Vol. 81 - No. 20

75 CENTS

OMAHA STAR

THE

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

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Nebraska’s Only Black Owned Newspaper Vol. 81 - No. 20 Omaha, Nebraska

Friday, October 4, 2019

Statement of Secretary of State Bob Evnen Concerning the Appointment of Election Commissioners LINCOLN – Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson has issued an opinion that Nebraska statutes providing for the appointment by the Governor of election commissioners in Douglas, Sarpy and Lancaster counties, and appointment by county boards in certain other counties, is “constitutionally suspect.”

Secretary of State Bob Evnen issued the following statement today concerning the Attorney General’s opinion: “I have the utmost respect for the Attorney General and his staff. As he noted in his opinion, the statute calling upon the Governor to appoint certain county election commissioners dates back to 1913 – more than 100 years ago. This and the election commissioner appointment statutes that followed have been the law of our State for more than a century. The Nebraska Supreme Court itself has decided at least one case in reliance on one of these statutes without a hint that the statute was unconstitutional.

“There were sound policy reasons supporting the enactment of the appointment statutes.

They remain the law unless and until they are overturned by our courts, or legislation is enacted that changes these statues. I am committed to following the law, and I intend to continue to observe these long-standing statutes as long as they are in place.”

Know the Signs!

75 cents

The Resurrection of Will Brown?

By Preston Love Jr Last weekend, and in particular September 28 and 29, the nation and the Douglas County Community, made a valiant effort to bring focus to the life and death of Will Brown; or it should be said the horrific execution that ended his life - shot, hung, burned and even dragged through the downtown streets.

A horrible death. After a hundred years, to the day, Will Brown‘s life and misery was Resurrected again before hundreds of people in front of the Douglas County Courthouse, the scene of his horrible demise 100 years earlier Over the last year, the Omaha Community Collation for Racial Justice and Reconciliation (OCCRJR), planned a ceremony on the steps of the courthouse which was well planned and well done.

The council members were recognized, there was a huge crowd of people from throughout Nebraska; all races, all ethnicities, all denominations, and all were engaged. There were elected officials, and very important people, both in the audience and on the main stage.

But the stars of the event were the masses who came to raise up the memory of Will Brown, together. There were comments by the Mayor, Chief of Police, Congressman Bacon, Douglas County Sheriff Captain Wayne Hudson, the

Another crowd gathers

Governor’s office and a fiery speech by Councilman Ben Gray. Not to mention the wonderful master of ceremonies, Brenda Council, and comments from the Chairman of the OCCRJR and President of the NAACP, Vickie Young.

County Commissioner Chris Rogers headed up the committee that actually planned the ceremony. Dr. Cynthia Robinson, Chair of UNO’s Black Studies Dept., wowed the crowd with not only her presentation on Will Brown, but also aspects of racial injustice, bigotry and racism in such a compelling way.

Special guests were two staff members from the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) located in Montgomery, Alabama, who See Brown continued on page 3

NCBW Luncheon to Honor Women Thriving and Breaking Barriers “Glass-Ceiling: an acknowledged barrier to advancement in a profession, especially affecting women and members of minorities” – according to the Oxford Dictionary.

Although, the glass ceiling is real it isn’t stopping local women from thriving and breaking barriers. The National Coalition of 100 Black Women Inc.’s annual Women of Color Leadership Conference and Legacy Awards Luncheon will recognize six local women who are doing just that.

The honorees are: Dr. Cynthia Robinson (Education), Felicia Webster (Arts & Culture Heritage), Precious McKesson (Public Advocacy), BC Clark (Economic Empowerment), Melanie Finch McCroy (Health & Wellness), and Devin Owens (2019 Millennial Award).

The awards luncheon will be held Oct. 17 at the Double Tree by Hilton, 1313 Dodge St. The day-long event’s morning speaker is Dannette Smith, Nebraska’s newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Alexa Canady, who in 1981 became the first African American female neurosurgeon in the U.S., will deliver the luncheon keynote address.

KMTV 3 News Now morning reporter, Sydney Gray will serve as emcee.

A discussion featuring Theola Cooper, OPD Northeast Precinct Crime Prevention Specialist, and Carmen Tapio, Founder & CEO of North End Teleservices, will conclude the day.

Tickets are available at www.eventbrite. com/e/women-of-color-leadershipconference. For more information, email ncbwomaha@gmail.com.

Become Breast Cancer Aware – Oct. 12.

See Religious Page.

Dr. Cynthia Robinson

Felicia Webster

Precious McKesson

BC Clark

Melanie Finch McCroy

Devin Owens

Soil collection

That Special Omaha Bond Lives On – You N.O.I.T.

Southern hospitality abounded over the weekend when approximately 200 former and current residents of Omaha gathered in Arlington, Texas to embrace our culture, remember our past and showoff our future – children and grandchildren – at the 10th Anniversary of Native Omahans In Texas (N.O.I.T.) celebration. The only thing greater than the love and joy that filled the air was the Texas heat. Well, and maybe the humidity. Who lives in a place where the temperature has cooled down to 90 degrees at 9 p.m.?

However, neither heat, humidity, nor threats of rain could stay the partyready celebrants from their appointed rounds – Friday night Meet & Greet, Saturday Cook-out, tears-and-hugs filled Farewell Brunch on Sunday.

“The 10 year anniversary was very successful and everyone appeared to have a great time. Everyone that I have talked to was very pleased with how everything turned out,” said this year’s coordinator Donna Steward who has lived in Arlington for 38 years.

She added, the attendees traveled from California, Colorado, Georgia and Oklahoma, as well as Omaha and other parts of Texas.

The hard work of Donna’s committee members was evident everywhere one looked. Kudos to committee members: Peggy Anderson, Steva Franklin, Robin Hemphill-Lockhart, Francine Howard, Terry Miller, Mareta Posey-Cowley, Buffy Ross, Delton Ross, and Lisa Tunstall German, photographer Jimmy White and DJ, Cedric Relford.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Abuse is not love!

Gospel Concert – Oct. 12.

See In the Village.

Page Two

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LOCAL NEWS October 4, 2019 Business Leaders and Proponents Continue BID Meetings On Sept. 23, business leaders and proponents of the North 24th Street BID (Business Improvement District) held a commercial property owners meeting at Habitat for Humanity for commercial property owners within the proposed BID boundaries which run from 24th and Cuming streets to 24th and Ames Avenue.

The goal of the meeting was to update commercial property owners within the BID area about the progress of the endeavor, to discuss initial projects and goals of the BID. Monday’s meeting was a follow up to the initial commercial property owners meeting in February, where approximately 75 commercial property owners from the area expressed favor toward the proposal.

A BID is the same vehicle used by other nearby historic Omaha communities such as Benson, Blackstone and Downtown, to restore economic growth and development.

The proposed boundaries would make it the second largest BID in the city with Downtown being the largest.

In April, The Omaha City Council voted in support of forming the 24th Street BID. LaVonya Goodwin, co-owner of Goodwin’s Spencer Street Barbershop and Executive Director of the non-profit Global Leadership Group, says a proposed board made up of commercial property owners within the BID boundary has been meeting bi-monthly and working hard to get community input, determine the initial projects, and finalize the assessment model. Goodwin says next steps are for the Mayor to recommend the board and for the City Council to officially approve it.

Goodwin expressed that North 24th Street commercial property owners are strategizing and planning to achieve immediate impact with projects like litter control,

‘MCC at Do Space’ to Host Food Waste Discussion as Part of Sustainability Series Metropolitan Community College at Do Space, 7205 Dodge St., will host the discussion “Sustainable Solutions for Food Waste” on Oct. 17 from 4:306:30 p.m. The event is part of the Claire M. Hubbard Sustainability Speaker Series, and will feature guest speakers Gary Oppenheimer, founder and executive director at AmpleHarvest.org, and Beth Ostdiek Smith, founder, president and CEO of Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue.

The discussion will feature presentations on how to close the gap between food waste and hungry people.

The event will also include a community sustainable showcase, with area sustainability-focused organizations present to share information and network. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit mccneb.edu/hubbard.

Support Those Who Support You

About Gary Oppenheimer Aware of the increasing hunger problem in America and, in 2009, after seeing the amount of wasted food in the community garden as well as other gardens around the country, Gary Oppenheimer created AmpleHarvest. org – a nationwide program enabling America’s 42 million home and community gardeners to donate their excess bounty to thousands of food pantries nationwide.

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About Beth Ostdiek Smith Beth Ostdiek Smith is a skilled leader in business management, marketing, fundraising, donor development and public speaking. Beth’s life passion is to collaborate with others in our community to bring together a brighter future. She is now expanding her focus through Saving Grace to help our food desert community’s nutritional needs while saving our landfills. “Feeding bellies, Not Landfills.”

Baker’s Supermarket

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4405 N. 72nd St.

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Chubb’s Finer Foods

2905 N. 16th St.

Cubby’s Old Market

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Easy Drive

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Family Fare Supermarket

820 N. Saddle Creek Rd.

Family Fare Supermarket

7402 N. 30th St.

Great Plains Black History Museum 2221 N. 24th St. Hy-Vee Supermarket

5150 Center St.

Hy-Vee Supermarket

108th & Fort St.

Phil’s CASHSAVER A cost Plus Food Outlet

3030 Ames Ave.

Walgreens

3001 Dodge St.

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4310 Ames Ave.

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225 N. Saddle Creek Rd.

Walgreens

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Youngblood’s Barbershop

4011 Ames Ave

landscape maintenance, and façade improvement, while laying the foundation for greater future development.

“We need to dialogue about how to create a vibrant commercial district with the ability to leverage funding for necessary infrastructure improvements, with the end result of creating a healthy economic environment for both the businesses and residents of the community,” she said.

Manuel Cook, an Omaha City Planner, Omaha North High grad, and North Omaha resident is strongly optimistic about the area and believes a BID is the right beginning. Cook thinks that while it may not be everything people want it to be overnight, the BID is a starting point to get some quick wins to build momentum. “There is an opportunity to do something authentic and if it is done right, there is an opportunity for it to become one of the best places in the region,” Cook said.

Under Nebraska statutes, cities are authorized to create BIDs as a mechanism to raise funds and provide additional services to a business area. Some of the common uses of these funds to benefit a BID include: • General maintenance, such as snow removal, weed control, litter removal, graffiti abatement or other general repairs; • Lighting, including holiday lights: • Beautification, such as landscaping, streetscapes, historic signage; • Promotion, such as festivals, district banners, and other events; • Parking, including acquisition, maintenance and operation of parking facilities; and • Security

Pancake Fundraiser Honors Longtime North Omaha Residents

On Oct. 20, Sacred Heart School will be the setting for the second annual pancake fundraiser for the L.G. and Shirley Harrison Memorial Scholarship.

The scholarship was established in 2017 following the passing of Mr. and Mrs. Harrison, who contributed many volunteer hours at Sacred Heart School where 10 of their 11 children attended. This year, the fund awarded four families with partial scholarships.

“It was our desire to honor our parents in a way that could keep on giving just like they had,” said Cathy Banks, number 4 of 11. “This way other families can receive the great education at Sacred Heart School like we did as children.”

This year’s breakfast will take place at Sacred Heart School and will feature a delicious meal by Big Mama’s Kitchen. Service will begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at noon.

All are welcome to support this event.

“Our first year, we had so many people who attended Sacred Heart in the past come out, and we had a minireunion of sorts,” said Banks. “It would be nice if we can set that tone again this year.”

The cost for the breakfast is minimal. For more information, or to reserve tickets at the door, please contact Lisa Jackson at the Sacred Heart School office at 402-4555858.

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LOCAL NEWS Brown continued from page 1 National Arena League and introduced the three winners of the Black Votes Matter (BVM) Black History Tour Champions Indoor Football Will Brown essay contest, Keyaira McKell, Nora Graham and Lauren Burris. Elliott Spillers presented gifts to the winners of to Partner in 2020 the essay contest.

October 4, 2019

Representatives of the National Arena League (NAL) and Champions Indoor Football (CIF) have announced they will partner beginning with the 2020 season. The two leagues will compete together under a new league name with two conferences, the CIF and NAL. Scheduling will include in-season crossover conference games and a championship game involving the conference champions.

“For the fans, we are excited to bring these two leagues together,” said NAL Commissioner, Chris Siegfried. “Indoor and arena football fans have always desired to see different leagues play against each other. Now, the teams from these two great leagues will compete and crown one champion”.

