for one or all of the classes; 25 to 30 people can be accommodated in each class.

Reservations are required. For more information or to register, contact Ray at rachel.ray@unmc. edu.

The program is funded through a grant from the Lincoln Financial Foundation.

Business Connection

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Page Twelve

YOUTH/EDUCATION NEWS

THE OMAHA STAR

August 23, 2019

F.Y.I.

In order to be included in The Omaha Star, all articles and event calendar announcements must be typed in a Word document, using Times New Roman font, 10 pt, and must be received no later than two weeks in advance of the event.

Articles must be e-mailed to: fwilliams@omahastarinc.com by 3:00 p.m. on Monday. Any submissions that are received the same week as the current publication will not be included in the current week’s edition. The distribution day for The Omaha Star are Fridays on a bi-weekly schedule.

Graham

Burris

The Omaha Star is not responsible for unsolicited pictures or articles submitted for publication.

McKell

‘Black Votes Matter’ Announces Essay Winners At the Black Votes Matter “Face to Face with Black History” brunch, winners of the annual essay contest were announced.

This year the essay theme was Will Brown. The brunch, which celebrated the 2019 Tour alumni, was attended by over 100 people who gathered at the Mt. Moriah Baptist Church Heritage Center.

The brunch featured special guest Debra Watts representing The Emmet Till Foundation, representatives of the 2020 Census and many Native Omahans.

The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners were Keyira McKell from Quest Forward, Nora Graham from Central High School and

Your Journey to College Begins with Us

Lauren Burris, also a Central student. McKell’s winning essay was entitled “A Spectacle Lynching: Story of Will Brown.”

Besides cash and other prizes, the winner will be honored by reading her essay at the Will Brown soil collection ceremony Sept. 28. The ceremony, sponsored by the Omaha Community Council for Racial Justice and Reconciliation, will be held at 9 a.m. at the Douglas County Courthouse.

The Black Votes Matter Tour 2019 service project was the clean up and beautification of the Will Brown burial site near Forest Lawn Cemetery on Aug. 17.

Omaha Students can Earn A1 Auto Transport Scholarship Any part-time or full-time student in Omaha who is currently enrolled in college, high school, trade school, or other accredited institute may apply for a scholarship through A1 Auto Transport, a car shipping company.

Applicants must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher to be eligible for the scholarship program. There are no age requirements. The scholarship awards may be in the sum of $250, $500 or $1,000 per year. Winning students can expect their scholarship money to be sent directly to the financial office of their school.

To apply, students must write an essay of at least 1,000 words explaining or discussing the auto transport industry or any of A1’s

car shipping services such as freight transport or how to ship a classic car. All essays must be unique and not published anywhere online.

The deadline for all essays is March 10, 2020. A1’s scholarship committee will review all submitted essays. Winners will be notified by email and posted on A1’s website by the end of March.

To enter, students must submit their essays along with their full name, mailing address, school name, phone number, and email address to scholarships@a1autotransport.com.

For more information, check out http://www.a1autotransport. com/a-1-auto-transport-scholarship/

Our free resources will help you get there.

EducationQuest.org 402.391.4033

Caring for someone with

UNCF Teams with Cengage to Provide HBCU Students with Access to Free Textbooks

By NewsOne Staff The rising cost of higher education has created financial burdens for several students throughout the country. According to a study conducted by Morning Consult, four in 10 students skipped meals to be able to afford textbooks and course materials and three in 10 students decided to opt out of a course due to the high price of required textbooks. The United Negro College Fund has teamed up with the tech-ed company Cengage to address the growing issue through the creation of a program that will provide HBCU students with free access to textbooks.

Black students have been significantly impacted by the expensive cost of textbooks. Research shows that 60 percent of African American students decided not to purchase textbooks because the prices were too high, and 52 percent say that the cost affects their finances.

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Furthermore, 32 percent of Black students have to sacrifice trips home to spend time with their loved ones so they can pay for their textbooks. Through the program, UNCF and Cengage will select 1,000 students to have free access to Cengage’s digital subscription platform which features over 22,000 eBooks and other course materials.

“Every student should have an equal opportunity to succeed, and having the right learning materials can have a critical impact on performance,” Michael Hansen, CEO, Cengage, said in a statement.

“The high cost of textbooks has prohibited this for many students.

This is why we launched Cengage Unlimited – to make quality learning more affordable. UNCF has helped thousands of learners, enabling opportunity for minority students through its financial support and public advocacy. We are proud to partner with UNCF to ease some of the financial burden these students face and ensure they are equipped with the tools they need to reach their full potential.”

The leadership team at UNCF believes that this initiative will be instrumental in alleviating the financial burdens faced by HBCU students. “We must continue to invest our time and money in better futures for young people around the country. Partners like Cengage are vitally important to this work and we are pleased to have them as an ally in helping to educate the next generation of leaders,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, President and CEO of UNCF.

Reaching us is.

If you care for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, memory loss or dementia, you are not alone. We’re here day or night — whenever you need us — offering reliable information and support.

Free 24/7 Helpline: 800.272.3900 Alzheimer’s and Dementia Caregiver Center: alz.org/care

Subscribe to the Omaha Star Call 402-346-4041 opt. 5 Asthma In-Home Response

Does Your Child Have Asthma?

TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT PROJECT AIR

Project AIR helps reduce in-home hazards for kids with asthma We make home improvements to address asthma triggers We educate families about hazards in their home We empower families to make positive behavior changes

LEARN MORE AT: OMAHAHEALTHYKIDS.ORG To enroll, call us at 402.934.9700 or talk to your doctor about Project AIR

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