Details involving a new name, scheduling, rules, additional teams and playoff information will be announced soon. Both leagues are committed to providing a quality product while also leveraging both leagues’ footprints to bring indoor football to a larger portion of the country and even more fans.

“Our leagues started having discussions back in July, and we quickly discovered that we had an opportunity to both leverage our existing markets and position ourselves for healthy growth and stability for our franchises,” said CIF Commissioner Ricky Bertz. “There are still a lot of moving parts involved in this partnership that we will be announcing, but we are confident that the result will be more excitement for all of our fans, greater market reach and continued strategic business growth in the future.”

Representatives from both leagues shared that immediate additional revenue streams were created as a result of the new partnership and the larger league and footprint will allow the pursuit of even more opportunities. Additional information will also be shared online in a video interview with Seigfried and Bertz on Friday.

“By merging our existing resources together, we now have the critical mass to immediate additional revenue streams. These immediate revenues will offset additional costs incurred from travel and other expenses,” Bertz said. “We are excited about this and other details involving this transition that we will be announcing in the coming weeks.”

The highlight and focus, of the ceremony honoring Will Brown, was the collection of soil from the grounds of the spot of that horrible crime. Soil was collected from the ground of the courthouse and transferred to five jars. One of those jars will go to Montgomery to the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) facility to commemorate Will Brown. It will be placed among jars from lynching sites all over the country.

Attendees at the ceremony were given an opportunity to participate in the transfer. A moving experience. One of these jars will be placed at Omaha’s Great Plains Black History Museum. The other three jars will be placed at locations to be determined.

What the ceremony ultimately

New MAPA Traffic Data Shows Slower Growth New traffic data from the OmahaCouncil Bluffs Metropolitan Area Planning Agency (MAPA) show traffic in the metro area is growing but at a slower rate than in the past, mirroring national trends. MAPA’s 2018 Traffic Growth Report shows traffic in the region grew by 1.6 percent since 2016.

Douglas County shows a 1.6 percent traffic growth, Sarpy County shows a 2.3 percent growth and Pottawattamie and Mills Counties experienced 1.5 percent traffic growth since 2016. All data is collected and measured by the changes in Vehicles Miles Traveled (VMT).

MAPA’s 2018 Traffic Growth Report details the greatest increases in traffic volume in northwestern Douglas County and southern Sarpy County.

“As suburban development continues on the edge of the community, we anticipate that we will continue to see traffic growth in the western and southwestern parts of the region,” said Greg Youell, MAPA Executive Director.

90th and Dodge remains the busiest intersection in the metro area with 106,900 vehicles per day, but the west Omaha locations of 120th and L Streets and 132nd and Industrial Road have moved up to second and third on the list respectively, surpassing other locations

in central Omaha.

The Interstate 680 and Interstate 80 interchange is the busiest interchange with 234,750 vehicles per day. The I-480/Kennedy Freeway and Interstate 80 interchange and the interchange of West Dodge Road and I-680 rank second and third respectively. Intersections must include an at-grade or same level crossing. Interchanges, such as 72nd and L Streets, do not have a same level crossing.

The busiest segment of roadway in the region is Interstate 80 between 60th and 72nd Streets, where 182,320 vehicles travel per day.

MAPA’s Traffic Growth Report is published periodically as a part of the agency’s on-going process to monitor transportation in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan region. It is produced in conjunction with the Traffic Flow Map, Traffic Interchange Report and the Traffic Intersection Report.

Traffic data for the Omaha-Council Bluffs region is located on MAPA’s Traffic Data Portal, traffic.mapacog.org.

The 2018 Traffic Growth Report, Traffic Flow Map, Top Intersections Report and Top Interchanges Report are located on MAPA’s website at mapacog.org/ reports/2018-metro-area-traffic-reports.

Keyaira McKell reading her winning essay

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Page Three

represented was an attempt to bring to the forefront all of the negative factors that came into play: politics, racism and economics. Hopefully, this will begin a process for this community to come to grips with where we have been--the dark side; Will Brown of course, the lynching of another Black man, George Smith aka Joe Cole, in 1891, the killing of 14-yearold Vivian Strong in 1969, and a long litany from the dark side, leading up to even today. So, with the resurrection of Will Brown’s legacy, we are faced with the challenge of reconciliation Which brings us to the rest of the weekend, specifically Sunday, September 29. Where a powerful ecumenical service was held at Clair Memorial United Methodist Church, pastored and hosted by Pastor Portia Cavitt. That service should be, the birth of a process of reconciliation; again to force the community to come to grips with its dark side, and develop strategies to prevent it from ever happening again The service was conducted before a packed church, representing people from all over the city and again, multi-racial, ethnic and denominational. There were prayers, litanies, music, and personal reflections by all. The participants were too many to name, but they reflected the complexion of our city.

The keynote message was brought by Pastor Dwayne Hawkins. His message was poignant. His message was a challenge. His message was simply that before reconciliation, there must be three elements: Confrontation within and without, Confessions and Cleansing.

So, in conclusion, my challenge is, let’s not have Will Brown’s life be in vain. We need his story to be the catalyst for a muchneeded reconciliation for the past and the future.

Library Announces ‘Food for Fines Week,’ Oct. 6-13

Omaha Public Library (OPL) will accept food donations Oct. 6-13 to benefit the nutritious choice food pantry and community nutrition programs of Together with collaborative partners across the city, including Food Bank for the Heartland. OPL cardholders can donate non-expired canned goods and other non-perishable foods in exchange for credit toward overdue fines on their OPL accounts. For each food item donated, two dollars in current fines will be waived, up to a maximum of 10 items/$20.

Patrons who have accrued fines at OPL are encouraged to return long overdue items and have their fines waived for a donation of a food item.

“We are excited to continue this wonderful collaboration. Through Omaha Public Library, our community can come together and take a stand to lift up many lives with nutritious and needed food,” said Mike Hornacek, president and CEO of Together. “On behalf of the thousands who visit our pantry, I want to thank Omaha Public Library and its patrons. We want everyone to return their books on time, but if they have a fine, pay for it by joining the cause to end hunger.”

Donations can be brought to the service desk of any Omaha Public Library location. A library card or photo ID must be shown at the time of donation to receive a fine waiver.

Food for Fines waivers apply toward late fines only. Customers with questions about their account status and whether or not the waiver will apply should contact their local library branch.

“Omaha Public Library is proud to play a role in helping to feed the hungry in our community,” said OPL Executive Director Laura Marlane. “Last year, 589 patrons donated 3,378 pounds of food during Food for Fines Week, providing more than 2,815 meals to those in need while saving money on library fines owed. That’s impactful.”

Together encourages library patrons to donate canned goods that are low-salt/sodium or no salt added, as well as other nonperishable foods they would enjoy eating. Specific items that are most needed at this time include oatmeal; nuts; granola bars; canned chili, soups, pinto beans, chicken and tuna; tuna snack kits; no-sugar-added applesauce; salsa; pasta sauce, macaroni & cheese; and cooking oils.

Visit omahalibrary.org for more information on these and additional events and resources at Omaha Public Library’s 12 locations.

The Mandela Picnic, 2019: Truth and Reconciliation in Education For the last several years, the NAACP-Lincoln chapter and Nebraskans for Peace have sponsored a picnic in honor of Nelson Mandela, peacemaker and worker for racial justice.

This year the event will be held, near the anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s first reception of the Nobel Prize for Peace, on Oct. 19 from 5:15-7:15 p.m. at the Unitarian Church of Lincoln, 6300 A St. In recent years, the picnic discussions have turned increasingly to Mandela’s invention of the “truth and reconciliation” process and how that might apply to Lincoln and Eastern Nebraska. This process has been used with some success in other cities and entities in this hemisphere: for example, Greensboro, North Carolina; the Boston public school system; the state of Maine and its Native American communities; and the nation of Canada and its First Nation native communities. The city of Omaha is just beginning a similar process that starts with remembering the lynching of Willie Brown in 1919 by an Omaha mob.

Preliminary moves toward truth and reconciliation

will begin in the Lincoln area through a picnic and discussion of education.

The NAACP and NFP in Lincoln are writing proposals for a longer term examination of what has been done and what can be done to remedy past errors. They wish to start their work by examining what education has done to people forced to the margins, to ask the audience at the event to help formulate proposals for remedy. What should be studied? Who should be involved?

The schedule for the Mandela picnic event is as follows: • the group will begin with the meal from about 5:15 to 5:45, using potluck and possibly a meat dish from a local catering service; • 5:45-5:55: the program begins, introducing a short paper that Margaret Jacobs of UN-L, an expert in the area, will write about how “truth and reconciliation” works; and briefly rehearsing what happened when similar efforts were tried in other places; • 5:55-6:05: Dr. DeWayne Mays, president of the NAACP Lincoln

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chapter, will discuss the proposal to foundations for support looking forward to a “truth and reconciliation” direction for Lincoln; • 6:05-6:15: Dr. Lory Dance, Sociology UN-L, to assist the social process, will present her research findings about how we communicate respect and disrespect across racial/ cultural lines; • 6:15-6:45: Patricia Shepard, retired instructor

in Spanish at Nebraska Wesleyan University (presently sub for LPS), and Dr. Marilyn Johnson Farr, Dwight Porter Professor of Education at Doane University, both with extensive teaching experience in the Lincoln Public Schools, will talk about elementary and secondary education, looking at what has happened to kids of color and others;

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• 6:45-7:10: The panelists will then have a discussion with the audience about what it thinks a truth and reconciliation process directed toward educational issues and the remedying of past wrongs in Lincoln ought to look like.

• 7:10-7:15: Wrap-up and consideration of next steps: housing, employment, finances and the like.

Attendees are invited to bring pot luck contributions

such as breads, vegetables, protein sources, desserts and soft or fruit drinks.

The hosts will endeavor to provide a meat source.

The sponsors of this event are the NAACP, Lincoln Chapter; Nebraskans for Peace, Lincoln Chapter; and the Unitarian Church of Lincoln. The event is free and open to the public, but it is hoped participants will contribute a pot luck item.

Page Four THE OMAHA STAR

PRAISE, WORSHIP, DEVOTION, OBITUARIES & INSPIRATION

Are You Aware of the Signs?

Come join with us at Pleasant Green Baptist Church, 5555 Larimore Ave., on Oct. 12 at 11 a.m. as we celebrate and become more aware of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer.

MaxCine Jackson, director of My Sister’s Keeper, will be the speaker and raffle tickets will be available with proceeds going to My Sister’s Keeper.

There will also be lunch and a chance for audience participation. There is no cost to attend.

Rev. Brian Page is Pastor of Pleasant Green. For more information phone 402-346-8427.

They invite one and ALL to worship with them during Super Sunday, their Family & Friends Day service on Oct. 27 at 11 a.m.

This is a guaranteed high time in the Lord and the community is encouraged to come and witness the dedication of their new altar, consecration of deacons/ acolytes, and a life changing message from the pulpit.

All services will be at Mount Calvary Community Church, 5112 Ames Ave, where Bishop K. Jevon Chambers is Senior Pastor (Elect).

Mt. Moriah Baptist Church Celebrates 132nd Anniversary

Dr. Ralph Lassiter In honor of serving the Omaha community for 132 years, Mount Moriah Baptist Church has planned many activities during October: Saturday (Oct. 5) - 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. – Carnival and Block Party and Classic Car Show on 24th

Street between Ohio and Miami in partnership with Original Omaha Car Club. Free food and activities for children. No admission fee for car show. Contact Calvin Matthews at 402-917-3194 regarding the car show.

Sunday (Oct. 6) - 6 p.m. – Mount Moriah will host the “New Music” Concert presented by the Nebraska Gospel Music Workshop of America under the direction of Minister Ananias Montague, GMWA Chapter Representative.

Oct. 12 - 6 p.m. – Music Explosion Concert in the Mt. Moriah Sanctuary featuring Dallas Gospel Saxophonist Mark A. Turner; Gospel recording artists Jerome and Charita Howard and Inspirational Songstress Liz Gre. The concert sponsors include CHI Immanuel, UNMC College of Public

Health Center for Reducing Health Disparities, Dr. Wright Lassiter Jr. Legacy Fund and North High School.

Oct. 13 - 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. – During the 11 a.m. worship service, Dr. Ralph B. Lassiter, Senior Pastor, will present the 132nd anniversary message. At 3:30 p.m. Pastor Jarrod Parker of St. Mark Baptist Church will deliver the afternoon message with Pastor Dwayne Hawkins, Antioch Baptist Church, and Pastor Cedric Perkins, Pilgrim Baptist Church, joining in the celebration.

“We look forward to sharing these celebratory activities with the community. God has blessed us to serve the Omaha community for 132 years and we continue to take this faith walk to the future,” said Dr. Ralph Lassiter.

George Müller – A Man of Faith

By Dr. William Holland Night was falling over the harbor of Bristol, England, and in the orphanage founded by George Müller and his wife Mary, the children were getting ready for bed.

George was working in his study when Mary arrived with alarming news. “We’re out of milk,” she said.

“There isn’t enough for the morning oatmeal.” He slowly laid aside his pen and had a look of calmness. This was not the first time they faced a critical situation without any money to buy food and other supplies. The pastor rose from his desk and reached for his wife’s hand.

“Mary,” he said, “let us pray.” Two orphanage employees joined them, and together they made their humble yet necessary request to God as innocent children were depending on them for sustenance. George declared, “Be assured, if you walk with Him and look to Him and expect help from Him, He will never fail you.” A short time had passed and there was heard a knock on the door.

Mary hurried to answer, returning to the study a moment later. She handed her husband an envelope. “It’s a letter, George. Hurry up and open it.” Enclosed was a sum of money, more than enough for their immediate needs.

Within a few moments, two more letters arrived with money and pledges of support. Miraculous responses to prayer had become a common experience for the Müller’s.

They had taken the step of faith to bring in their first group of thirty girls in 1836, and in a short period of time, their orphanage now housed over a hundred. From the beginning, George was determined to never to ask for funds from people or to borrow money but instead making an agreement with God that he would depend on Him alone for every need, trusting wholly in the Lord’s faithfulness and provision. The passage that he was constantly quoting was Philippians 4:19, “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” As a self-proclaimed “poor man,” regarding good works and holiness, George was well aware of what he lacked spiritually. He had grown up the privileged, arrogant son of a lawyer and routinely, drank,

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The Paradox of Love (Part 2):

Trump’s United States of Hate

By Dr. Keith Magee

Mount Calvary has a Busy October under New Leadership Fall is shaping up to be a busy season for Mount Calvary Community Church. On Oct. 12, The Usher Board will hold their Annual Cancer Awareness Luncheon at 11 a.m.

The luncheon is free and open to the community. The guest speaker will be Teresa Jackson.

Showtime at the Apollo (Gospel Edition) presented by Committed Workers will delight the attendees on Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased from Charity Brown at 402-690-7450. The ticket price includes a delicious dinner, which will precede the show, and raffle prizes.

October 4, 2019

gambled and skipped out on bills. However, as revealed in his autobiography, one night he attended a prayer meeting, and Christ changed his life completely. He gave away his library of over three hundred books and kept only one, the Holy Bible, as it was now his only focus.

One night while praying and seeking the Lord regarding the orphanage, he heard a voice in his spirit say, “Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it.” He believed God was encouraging and inviting him to simply ask for what he needed and so a miraculous journey of faith began.

Now as a pastor, he decided to live without a salary, relying only on money given to him. He learned to pray faithfully from his heart, humbly asking his Heavenly Father to provide and equip them to accomplish God’s will.

Eventually, the Müllers built five homes, costing more than $100,000 to build, which is over $14,000,000 in today’s value. Very few such places like these existed as many orphans lived on the streets or went to poorhouses, where they were treated like slaves. In the Müller homes, each child was tenderly cared for, clothed, fed, and educated, with Christian instruction as the bedrock.

When they left the orphanage in their late teens, they went on to live productive lives. He also went on to establish six children’s schools and in 1834 he founded the Scriptural Knowledge Institute. Even with him refusing to agree or accept any type of loans or debt for the Lord’s work, the ministry continued to prosper abundantly. By 1880 the ministry was now responsible for 72-day schools with 7000 students in Bristol as well as others in Italy, Spain, and South America. Müller’s journal is filled with amazing stories about how the Lord directed finances to them throughout his sixty-six years of service. He raised these funds on his knees as many lives were changed through unwavering and persistent prayer and he always gave God all the honor and glory for all that was accomplished. His sincere trust in the Bible inspires all of us to believe and depend on God to meet our needs. “Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you” Matthew 7:7.

THE BLACK PRESS AND THE BLACK CHURCH: Both Born Out of Necessity For Self-Expression And Both Black - Owned.

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

I recently had a rather challenging dinner conversation with a young Jewish member of the GOP, who I consider close family. He questioned why I continuously refer to this president as “it.” He asked, “As a Christian (that believes in the same teaching in the Torah) isn’t the fundamental teaching of our faith love? If so, are you not being equally divisive in referring to Donald Trump as an “it” and the GOP as them?”

My rapid response was human beings don’t spark flames of hatred. They would not find any justification in anyone that assembles to chant “Jews will not replace us,” say that “there were very fine people on both sides,” call Mexicans rapists and target Muslims. Those who have a soul would condemn the acrimony so that it wouldn’t ignite a fire.

The Civil rights movement wasn’t driven by policy experts. It was accomplished by people who actually practiced their faith in love. The movement was filled with the love of Imams and Rabbis, Catholic and Orthodox Priests, Unitarians and Muslims, Baptists and Hindus, and Atheists and Quakers. There were Black women frying chicken, White women making cold cut sandwiches, gay men organizing and lesbian women strategizing. They galvanized together to enact laws because there were racist White Americans who lacked civility. The laws had to be created to protect those whom they dehumanized with Jim Crow, the violence of rape and torture of death.

The preaching of “whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also,” is no longer applicable in these times. There’s no longer the tolerance to mount a non-violence movement or foot soldiers in protest when the evidence is clear that this venom embodied in these White-skin individuals is filled with intentional rage, injustice and violence, against everyone that isn’t a pure American of Anglo-Saxon decent. Yes, there are a few Blacks who are getting passes but I learned early in life that there was no difference between house slaves and those in the field. The white supremacist groups categorically deem them all as subhuman.

After I stepped away and reflected on my dinner conversation, I realized that my retort to these times have caused me to depart from the most essential and guiding principle of my faith. With all the raced baited massacres in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio by White males ages 21 and 24, I’m wrestling with how do you continue to offer love to those who are responsible for the spillage of your brother’s blood shed on the ground?

How do I, as a social justice intellectual and faith leader, provide guidance that teaches how to love those who persecute you, speak all manner of evil against you? How do I lean in to find similarity with those who say that they believe in the same Jesus that many non-White Americans serve? If this gospel can’t unite us, especially, in times like this, then what can?

Anger and Love have no limits especially when it is seeded in fear and one’s misappropriated religion. The scribes were so caught up on the rules, which made up the religion, that they had fallen short on knowing how to have relationship with God, themselves and their neighbor.

There is no negating the reality of the fear of a group of White Americans being left in poverty. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, White people are 52 percent of people lifted from poverty by safety-net programs, while Black people made up less than a quarter of that share. When it comes to receiving Medicaid, Whites make up about 43 percent of recipients, Hispanics about 30 percent, African-Americans 18 percent, with 9 percent identified as other. It is obvious that their concerns are valid.

However, it is unfortunate that their anger is misappropriated. It should be directed towards the White men, like Donald Trump, who are more focused on their own wealth than strengthening and providing economic opportunities for these White Americans.

When I awakened that Sunday morning and learned of the incident in Dayton, Ohio, where I graduated high school. My close group of friends immediately began to check on those who still reside there. We learned of several recent insistences of targeted violence in Dayton.

When I learned that one of my sister-friends and her family were literally next door to where the shooting happened, I began to weep because she’s family. In our group of five, who have been friends now over 35 years, I’m the only African-American. And, yes, race shows up because we have fluid conversations. However, what has kept our bond with our religious, sexuality and political party difference is love.

It was then that I realized that perhaps the answer is larger than what is in the written text and man-made doctrines.

The defining moments to overcome hate will be from what is written with love in our hearts. Maybe we can organize a healing, peace and love march with American presidents, Baraka and Michelle Obama standing alongside George W. and Laura Bush? Though they had many differences, they served the Unites States of America honoring a commitment of justice, equality and love for all.

(Dr Keith Magee is a public intellectual with a focus on social justice and theology. He is Senior Fellow in Culture and Justice at the University College London and Lead Pastor at The Berachah Church, Dorchester Centre, MA. He is also a 1986 graduate of Colonel White High School in Dayton, OH. For more information visit www.4justicesake.org or follow him on social media @ keithlmagee.)

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Monday – Thursday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm 402-346-4041

PRAISE & WORSHIP DIRECTORY

October 4, 2019

ALLEN CHAPEL A.M.E.

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

MOUNT CALVARY COMMUNITY CHURCH

Page Five

ST. MARK BAPTIST CHURCH

“Jesus is the Light of the World” Bishop Kevin Chambers, Senior Pastor (Elect) www.m3comaha.org 5112 Ames Avenue Omaha, NE 68104 (402) 457-4216 Church Phone (402) 453-4084 Pastor’s Office

THE OMAHA STAR

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

Pastor Jarrod S. Parker

Sunday School – Sunday 9:00 a.m.

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

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

Word On Wednesday (WOW) ........................ 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.

MT. MORIAH MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

“Where Life is for Everyone”

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

Drs. Mar n & Lynnell Williams 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

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.”

SACRED HEART CATHOLIC CHURCH

Rev. Ralph Lassiter, Sr.

Fr. Dave Korth

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

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

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

2207 Wirt Street Omaha, NE 68110 Phone: 402-451-5755

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

CLAIR MEMORIAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH “Come Get Your Hilltop Experience” Rev. Portia A. Cavitt, Pastor 5544 Ames Avenue, Omaha, NE 68104 Telephone: 402-451-8322 • Website: www.cmumc.net Email: clairumc@cumc.omhcoxmail.com Rev. Portia A. Cavitt, Pastor

Sunday School………………………8:45 a.m.

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

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

Mass Schedule: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday - 8:00 am in Rectory (2218 Binney)

MT. NEBO MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

Thursday - School Mass 8:10 am in Church

“The Church Where Fellowship is Real”

Saturday - 5:00 pm Sunday - 8:15 am and 10:30 am

Pastor Terry L. Arvie 5501 N. 50th Street Ph: 402-451-4245 Fx: 402-451-2130 office@mtneboomaha.org www.mtneboomaha.org Pastor Terry L. Arvie

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.

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

SALEM BAPTIST CHURCH Serving God and One Another in the Spirit of Excellence Rev. Dr. Selwyn Q. Bachus Senior Pastor 3131 Lake Street Omaha, NE 68111 402-455-1000 www.salembc.org

Rev. Dr. Selwyn Q. Bachus

Rev. Kent H. Little, Lead Pastor Services on Sundays at 8:30 am & 10:50 am

PLEASANT GREEN BAPTIST CHURCH

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.

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.

“Where CHRIST is Preeminent and the Word Prevails!”

Rev. Kent H. Little

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

TABERNACLE OF FAITH CHURCH

Pastor Brian Page

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

Wednesday: Prayer Power Hour ......................................12:00 p.m Thursday: Youth For Christ ............................................6:00 p.m Prayer & Bible Study ....................................6:30 p.m Sunday: Sunday School.................................................9:00 a.m.

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

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

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

Pastor Barbara Mitchell

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

HOPE LUTHERAN 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

Rev. Vitalis Anyanike

ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CATHOLIC CHURCH

ZION BAPTIST CHURCH

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. Kenneth A. Allen, Pastor

&

JOY OF LIFE MINISTRIES COGIC

HOLY NAME CATHOLIC CHURCH

Pastors Eric and Cynthia Butler

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

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

2215 Grant Street Omaha, NE 68110 Ph: 402-346-1502 Fax: 402-344-2720

Pastor Kenneth A. Allen

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)

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

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 Rev. Dr. Leroy E. Adams, Jr.

Radio Broadcast: 101.3 fm 9:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. each Sunday Worship Service .............10:00 a.m.

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

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

Dr. Stan Rone - Senior Pastor 2021 N. 24th Street • Omaha, NE 68110 (402) 341-4297 Dr. Stan Rone Senior Pastor

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

COMMENTARY October 4, 2019 It’s Not Patriotism, It’s Mentoring Matters Nationalism – ‘White Nationalism’ Girl Scouts More than Cookie Sales Page Six THE OMAHA STAR

By Oscar Blayton

For people of color, the past three and one-half years of slogging through Donald Trump’s America have brought many new realizations about some age-old problems.

Racism and bigotry have existed since the first Africans set foot in English speaking North America 400 years ago.

During our long, agonizing trek through the pages of U.S. history, we have suffered enslavement, lynching, Jim Crow laws, red lining, school segregation and employment discrimination, just to name a few of the ways in which our humanity has been violated.

Through the centuries, very few African Americans did not suffer from the poisonous vapors arising from the culture of white supremacy. So, the assaults by Donald Trump are nothing new to those of us Americans with a darker hue. His ignorant vitriol only chalks up another day under the star-spangled banner.

But while we see Trump as another edition of a 400-year-old daily rerun, his America has taught many of us something we had not learned before – something so deeply embedded in the marrow of white America’s bones that it took the sociopolitical CT scan of a Trump presidency to reveal it.

We have known all along that the Confederate flag-waving bigots were acting out their hatred for people of color, despite their protestations that they were only honoring their cultural heritage. We were never fooled into thinking that the racial covenants imposed by state and federal governments had nothing to do with property values and everything to do with building white economic wealth from a foundation of Black economic deprivation.

When Black soldiers went off to sacrifice their bodies and lives to fight foreign wars for Uncle Sam, knowing full well they would return to a homeland that cursed them, there was seldom any recognition of their selflessness. In fact, they were despised even more for their heroism.

Yet, time and time again, through the butchery of Black bodies, the countless murders of unarmed Black men and women by police and the rape of Black freedoms by the American judicial system, so many white Americans have justified their crimes as acts of patriotism.

Holding the treasonous flag of the Confederacy in one hand, and the American flag in the other, white supremacists have the unmitigated gall to self-aggrandize themselves as patriots.

If patriotism is the love of one’s homeland and its citizens, white supremacists cannot lay claim to that quality. It is impossible to love your country while hating a multitude of its citizens. A country is not merely geographical boundaries and topographical registers. A country is a community of people – all the people.

And this is a truth that white supremacists have never embraced. They would rather sing of “purple mountain majesties” and “amber waves of grain” than honor the First Nations who were stewards of this lands for millennia before Europeans arrived, or the sons and daughters of Africa upon whose bloodied backs the wealth of America was built.

White supremacists have cloaked the venom of their race hatred in the red, white and blue in order to hide its true nature, because in the minds of white supremacists, America is only for whites.

When we consider the words of the preamble to the U.S. Constitution: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence [sic], promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” – we have to ask ourselves, justice and domestic tranquility for whom when unarmed people of color are gunned down and murdered by police officers. We must ask ourselves, whose general welfare is being promoted when we have federal and state legislatures bent on disenfranchising people of color.

Have the blessings of liberty been secured for people of color who have been lynched, oppressed, left defenseless by state and federal governments when attacked by racist mobs and denied any modicum of dignity and equality by flag waving racists who call themselves patriots?

It is time to name this evil for what it is. It is not American patriotism when flag waving bigots demand respect for the symbolic images of this country. It is white nationalism fueled by the racial bigotry of those who believe that it is only they who deserve any benefits that America has to offer.

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

Voter Registration Makes a Difference in Communities of Color

By Judith Browne Dianis

Last month, voting rights advocates and allies celebrated National Voter Registration Day, a single day dedicated to registering as many eligible voters as possible. Throughout the week, organizers across the country kicked off fall campaigns to register Black and Brown voters ahead of consequential municipal and statewide elections occurring this year. Increasing evidence shows that these communityled engagement campaigns are making a difference, leading to higher registration rates and increased turnout among voters of color over the last two years. It is imperative we continue to support yearround grassroots efforts to engage voters of color so they can register, vote and build power in their communities.

In Tennessee, the Tennessee Black Voter Project collected 90,000 registration applications ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. The crush of applications overwhelmed state election officials; the state ranked 45th in the nation in terms of voter registration. While the work of the Tennessee Black Voter Project prompted the state legislature to pass restrictive laws around third-party voter registration, the Project had a significant impact. According to U.S. Census data, turnout among Tennessee’s Black voters increased from 31 to 45 percent from 2014 to 2018.

In states like Florida, New Florida Majority, one of Advancement Project National Office partners, is working diligently to get one million Floridians back on the voting rolls. In 2018, the state overwhelmingly passed Amendment 4, a historic ballot initiative that automatically restores the rights of residents with prior felony convictions. This fall, the organization will fan out to register hundreds of thousands of Floridians who have regained their eligibility and ensure they are able to vote in this year’s municipal elections, and the 2020 presidential election.

And because felony disenfranchisement disproportionately impacts Florida’s Black and Brown communities, their online and in-person efforts will make a huge difference in re-enfranchising voters of

color.

In Louisiana, organizations like Voices Of The Experienced (VOTE) help Returning Citizens complete the voting rights restoration process. After the Louisiana legislature passed Act 636, a law restoring the voting rights of Returning Citizens, or people who have been formerly incarcerated and have completed probation and parole, VOTE canvassed neighborhoods, hosted voter registration drives and completed voter education. Their efforts have helped hundreds of Louisiana residents register and regain their right to vote.

It is imperative that we continue to support voter registration efforts because many states are working to criminalize voter registration efforts and/or make voter registration harder for Black and Brown people. After a dramatic increase in voter registration applications in 2018, Tennessee passed a law fining groups conducting voter registration drives up to $10,000 for submitting incomplete or inaccurate forms.

While a federal judge rightfully blocked the law earlier this month, our support for easy, simple and straightforward voter registration is necessary to combat voter suppression measures that have bloomed across the country over the past six years.

Research shows that systemic barriers that make it harder to register and cast a ballot decrease the likelihood of voter participation. It is imperative that voters of color continue to advocate for measures that make voter registration easier and more accessible for all. Pro-democracy reforms like online registration, pre-registration for 16 and 17 olds, and automatic voter registration reduce barriers to the ballot box. They also increase the likelihood that people of color can build political power through the electoral system and make fundamental change in their communities.

Finally, we must encourage our friends, relatives, and colleagues to register today!

Our democracy is counting on it.

(Judith Browne Dianis is the Executive Director of Advancement Project National Office, a next-generation, multi-racial civil rights organization rooted in the great human rights struggles for equality and justice.)

By Debra L. Shaw The Girl Scout organization is 2.5 million strong – more than 1.7 million girls and 750,000 adults who believe in the power of every G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader) to change the world. The organization’s extraordinary journey began more than 100 years ago with the original G.I.R.L., Juliette Gordon “Daisy” Low. On March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Ga., she organized the very first Girl Scout troop, and every year since, Gordon’s vision and legacy have been honored through building girls of courage, confidence, and character to make the world a better place. Girl Scouts is the preeminent leadership development organization for girls. In the midst of the Progressive Era – and at a time when women in the United States couldn’t yet vote – this nearly deaf 51-year-old sparked a worldwide movement inspiring girls to embrace together their individuality, strength, and intellect. Affectionately known as “Daisy” by her family and close friends, Juliette gathered 18 girls in her hometown to share what she had learned abroad about a new outdoor and educational program for youth, and with this, the Girl Scout Movement was born. Along with Juliette, these first Girl Scouts blazed trails and redefined what was possible for themselves and for girls everywhere. https://www.girlscouts.org Girl Scouts unleashes the G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader) in every girl, preparing her for a lifetime of leadership – from taking a night-time hike under the stars to accepting a mission on the International Space Station; from lobbying the city council with her troop to holding a seat in Congress; from running her own cookie business today to tackling cybersecurity tomorrow. The Girl Scout Leadership Experience is a

one-of-a-kind leadership development program for girls, with proven results.

It is based on time-tested methods and research-backed programming that help girls take the lead – in their own lives and in the world. Research shows that girls learn best in an all-girl, girl-led, and girl-friendly environment. Girl Scouts is a place where she’ll practice different skills, explore her potential, take on leadership positions – and even feel allowed to fail, dust herself off, get up, and try again. With the guidance and support of a volunteer, Girl Scouts can go as far as their imaginations will take them – and you can be there, right by their side. https://www.girlscouts.org Girl Scout volunteers help girls to do the following: Discover a world full of fun experiences and new activities; Build confidence and make a whole bunch of new friends; and Explore interests and learn new skills in a safe, all-girl environment. Volunteers are not only role models who show girls something new. Volunteers will also share many memorable moments with the girls. Check out what caregivers and volunteers have to say, according to our research, about volunteering with Girl Scouts: Ninetyfive percent of volunteers say they make girls’ lives better at Girl Scouts (and that makes them happy). Eighty-eight percent of Girl Scout volunteers say their volunteer experience with us makes their life better. Two-thirds of volunteers say Girl Scouts have helped them professionally. Come make an impact on girls in your community and watch as they make an impact on the world! That’s right. As a Girl Scout volunteer, YOU have the potential to change girls’ lives and help them build their own success – whatever that looks like to them. Visit this website https://www.girlscouts.org/ en/adults/volunteer.html to learn more about how to encourage and inspire girls to be great leaders through girl scouting.

It’s more than about cookies!

Mentoring Matters!

Financial Tips from Veridian Start Saving Now for Holiday Expenses The holiday season can bring joy, but it also comes with its own unique stress.

According to the American Psychological Association, money is usually the biggest worry for families during holidays. Not only do some fixed costs rise, like heating bills, you can be faced with one-time expenses like gifts, travel and big meals.

Planning now can help you get a better grip on your finances heading into the holidays. Here are some tips from the American Psychological Association to avoid holiday-related financial stress.

• Make a spending plan and track your progress. Review what you spent during the holidays last year to get an estimate on how much you plan to spend this year.

Start setting aside some money from each paycheck in a separate savings account to cover those expenses.

• Decide what’s important. If your budget doesn’t have room for all your plans, look for extras you can cut out. Do you need to buy presents for everyone, or could you draw names and do a gift exchange?

• Avoid temptation. If you can’t stop yourself from buying “just one more” gift, create fewer opportunities for that to happen. Stay away from malls and online retailers unless you have a specific need, and remember that a deal on something you don’t need isn’t really a deal because you’re still spending money. You can also leave your credit and debit cards at home and only carry the cash you can afford to spend.

• Ask for help. Research shows a support system can keep you on track and provide accountability. Make your goals known so your friends and family can help you reach them.

If you could use some financial advice, Veridian is here to help. We’re a notfor-profit credit union with branches in Council Bluffs, Omaha and Papillion.

Simply stop by a Veridian branch or call (800) 235-3228 and ask to speak to Areli to schedule a one-on-one consultation today.

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LIFE & STYLE/HEALTH & WELLNESS THE OMAHA STAR Page Seven ‘You Light Up My Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Christmas’ Debuts Dec. 1 Hosts HBCU Fair October 4, 2019

NEW YORK – Lifetime’s highly anticipated holiday movie, “You Light Up My Christmas,” starring and executive produced by veteran actress Kim Fields, has set a new premiere date for Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. CT. Initially set to debut on Dec. 14, positive reaction to the network’s announced slate of holiday films prompted the earlier date to satisfy excited fans. You Light Up My Christmas is part of Lifetime’s annual It’s a Wonderful Lifetime programming event, kicking off Oct. 25 and continuing through Dec. 25. With 60 plus days of holiday movies totaling over 1,000 hours, It’s A Wonderful Lifetime features some of television and music’s most beloved stars.

Inspired by a true story, the Fields and Holmes film features actress Kim Fields Photo Credit Brendan George Ko as Emma Simmons, a Phoenixbased real estate broker. Two weeks before Christmas, she returns to her hometown of Cherry Creek and realizes that her family’s pioneer Christmas light factory is not as festive as it used to be.

Even worse, she learns that the factory, which has been in her family for generations, is on the verge of closing. During her stay, Emma reconnects with old friends and acquaintances, among them Ben Shields (Adrian Holmes), her childhood friend and high school sweetheart whose heart she broke when she left Cherry Creek without any warning or explanation. Emma and Ben rekindle their love for one another and work together to help Cherry Creek find its light again.

The film is directed by Rhonda F. Baraka, written by Barbara Kymlicka and executive produced by Fields, Tim Johnson and Art Rutter.

Ivy Leaf Report: Sheila Fields On Sept. 21, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. (AKA) Omaha Graduate Chapter hosted a Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) Fair for high school students interested in attending an HBCU. As part of HBCU Week, the event was held at the Village Empowerment Center and included representation from HBCU alumni, Central High School Step Team performances, raffle drawings, and an HBCU panel discussion – “Why I Attended an HBCU.” An estimated 150 students gained an understanding of navigating the college process through learning how to write personal statements and resumes and obtaining scholarship AKA Omaha Graduate Chapter participants information. They also learned HBCU facts by having one-on-one conversations with HBCU alumni.

This HBCU Fair included the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority: • HBCU for Life: A Call to Action designed so Chapters will promote and market historically black colleges and universities and encourage students to attend HBCUs as a sustainability measure.

• #CAP Initiative designed to assist students through the college enrollment process.

• Building Your Economic Legacy targeted by the Omaha graduate chapter to promote its annual scholarship as a way of helping with financial planning for college.

“It was truly wonderful to see all of the students and their parents together supporting this event in great numbers. Many expressed their joy about attending and learning more about the HBCU college admissions process,” said Damita J Byrd, CDP, Sr. Director Diversity & Inclusion and member of the Omaha graduate chapter.

“Our goal was to provide HBCU & college admissions information to the students and parents. We will connect the interested students to the college admissions representatives in hopes of producing action steps between the two.”

The Omaha Graduate Chapter will continue to focus on education with an emphasis on historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and will remain committed to HBCU for Life: A Call to Action.

How to Choose Between a Black Cruise and a Traditional Cruise If you search online, you’ll find a lot of black cruises to consider for your next vacation. Black cruises have been around for a long time and have gained in popularity over the past 20 years. The term “black cruise” typically refers to a large number of black passengers all booked on the same cruise ship at the same time, as part of the same group.

What makes the typical black cruises unique is that they almost always include events that cater to a black audience, such as appearances by well-known R&B singers who go along on the cruise to perform their hit songs in person.

Some of the best black cruises also have additional large group events such as white parties and step shows to keep their black audiences entertained.

Black cruises are popular, but there’s a few important things you should know before booking one. The information and tips below will help you decide whether to book a black cruise or opt for a traditional cruise instead.

Reading this article will help you book a cruise that’s right for you.

Black Cruises Can Be Expensive Just when people are figuring out that cruises are affordable and a very good value for a great vacation, this discovery can be undermined by the price of many black cruises. Since black cruises usually bundle in live entertainment by well-known R&B singers, those professional singers have to be paid, and they are not cheap. The cost of those singers and other special events are generally passed down to consumers by being bundled into the price of the cruise. This means even if you don’t attend or enjoy a certain show or event for whatever reason, you’re still paying for it.

Another thing that makes black cruise pricing higher than a normal cruise is the multiple layers of marked up pricing.

In addition to price markups to cover live entertainment, black cruises often tack on fees that go to the company or organization planning the cruise. With all of these additional costs wrapped into the overall price, it can be hard to know how much extra you’re paying.

Black Cruises Are Not “All Black” One of the biggest misconceptions of black cruises is that everyone on the cruise ship will be black. In reality, that’s

Medicare Open Enrollment Period Scheduled for Oct. 15 - Dec. 7 Medicare’s 2019 annual open enrollment period runs Oct. 15 - Dec. 7. This is the time to review your Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage coverage, and if needed, switch to a different plan for 2020.

Even if you’re satisfied with your coverage, you should review your options for next year to see if there’s a plan that better meets your needs. Medicare beneficiaries may find a different plan that would cover their medications at a low cost and/or with fewer restrictions.

Medigap supplement policies aren’t subject to an annual open enrollment period. Last year, Volunteers Assisting Seniors (VAS) helped 1,911 people review their coverage during Medicare’s annual open enrollment period. Those who switched to a less expensive plan averaged a $1,116 savings in their prescription drug costs for 2019.

VAS is scheduling appointments at various locations throughout the Omaha area to assist Medicare beneficiaries with Part D and Medicare Advantage plan reviews again this year.

Surprisingly, the only north Omaha location is Immanuel AgeWell, 6801 N. 67th Plaza, and only one day is scheduled, Nov. 4. The majority of the locations are at the Center Mall and at Doane University, 4020 S. 147th St. To schedule an appointment, phone 402444-6617.

usually far from the truth. Depending on the company and event, a black cruise might be a group of anywhere from 50 to 500 people. But the average cruise ship now holds over 3,000 people and will usually be sold out, or nearly sold out. This means you’re in for a rude awakening if you’re looking forward to boarding a ship for a great time with 3,000 of your unrelated brothas and sistas, because most passengers on the ship will be white or a mix of other races.

In reality, a black cruise group is usually just a minority subset of the ship’s larger population.

Black Cruises Have Major Limitations When you book a black cruise, you instantly forfeit the options that many people consider “must haves” when planning a vacation. For example, when you find a black cruise to book, you’ll notice that the time of your vacation is strictly limited to the date of their pre-planned cruise. Many people will require more scheduling flexibility.

Other major limitations of black cruises are the cruise line, the specific cruise ship, and the destination of the cruise. Unfortunately you’re not allowed to select any of these options – a pre-planned black cruise will already have selected them, so you’d be forced to conform to whatever they have planned.

Black Cruises Can Be the Opposite of Relaxing Aubrey Williams of Avion Travel Network says he became a cruise travel agent because he always had a passion for cruising, and one of his best pastimes on a cruise is to relax and unwind. It took a while, but eventually learned how to come back from a cruise feeling wellrested and ready to take on the rigors of real life after a great vacation. He comments, “Before I figured it out, my past vacations were the opposite. I remember coming

home from vacations completely exhausted and feeling like I needed a second vacation to rest up from my first vacation. At some point it occurred to me that I was doing my vacations all wrong, spending a lot of money and subconsciously defeating the purpose.”

Black cruises are often defined by a lot of big parties and events that take place day and night on the ship.

They have a way of pulling you in and leaving you void of all energy by the end of your cruise. While the amount of partying and socializing you do is entirely up to you, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment. You can easily find yourself doing too much partying, drinking, and dancing, and not enough relaxing, sleeping, and reading.

If you find yourself going with the flow of the group, don’t be surprised if your vacation ends up being the opposite of relaxing.

Should You Book a Black Cruise or Choose a Traditional Cruise?

Like any other activity or event, it depends on which you think is the best fit for you. Here’s a quick set of bullets to help you decide: Book a Black Cruise If… • You don’t mind the higher, marked up pricing.

• You need to have live, well-known R&B entertainment.

• You have plenty of flexibility in your travel dates.

• You want more partying and less relaxing.

Book a Traditional Cruise If… • You prefer a more affordable price without the forced extras.

• You can do without the live R&B singers during your vacation.

• You want to pick your own travel dates, cruise ship, and destination.

• You want more relaxing and less partying.

UNMC Study Seeks to Identify Pancreatic Cancer Earlier The University of Nebraska Medical Center has launched a major clinical research study with the ultimate goal of finding a way to detect pancreatic cancer in its earliest, most curable stage.

The study, which is being funded by a grant from the National Cancer Institute as part of the Pancreatic Cancer Detection Consortium, is being led by Kelsey Klute, M.D., assistant professor, UNMC Department of Internal Medicine/ Division of Oncology and Hematology.

Co-investigators on the study are: Michael (Tony) Hollingsworth, Ph.D., professor, Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer; two endocrinologists – Vijay Shivaswamy, M.B.B.S., associate professor, and Brian Boerner, M.D., assistant professor; and a gastroenterologist – Shailender Singh M.B.B.S., associate professor.

In 2018, a Center of Excellence in Pancreatic Cancer was established at UNMC/Nebraska Medicine to combat pancreatic cancer, one of the nation’s – and Nebraska’s – most lethal cancers, with a five-year survival rate of 8%. The center of excellence is housed in the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center and is the only such facility in the adjacent

five-state region.

“What makes pancreatic cancer so deadly is that it is typically not detected until it is already advanced,” Dr. Klute said, “That’s why we are conducting this study – to try to figure out if we can identify it earlier and potentially save lives or help people to live longer with the disease.”

The incidence of pancreatic cancer is increasing, with about 260 cases diagnosed in Nebraska per year.

By 2030, it is expected to become the second-leading cause of cancerrelated mortality.

Study subjects must be age 19 or older and have a history of one of the following: • Pre-diabetes; • New onset diabetes (diagnosed within the past three years); • Chronic pancreatitis; • Cysts in the pancreas; • Two or more blood relatives with pancreas cancer; and • Other risk factors.

Participants will be seen at Nebraska Medicine every six months over the course of five years or longer. At each visit, they will be given a questionnaire and have their blood drawn. In addition, those with diabetes will complete a mixed-meal screening test that involves drinking

a nutrition shake.

“A longitudinal study like this doesn’t exist anywhere else for pancreatic cancer,” said Dr. Klute, who is hoping to enroll up to 1,250 people.

Dr. Hollingsworth said people with new onset diabetes are a key group from which they hope to draw many participants.

“Diabetes is an early marker of pancreatic cancer,” he said. “Adults with new onset diabetes which is rapidly worsening and who are losing weight seem to be at high risk for pancreatic cancer.”

“We expect very few participants on this study will ultimately develop pancreas cancer,” Dr. Klute said.

“However, the information gained from the rare patients that do and their blood samples prior to their diagnosis will be extremely valuable for the development and future testing of biomarkers of early pancreas cancer.”

For more information on the study, contact Christina Hoy, D.N.P., a nurse practitioner in the Eppley Institute who is the study coordinator, at 402559-1577, christina.hoy@unmc.edu.

Additional information is available at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/ NCT03568630.

EVENTS/LOCAL/NATIONAL/CLASS ADS Black Film Festival Announces 2020 Dates and Calls for Submissions Page Eight

THE OMAHA STAR

October 4, 2019

In The Village!

Los Angeles, CA – The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) has announced its 24th annual festival will return to Miami June 17-21. Since its inception in 1997, ABFF has been a platform for emerging artists and a pipeline for showcasing quality film and television content by and about people of African descent.

Submissions for the 2020 festival are now open in four categories: Narrative Features, Documentary Features, Web Series, World Showcase and Social Impact Showcase.

Winners will be awarded at the festival’s Best of ABFF Awards presentation on June 20.

ABFF will continue its tradition of curating a program that unites storytellers of color, as well as creating unique experiences for attendees with more than seventy events including celebrity conversations, panels, master classes, spotlight screenings, community partnerships and hospitality lounges.

Filmmakers also have the opportunity to connect with some of the most influential film and television professionals in the industry during the five-day event.

The American Black Film Festival has been named a “top festival” by reputable media outlets, including One of the Coolest Festivals in the World by MovieMake Magazine; 10 Best Film Festivals by USA Today; Top 100 Events in Miami by BizBash Magazine and One of the Best Events Around the World by PROHBTD. The festival’s dynamic program continues to evolve and next year, it will expand to include the John Singleton Award for Best First Feature Film, one of ABFF founding advisory board members; and “ABFF Fit,” the festival’s new health and wellness initiative.

The 2019 festival featured a slate of diverse films including: Jury Award winner for Best Director and Best Narrative Feature “Jezebel” written and directed by Numa Perrier; Audience Award winner for

Best Narrative Feature “All In,” directed

by Ibrahim Yilla and produced by Kia Freeman, Gregory Freeman, Tressa Azarel Smallwood, and Audrea Topps-Harjo; Jury Award winner for Best Web Series “Little Apple” written and directed by Riley S. Wilson; Jury Award winner for Best Screenplay “Strive,” written by Piper Dellums and Sha-Risse Smith; and Jury Award winner for Best Documentary “One Child Left Behind: The Untold Atlanta Cheating Scandal,” directed by Jodi Gomes.

In 2020, participants will compete for the following awards: Jury Award - Best Narrative Feature Jury Award - Best Director, Narrative Feature Jury Award - Best Screenplay, Narrative Feature Jury Award - Best Actor, Narrative Feature John Singleton Award - Best First Feature Jury Award - Best Documentary Film Jury Award - Best Web Series Submission deadline information below: Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature Early Submission Deadline: Dec. 31, 2019 Regular Submission Deadline: Feb. 1, 2020 Web Series Regular Submission Deadline: Jan. 31, 2020 World Showcase and Social Impact Showcase Regular Submission Deadline: Jan. 24, 2020 For complete submission criteria and eligibility, visit www.abff.com/ submissions. Festival passes are also on sale now at www.abff.com.

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

Now – In commemoration of the centenary of the 1919 Omaha race riots, Blue Barn Theatre, 1106 S. 10th St., presents Beaufield Berry’s Red Summer, an account of our city’s past, centered on the story of William Brown.

Brown was accused of a crime he didn’t commit and was tortured and murdered.

The production runs through Oct. 20.

For more info, phone 402-345-1576 or check them out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Don’t miss this!

Now – Omaha Farmers Market – 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Only 2 Saturdays left to shop in Omaha’s Old Market for the city’s best selection of farm-fresh, local produce, bedding plants and fresh-cut flowers, gourmet baked goods, meats, cheeses, specialty items and more.

Now – The Union for Contemporary Art, 2423 N. 24th St., is hosting “Sometimes We Cannot Be with Our Own Bodies”

by Vanessa German. The artist says in her own words, “This work is a dimensional reckoning.” The exhibit runs through Nov. 30. For times or more info, phone 402-933-3161 or visit info@u-ca.org Now – The Great Plains Black History Museum, 2221 N. 24th St., hosts the “Will Brown and Lynchings Throughout the Great Plains of America” Exhibit.

This exhibit commemorates the 100th anniversary of the lynching of Will Brown and will map out all Terror Lynchings throughout the Great Plains. The exhibit is on display from 1-5 p.m., Thursday Saturday through Dec. 31.

Oct. 5 – Mt. Moriah Baptist Church will host a carnival, block party & Original Omaha Car Club Show & Shine on N. 24th St. between Ohio & Miami streets, from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

There will be free food and activities for the kids.

Oct. 8 – Omaha Public Library (OPL) Teen Hangout – Calling all Anime and Manga fans and newbies. Come watch episodes and explore/compare Manga counterparts at the Florence branch, 2920 Bondesson St., from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Drinks & snacks provided. For more info phone 402-444-5299.

Oct. 11 – OPL Storytime will include an opera themed book and opera/vocal activities with Opera Omaha musicians at the Florence branch, 2920 Bondesson St., from 10:30-11:30 a.m. For more info phone 402-444-5299.

Oct. 11 – Young Black Influential Omaha is excited to host their meet-up at The Union for Contemporary Art, 2423 N. 24th St., from 5-7 p.m. Participants will have an opportunity to view the “Undesign the Redline” exhibit. There will be food and lots of networking. For

more info, phone the Union at 402-9333161.

Oct. 12 – Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, 2602 N. 24th St., will host gospel artists Mark A. Turner, saxophonist; Jerome & Charita Howard, recording artists; and Liz Gre’ Lassiter, inspirational songstress, at 6 p.m. For more info phone 402-4516800.

Oct. 13 – Mt. Moriah Baptist Church 132nd Anniversary Celebration at 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Guest preachers will be Pastor Dwayne Hawkins, Pastor Cedric Perkins and Pastor Jarrod Parker.

For more info, phone 402-451-8800.

Oct. 16 – The Union for Contemporary Art, 2423 N. 24th St., presents “Punk the Capital; Building a Sound Movement.”

The documentary explores the punk scene in Washington, DC from 1976-1983. For more info phone 402-933-3161.

Oct. 20 – A Wedding Show Like No Other will be held at the Mid-America Center, One Arena Way, Council Bluffs, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. For more info, visit weddingessentialsmagazine.com.

Oct. 22 – Creighton University Presidential Lecture Series presents An Evening with Former Senator Bob Kerry in the Mike & Josie Harper Center, Hixon-Lied Auditorium, 602 N. 20th St., from 7:30-8:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the community. For more info, phone 402-280-3850.

Oct. 22 – Johnny Rodgers Scholarship Luncheon will honor Johnny Rodgers Career and Technical Education Scholarship recipients. This event is hosted by Metropolitan Community College at the Fort Omaha Campus, Building 22, Swanson Conference Center Room 201A/201B from 11:30 a.m. 1 p.m. For more info, email events@ mccneb.edu.

Oct. 28 – Career in Tech Boot Camp, hosted by Urban League of Nebraska, Heartland Workforce and AIM Code School. If you are interested in a career in technology, this boot camp is for you. Registration is required and can be completed online at urbanleagueneb.com.

You must be over 17 and have a high school diploma or GED. For more info, phone the Urban League at 402-4539730. The camp runs through Dec. 27.

Oct. 30 – Adams Park Community Center, 3230 John Creighton Blvd., hosts Trunk-Or-Treat from 6-8 p.m. Enjoy FUN activities, crafts and games for the whole family including a Gaga pit, bounce house, hot dogs, popcorn, raffles and musical performances by Enjoli & Timeless and others. You don’t want to miss this! This event is free and open to the community.

OPPD Launches New Web Resource for Customers

Omaha Public Power District knows its customers are looking for ways to reduce their energy usage – to save on their bills and for the benefit of the environment. To help, we’re launching a new and improved energy efficiency section on our website, oppd.com/EE. Energy conservation is not only good for the environment, it’s good for the pocketbook, helping to keep your utility bill low. OPPD wants to make it easier for customers to save energy. Our new web tools and information aim to do just that.

By visiting oppd.com/EE, customers will have access to six new pages of videos, tips, and information on how to save on the amount of electricity they are using. We designed the pages with our customers in mind, with easy navigation and practical tips. The site provides ideas and guidance on easy things they can do around their house to improve energy efficiency. It includes how-to videos, interactive features and more.

You’ll be hearing more about OPPD’s educational efforts with regards to energy efficiency throughout the month of October, Energy Efficiency Month, and beyond. We look forward to helping our customers meet their energy savings goals, and to seeing how they put the tips and tools from oppd.com/EE to use.

Help the Omaha Star Find Its Missing Issues Complete the Nebraska State Historical Society Archives On June 2 representatives of the Nebraska State Historical Society took bound copies of some of the Omaha Star’s earliest issues with them to Lincoln.

The five bound books will complete issues missing from the state archives for the past sixty years, ranging from September 17, 1938 through October 26, 1951.

The Mildred D. Brown Memorial Study Center (MDBMSC) Board is working with the Nebraska Historical Society to create a complete Library Archive of the past and current issues of the Omaha Star. Although many years of newspapers have been microfilmed by the Omaha Public Library and the Nebraska Historical Society, many issues are missing. We are asking readers, who may have copies of the issues that are listed, to please bring them to the Omaha Star to be microfilmed. The issues will be returned to you.

The MDBMSC was formed to continue the legacy of Mildred Brown the founder and publisher of the Omaha Star. The purpose of the Study Center is to provide area students with scholarship support and opportunities to envision career possibilities in journalism and communications through educational programs, field trips, tutoring and mentoring. They are also provided access to resources and inspirational archive materials.

The Omaha Star and its affiliated foundation, the Mildred D. Brown Memorial Study Center, are seeking any copies of the following issues: July 8, 1939 to Mar. 15, 1940 May 3, 1940 July 4, 1952 June 29, 1962 Feb. 14, 1964 Apr. 29, 1967 Feb. 29, 1968 Mar. 21, 1968 to Mar. 28, 1968 May 2, 1968 May 23, 1968 July 18, 1968 Aug. 8, 1968 to Aug. 15, 1968 Nov. 14, 1968 May 29, 1969

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of Martin Luther King MAHA holiday TAR Ben Gray to speak at Marti

Dedicated to the Service of the Shall Lack a Champion People that NO Good Cause and that Evil Shall Not Go Unopposed

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Luther King Day event

Omaha City Councilman Vol. 72 - No. Ben Gray will commemorative 2 Omaha, Nebraska deliver a address on the Monday, Jan. UNMC campus Thursday, January 18, to on 7, 2010 Rev. Martin Luther honor slain civil rights leader, 50 cents King Jr. Gray’s speech, which is sponsored The Nebraska

by UNMC and Medical Center, Truhlsen Campus will be in the Events Center Center. in the Sorrell “We are pleased The Partnership to bring a city For community volunteer leader and tireless non-profit organization Our Kids, a Schools.” to campus,” Newland, M.D., that provides disadvantaged director of UNMC’s said Myrna “The Partnership The mission of students with positive and coordinator For Our Kids Staples Foundation Equity Off ice academic enrichment works to provide of the Martin for Learning Inc. experiences, has Commemoration disadvantaged Luther King is to teach, train received a $10,000 elementary school Day Committee. “I and inspire. Founded grant from Staples students can look forward believe our campus in 2002, the foundaFoundation for academic enrichment with positive tion has contributed to an inspiring Learning, a private speech.” experiences,” and relevant more than $17 foundation created said Briana Curran, million to national manager, Staples The annual address and Funding from SFFL by Staples Inc. Foundation for that provide educational local charities is regularly will Learning. best support the one attended events “Staples opportunities Winners Circle Foundation for and job skills on Martin Luther of the city’s program, which Learning supports This year, the for all people, King Jr. Day. provides underserved the event starts at Winners Circle with a special emphasis noon, is free program, which to the public. on disadvantaged dents with access elementary stuand open creGuests can park ates an environment youth. Staples to rigorous math, in Lot 15V, which the visitor parking where youth are Foundation for reading and citizenship recognized for is area located on Learning has also their achievements the Student Life developed lasting increase their academic activities to by teachers, peers, Center at the cornerthe south side of relationships parents with Boys & Girls achievement.

Streets. of 40th & Jones and the com“The Winners munity.”

Clubs of America, Earth Circle program Gray is a f irst-time ensures disadvantaged Winners Circle Heritage Foundation, Force, Hispanic elected city council students have for the 2nd District. and All Our Kids and the Initiative the resources and member joined forces in for a Competitive support needed 2007 to form Prior to his election, Inner Omaha City Councilman to develop an enthusiasm The Partnership For tion, Staples Foundation City. In addiGray had a 30-year Our Kids, to help Ben Gray a for learning,” television Vol. 72 - No. 28 for Learning said Beth Smith, career as disadvantaged students. photojour nalist supports Ashoka, nered with Executive Director, “Kaleidoscope” and an the emergency host Winners Circle creates a community The Partnership on of develops and supportsorganization that department at Nebraska Medical Program of The KETV NewsWatch Omaha’s ABC’s aff iliate station, of caring for stusocial entrepreThe Partnership For Center to use dents from pre-kindergarten neurs around the gies to decrease Our Kids. “With intervention stratediscussions about 7. The show featured passionate world, in nine counsupyouth violence, through port from Staples high school to a variety of tries: Argentina, engagement after such as immediate Foundation for help Gray has won community issues.

Belgium, Brazil, violent incidents Learning we can multiple local, taged youth graduate more disadvanCanada, France, tion attempts. continue to increase to reduce retaliaregional and awards as a reporter, and pursue highgrades and standardized national er education to Netherlands, Spain Germany, the photojournalist In 1998, Gray become employable test scores for Gray dedicates and host. and the United and his wife, youth throughout productive citizens much of his time States. For more Freddie, began ing with the African-American Omaha Public lives of severely who give back information about workto their community. at-risk youth and to improving the the foundation or how Achievement to close the is the emergency gang members. to apply for a grant, Council achievement He team director gaps of children visit www. staplesfoundation.org.

Omaha Public Community Connection, for Impact One in the School (OPS) District.

Inc. — a non-prof A sought after lence prevention motivational it, vioorganization. speaker, his Martin Luther Its members King Jr. Day speech, Gray titled partLove,” after one “Strength to of Dr. King’s most read books.

Partnership For $10,000 grant Our Kids receives from Staples

Festival Self-Empowerment St. Paul Baptist Church July 13th, 2010

★

OMAHA STAR

THE

Cause of the People that NO Good Dedicated to the Service that Evil Shall Not Go Unopposed Shall Lack a Champion and

Newspaper Nebraska’s Only Black Owned Thursday, July 8, 2010

Details on page 4

meeting canceled Empowerment Network has been cancelled. The next meeting will

Network Monthly Meeting will begin at 9 a.m.

This Saturday’s Empowerment Breakfast and networking High School - Viking Center. be held Aug. 14 at North meeting will begin at 9:30.

Displays to help Parents, and the interactive community Development. Tables and Partner.

Education and Youth become a Mentor or Adopt-A-Class The focus will be on Opportunity to sign up to Presentations & Families, Students & Community. to help students succeed PLUS Special Interactive ways Learn more about specific Discussions. the web at www.empoweromaha.com.

502-5153 or visit us on For more information call

50 cents

s Omaha Star Celebrate 72nd Anniversary

KS Science Fair Excellence Winner s

North Omaha Boys & Girls Club Welcome s New and Old Club Members for the New Year On Jan.

Omaha, Nebraska

MILDRED D. BROWN 9, 1938 Founded Omaha Star July

Special Thanks Publisher Dr. Marguerita L. Washington,

homes as you are hardly can continue to repair and buy I 4 the North Omaha of the people that no good money and invest it the that now doing, save your “Dedicated to the service Boys & Girls new and old Club believe that evil shall not go bonds that you Club opened members. The has Star its doors tocause shall lack a champion and wisely. Buy more Savings a new year with Omaha Club staff looks new Club parents if and when things forward to beginning unopposed.” may be comfortable age appropriate been in existence for and members. programs for We offer a variety change. kids ages gram areas such seventy-two years of a former pastor of to the newspaper, Mildred as, Sports, Fitness, 6-18. We offer f ive core Reverend Joseph Forbes, Leadership Development, pro- In an introduction and I have been the & Recreation, said, “Mildred was Character & Gilbert wrote: Education & Career St. John A. M. E. Church Life Skills, and publisher for the It is with profound pleaDevelopment, she made her paper The To the Citizens of Omaha: Health & a friend of the pastors ... from certain schools Arts. We are also offering last twenty years. It a platform. She Publishing Co., and [sic] FREE transportation in the Omaha sure that the Omaha Star available anytime we needed In order to qualify metro area (please seems like yesterday journalistic She believed that for this special call for a listing). organization of energetic, well trained saw her work as a ministry. a paid program by service all Club that I started after my One entire page membership fee members this day a paper of the people, God had given her a calling.

Spring program and a valid membership must have minds, give to you aunt Mildred Brown We here and now wish to the work of fee is $30.00 card. Our was per edition was devoted the people and for the people. that will be valid Some of Club hours are its expired. submitted by from 3-8 p.m. the Omaha Star dedicates Jan. 4 - May For more Club the churches in the community, to have you know that 7. Our and ask for Mr. in you have been supinformation call Dave Felici, Unit serving the general public 342-2300 existence to the task of the pastors.

Director.

Happy New Year porters almost from It shall be our policy the struggle for and we hope to Among her concerns was every way humanly possible.

Others of see you at the the start. primary path of duty in the behalf Club! equality. Mildred Brown’s racial to move in an unerring worked supporters local She the had. became it already bringing to you Star was in selling Many others became supportfoothold in Omaha than early role in the Omaha Black America in Omaha, to work for equalas the years went by. sincere it, as well as the national excellent salespertirelessly with many organizations you I want to give my ads. She was not only an news of the city as we find of of The African American ers recently. To all of a member of the National backing for the welfare could use the ads as a tool ity and peace. She was highlights, promoting and son; she found that she to Career and Scholarship Achievement Council of Colored People thanks. to sell newspaper ads Black America in general. will have its 4th is fascinating. The Omaha Association for the Advancement Association, the Fair on Saturday her activism. She refused the citizens of Omaha and She Annual High Magnet advenWorking at a newspaper from 9 A.M. to School, 4410 the Black Publishers did not employ black workers. proout into the sea of journalistic that launch because this is our paper.

(NAACP), we 3 As P.M. of companies N. at 36th League St. Those seeking North the Urban her readers to Star is especially fascinating can the support of the general employment should National Business League, Anyone who is interested also used editorials to encourage and she challenged ture, we sincerely request and dressed for Plains Black museum.

This paper is about us. come prepared in when we as a group must military success. Lunch Nebraska, and the Great with a resume and issues. Where else test the segregation of the public. The time is at hand was will be provided. information call submit their story, events Congratulations which it was active, she the Martin Bomber plant Omaha Star a firm founda557-4470.

To RSVP or for During the time during Since the recent recession, to...the King begin to build. Give the them to apply for jobs that She more De Porres Club, and also Science & Technology Science Fair. this State can this happen? and reading support and in Bellevue, Nebraska. rollerthe spokeswoman for the Students wrote at Offutt Air Force Base tion by way of subscribing an emotional, financial Magnet students school congratulated Omaha Star building after detailed the paper has also been who is widely rememin turn will build an enterwho won awards allowed it to meet in the hired Charles Washington, we will assure you that we are determined to persevere. and the eight Award reports, conducted experiments for their projects a mouthpiece and a emony. Pictured to support their own facility. coaster at times but we civil rights, as a reporter of Excellence and presented the club ran out of funds in to contact us concerning are the Awards bered for his work for prise worthy of consideration, winners and working in the commua display board the annual 7th & 8th grade Alec Williams; I encourage the public who was the executive of Excellence 25 first place She spent countless hours Luke Armitage; or even if you want to to at least two columnist. Whitney Young, force for the people of Omaha. winners (l to winners with hundred and fifty commuEmily Beck; r): judges. complaints, recommendations the Star as a mouthpiece a Breakfast of Urban League before eventuand Katie Cramer. Nick Schultz; Ian Brummel; nity, receiving over one are certainly appreciIn addition to offering secretary of the Omaha Champions awards The the “Unsung Heroine director of the National Madeleine Dangerfield; compliment us. Your comments community in Omaha, the cernity service awards, including the NAACP, one of ally becoming the executive for the African-American in behalf of the community Martha Winterer; by editorials. the community to realize ated. The staff is working Award” for service awarded Urban League, contributed Gilberts also encouraged a better and more enlighten power 16,000 Africanin the country to be honored boycotts to call attention and trying to always have The country’s only thirty-five people The paper supported the positive effect the buying was small, and is an outstanding often cater largest f ilm time of her death. She paper. Our staff is very she and her staff were if they would carefully festival for children and with this award by the to discrimination, and Americans could have working to satisfy you. including traditional, teens will be Lyndon B. Johnson as a businesses that employed team and they are always to making stop in Omaha also appointed by President their purchases only to CGI, collage support base and I wish well. stop-motion styles. beginning in January a tour East Germany to investigate and We have a large religious treated the community Live Action. In goodwill ambassador to Film Streams African-Americans and when for the support of the churches English. Australia; following the conpaper, Edward thanks, the tries are represented, More than ten counpresents the Best of sincere violations issue rights express second the Recommended alleged human 95 min.

Specifically, in of the New York International clergy leaders. ages: 9 to adult.

She also worked to improve Australia, Denmark,including works from members of the North Omaha in the community and the Children’s Film our struction of the Berlin Gilbert pointed out that (NYICFF). From least, I want to thank Festival Finland, France, carriers and her office an ice cream shop Germany, Latvia, Last but certainly not Jan. 9 to March the lives of the newspaper black community were patronizing which would be Feb. 6-7, 11, 13-14, there would not be Sweden, Switzerland, Streams’ Ruth 18, Film that someone did not have Ice Cream, U.K. and the U.S. advertisers. Without advertising, Sokolof Theater, the workers. If she learned of at 24th and Lake, Reed’s Azur & Asmar 18 — published. Advertisements Tickets for all nonprof it cinema, Omaha’s hiring practices over she would buy them bags an Omaha Star Newspaper screenings within Best of Directed by enough food at home, will screen f ive targeted for their discriminatory carrian Ocelot. printing of the publicaspent NYICFF the newspaper Michel for The Gilbert best programs pay Club. larded of sales their are Porres the $9 general, $7 and retail for seniors, students, from the 2009 groceries to supply a decade later by the De advertisers have stuck with A dazzling animated NYICFF. The Christmas or Easter party series continues shop and counted at least teachers and tions. Many of our older us. dren, and ers often received a special hour outside the ice cream Film Streams’ feature about chilNewer ones have joined boys raised as $4.50 for work, when they might approving of their Young family two Forever us throughout the years.

Film Streams brothers, who adverin gratitude for their hard Members. All one hundred African-Americans and children’s that they don’t have to set off on a dangerous quest were given all year. screenings will their purchasing power. which is made program, Others have the feeling them receive the only gifts they occur at Film through faraway hiring practices through Streams’ Ruth possible in part Americans we will give in 1989, the Omaha Star divorced in 1943, and f ind and free Sokolof Theater, lands to port from Lincoln with suptise because as African At the time of her death Mildred and Edward Gilbert in the Fairy of the corner of located at Star readers look at the Financial Group. a circulation of 30,685 the Djinns.

Animation. In her maiden name, Brown.

14th and Mike our business anyway. Omaha Founded in 1997, and had a staff of twenty, and Mildred resumed using English. France; Fahey (formerly Webster) for those who support us Mildred Brown wrote, NYICFF is dedicated Omaha Star, the longest Recommended 99 min.

Streets, one block advertising in the paper to promoting thirty-nine states. In 1969, As the publisher of the ages: 6 to adult. from those advertisers.

Cuming Street. persist? The answer south of intelligent, newspaper run by a woman, we encourage them to purchase passionate, “Why then do Negro publishers of his press, all of provocative cinematic operating black-owned refuse or think our readers More information deprived neighborhood news and works for audiences Feb. 20-21, 25, For those advertisers, who is clear. If the Negro is Mildred Brown provided ages 3-18 and on all f ive programs The paper 27-28, March to market to, we encourage through the years since within Best helping to def for more than fifty years.

4 — are not important enough NYICFF Kids the tortuous gains achieved of NYICFF commentary ine a more Negro merchants compelling f to those attention ask tomorrow’s can be Flix shop to lost, and by calling online ilm experience at our readers when they his emancipation will be served an important function www.f ilmstreams.orgfound A kaleidoscopic Juried by such for kids. of the powerful forces, they don’t? If they continue people in the black commuwww.gkids.tv/tour collection of well-known f ilmmakers or that do not advertise Why youth will be at the mercy our the accomplishments of animated short the . For questions, John Turturro, man the ramparts of bigthe Omaha Star, I urge values. The newspaper as f ilms from around best contact Casey Susan Sarandon, North and South that still to refuse to advertise in $$ nity and emphasizing positive got world, featuring Logan at 933-0259 please Mildred Brown Schamus, Matthew the James their products. Remember who received awards, or email at casey@f traditional animation, x11 or otry, prejudice and discrimination.” to do so. From readers to stop buying recognized individuals Modine and Gus CGI, collage, ilmstreams.org.

Sant, the festival compelled had previously been closed and stop-motion. persisted because she felt The schedule: speak. new jobs in industries that has been described Van civic In English.

65 min. Recommended she had established readers, supporters, merThe New York It announced acts of by the first edition of her newspaper, Thanks again to my staff, Times as being to African-Americans. good ages: 3 to 8. writers and all others They highlighted one and her staff, “that no She guided the newspa“devoted to the kind of fare a challenge to herself chants advertisers, contributing labeled “troublemakers.” pride and community charity.

Jan. 9-10, 14, of that may be found and that evil shall not March 6-7, 11, the continued existence eras of the Civil Rights 16-17, 21 — week in order to continue Academy Awards at the cause shall lack a champion 13-14, 18 — who lend support to making per through the tumultuous neighborhood family per Razzle Dazzle but not at the On the occasion Brown and her staff were to the demonstrations NYICFF Party Your help is greatly appreciDirected by Darren local multiplex.” go unopposed.” Mildred in to foster a sense of community. Ms. Brown again Movement, from segregation the Omaha Star possible.

Mix for A mockumentary Ashton. unrest of the late of their community, Brown a bright and continued future to An all-animated champions ninth anniversary, and 1960s, to the racial forward skewering Star’s Best of NYICFF 1950s certainly look I the the of of ated. the the absurdiprogram featuring ties of competition voice in the wilderfeatures one live-action community, congratulated The Omaha Star reported ious, visually hilarcomedy and particular. She was an outspoken 1960s and early 1970s. pledged her support to the the Star in the Omaha community.. stunning, and youth dance troupe between kids on the four animated of their emancipation not of its businesses and that occurred both locally thought-provoking shorts, ness that the tortuous gains programs, triumphs and the tragedies circuit – and the North Omaha on the growth specif ically intended involved parents up this advice for her tirelessly toward that end.

Mildred Brown was not hyperolder audiences. are lost, and she worked and throughout the nation. fast development, and offered who live through get any further a In English or English for Seniors Alexis them.

Page and Ayomide titles. 75 min. neighbors. interested in letting discrimination subRecommended and queen at wishes to urge that you Adekunle were Central High ages: 9 to 16.

The Star on its anniversary crowned Homecoming on Sept. 12, 2009. king

Career & Scholarsh ip Fair

Best of the New York International Children’s Film Festival

North Omaha Development Project Community Meeting is scheduled for January 28th Details on page 10

On Monday , January 11 on NET1 and NET-HD, Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye See page 2 for details

City of Omaha's Annual MLK, Jr. celebratio n will be at the Holland Performin g Arts Center See ad on page 10 for more information

2010 Awards Women of Color in Leadership

Business Success and Engage, “Power to Lead: Leverage, Perpetual stewardship. the theme for the Adopt & Deliver” was Winters advised the in Leadership 3rd Annual Women of Color group of eight steps to Awards Summit & legacy of Leadership Inclusion on their per25, 2010 at the Luncheon held on June sonal diversity jourCenter.

Holiday Inn Central Conventionluncheon neys; the Over 200 people attended 1. Know self first – was Marywhere the keynote speaker Who am I? What do I of CEO’s Who Quaites-Ferris, Dr. Marguerita Frances Winters, Author stand for? What makes (L-R) Tanya Cook, Vicki from the Heart Get It; Diversity Leadership Leadership Award Recipients: me “me”? of the Winters Crowder and Soul and President Washington, Annette 2. Value self – What and can become? ences enhance who I am Group.

How are other are my unique gifts?

Inclusion 5. Learn about others – What can learn from differences? circle to Ms Winters spoke on Women’s from me? How Who is my best self? your individuals/groups different today. She gave 4 .

7. Include others – Expand in the business world 3. Acknowledge your Tawanna Black and Dr. Winters on page 2 to sustained sucare they the same?

See Leadership continued – What are my examples of eight steps How do differprejudices – In what Open yourself to change 6. Value differences – do I contribute to Motivation, Passion/commitment, be my best self? cess: ways do I exclude? How opportunities to grow? To Magnitude of the blind spots?

In-depth Inquiry, and intolerance? What are my and transforming, gap, Resolve, Learning

on July 9, 1938 History was made

Please contact the Omaha Star at 402.346.4041 or by email at fwilliams@omahastarinc.com if you have complete issues, or any portion, of these missing issues.

LOCAL NEWS

October 4, 2019

THE OMAHA STAR

Page Nine

Development & Gentrification in North Omaha North Omaha: Down for the Cause, Not Down for the Count

By Lynn Sanchez Special Projects Editor From a bird’s eye view, Omaha is a placid city dotted with emerald greenspace and gray rooftops clustered along busy roads and highways. The easternmost side hugs the shining curve of the Missouri River, while out west a patchwork of farm fields surrenders to the relentless march of suburban developments. But what do we see when we get close, down to the hearts and minds of the people who live here? Omaha is two different cities, with two completely different realities.

“Down for the Cause, Not Down for the Count” is a special series

of articles that puts a magnifying glass on this divided city to help us accept what cannot be changed, and to change what we can.

The series is made possible by a Community Network grant from the Facebook Journalism Project and the Lensfest Institute for Journalism. The Omaha Star was one of the first 23 media organizations in the country to receive the grant. The selection committee awarded the funds with a “special emphasis on the needs of news deserts and underrepresented communities.”

The series examines three global questions about North Omaha and its development in relation to the city at large: • How Did We Get Here?

• Where Are We Now? • Where Do We Go From Here?

Spoiler alert: there is no simple answer to any of these questions. They are big and complex and sensitive.

We will do our best to clarify the complexities of development and the different factions who impact it. There is a labyrinth of city bureaucracy, planning procedures and players that are not designed for the layman. We want to bring that information into reach with online resources.

The concept for this series evolved because Omaha is in a pivotal moment regarding its North neighborhoods.

Developers may be eyeing the land and buildings thinking of their potential profit, but may care little about the precious cultural history it

contains.

We are the community who knows it best, who loves it best. We owe it to ourselves to take a thoughtful look at what we’d like to see in 10 years, in 20 years.

That is what this series is about.

Leo Biga’s story considers three culturally relevant touchpoints originating in Omaha.

Two are critically acclaimed documentaries, filmed over 50 years apart. The other is a memoir published shortly after the turmoil of the early civil rights era.

All bear witness to the insidious ways “Nebraska Nice” twists fear and prejudice into segregation and discrimination as ironclad as any other apartheid rule.

Works of Art and Information about Racism in Omaha Echo Each Other

By Leo Adam Biga Southern blacks in the Great Migration found in Omaha opportunities alongside de facto Jim Crow constraints.

Block busting, red lining, housing covenants and unfair lending practices confined blacks within tightly drawn perimeters. White flight fed this division. Exclusionary hiring practices denied blacks jobs or put artificial ceilings on promotion. Unequal educational resources put black children at a disadvantage. Privilege and fear disconnected whites from black lives.

Welcome to insidious segregation and discrimination, Midwest-style, in the pre-Woke era. Thus, conditions were ripe for Augustana Lutheran Church’s white congregation to splinter when progressive pastor Bill Youngdahl urged fellowship with members of neighboring black churches Hope Lutheran and Calvin Memorial Presbyterian. The dramatic rupture was starkly captured in the Oscarnominated 1966 documentary A Time for Burning. PBS broadcast the film. CBS produced a follow-up special report, A Time for Building.

This low-key apartheid also explained why a liberal white woman, Lois Mark Stalvey, needed educating about the challenge a professional black couple faced trying to find housing outside the designated ghetto. While her pro-integration efforts elicited backlash from the white establishment, the black couple enlisted allies to beat the system at its own game. It’s all described in Stalvey’s 1970 book The Education of a WASP. Before he was a state senator, Ernie Chambers played a key role in each project. In the film he articulated hard truths about mistreatment of blacks by “good Christians.”

He also foretells the pastor’s fate. In the book a character based on him educates Stalvey to harsh realities facing aspirational blacks. Both works remain relevant in today’s polarized and racialized culture. Since their release, they’ve been used in many educational forums.

“While A Time for Burning and The Education of a WASP clearly reflect the earnestness with which some Omahans approached the ‘race question’ in the 1960s, they also expose the limitations of well-meaning people.

The central tension in each is not between black and white per se, but in the chasm between possessing right ideas and implementing right action,” said University of Iowa historian and Omaha native Ashley Howard.

Excerpts from the film and themes from the book appear in a new documentary, Out of Omaha, garnering the kind of attention the earlier works did five decades ago. It portrays twin brothers Darcell and Darrell Trotter escaping the undertow of poverty, addiction and gang violence that emerged in the 1980s and lingers today.

Much as Jersey embedded himself in the turmoil of a divided church, director Clay Tweel and producer Ryan Johnston, a native Nebraskan, took an intimate dive into the urban chaos the Trotters lived in.

“A Time for Burning really was one of the original pieces of inspiration for Out of Omaha,” said Johnston.

“What makes it sad is how much the times and the culture have changed, but in a lot of ways things really haven’t changed. The film depicts two Omahas: the Omaha haves and the Omaha have-nots.”

Jersey also sees the same problems still in play.

“Unfortunately, the parallel between then and now is shockingly close. A Time for Burning is not about extreme racism or fire hoses or killing or denying anything. It’s about a church council woman in the film saying she wants Jesus to do everything for blacks, only she doesn’t want to sit next to them. That was the tragedy then. That’s the tragedy now. It’s hard for people to see other people in a favorable way if they’ve been trained to see them in a different way.”

A group of black teenagers accepted an invitation to attend services at Augustana. Their presence caused friction among some members. As the film shows, Jersey said, “Those African American kids weren’t angered but bewildered.”

Johnice Orduna was in that youth contingent. All these years later, she said, “I’m still dealing with the same frustration of, why don’t they get it?” For her, she said, Burning illustrates racism is “still there, just a little more hidden, a little better couched, but it’s still burning.” “The film reminds us we’re not there yet. It’s not a short war.

I’m not going to see it ended in my lifetime.”

In laying bare a church wrestling with its racism, the film shamed and angered many Augustana members.

Some left. Rev. Vic Schoonover came to heal the wounds and promote an inclusionary ministry. This time it worked.

A half-century later, Out of Omaha focuses on Darcell Trotter navigating the ensnarements of systemic racism that targets and entraps young black men. The doc moves beyond abstraction and rhetoric, Johnston said, to follow

Darcell, a former Avenue Scholar, as he narrowly escapes pitfalls to join his brother in Grand Island, where they run a contracting business today.

Darcell, a single father who aspires to a music-film career, said the only way to move past differences is for people “to come together and have communication.” He said the key to breaking generational poverty is “education and financial literacy.” Until society moves past thinking “it’s somebody else’s problem,” he said the cycle will continue because “it’s everybody’s problem.”

Said Ryan Johnston, “My hope is that people will take the chance to walk in Darcell’s shoes a little while.”

Lois Stalvey attempted walking in the shoes of Creighton University professor Dr. Claude Organ and his wife Betty.

Her bid to smooth the way for the black couple integrating the Rockbrook neighborhood was rebuffed by realtors and residents. The Organs warned her of it. They warned, too, of reprisals. Sure enough, Lois Stalvey’s mate, Ben Stalvey, got demoted at work and transferred to a lesser post in Philadelphia.

A few years later, Bill Youngdahl’s radical welcoming theology alienated and scared enough Augustana members to get him fired. As anguished parishioner Ray Christensen moved from resistance to advocacy, he and his wife were exiled for supporting interracial outreach. They left Omaha.

Meanwhile. Claude Organ secretly bought property and secured a loan through white doctor friends so he could build a home where he wanted without interference. The family broke ground on their Florence home in 1964.

“We had the house built before they (opponents) knew it,” Betty Organ recalled.

Integrating the area upset some. One evening a cross was burned in front of the house. “I just couldn’t believe someone did that thing,” she said of the hate crime.

In Philly the Stalveys lived in a mixed neighborhood and enrolled their kids in predominantly African-American inner city public schools. Lois began writing pieces for the Philadelphia Bulletin that she expanded into WASP. “At the time she wrote this book it was not a popular thing,” Ernie Chambers said.

She became a symbol of white guilt. Her husband developed and implemented affirmative action plans.

WASP and Burning still resonate, Ashley Howard said, because they depict average people grappling with the age-old issue of identifying with the other.

“These documents show us that for many it is easy to rally against blatant and overt acts of discrimination, but far more difficult to shift the contours of one’s own heart and displace our subtle biases.”

Today, blacks relatively live, work, attend school, worship and play where they desire. Yet geographiceconomic segregation persists. Disproportionate numbers live in poverty, lack upwardly mobile job skills, do not finish school, head single-parent homes and have criminal histories in a justice system that mass profiles and incarcerates black males. Many blacks have been denied the real estate boom that’s come to define wealth for most of white America. Thus, the beat goes on and the fight for justice continues.

(Read more of Leo Adam Biga’s work at leoadambiga. com.)

YOUTH/EDUCATION NEWS October 4, 2019 Aviation Art Contest Now Open 14-Year-Old One of Youngest Students

Page Ten THE OMAHA STAR

to Attend George Washington U

By NewsOne Staff Black teenagers across the country are reaching new heights in academia and making history in the process. Months after 14-year-old Sydney Wilson became the youngest student to be admitted into Spelman College, a Washington, D.C.based teen has hit a major milestone.

According to The GW Hatchet, 14-yearold Curtis Lawrence is one of the youngest students to attend George Washington University full-time.

Lawrence attended a magnet school on the university’s campus called School Without Walls. The school allows high school juniors and seniors to take college courses at the university so that they can earn both a diploma and an Associates of Arts degree. Lawrence was selected to participate in the Associate of Arts Cohort that provides 15 sophomores from the school with the opportunity to earn a degree.

Lawrence’s parents were aware that he was gifted from an early age. At 2-yearsold he learned how to read and started

studying science and math. He skipped several grades during elementary school and middle school and was homeschooled during eighth grade. He then went on to attend School Without Walls which led him to the GW Early College Program.

Lawrence plans on fully immersing himself in on-campus activities. He is a member of the African Student Association, the Black Student Union, and the Caribbean Students Association.

He’s currently taking courses centered on African history, astronomy, calculus, and geology.

“I feel like I was prepared for the academics because Walls is a very rigorous high school, it’s the top high school in D.C., so a lot of the work that we did reflected the work that I’ll be doing here in college,” Lawrence told the news outlet. “Most of the high school experience is replicated at GW for me in some kind of way.”

After completing his associate degree at George Washington University, he plans on studying computer science at Florida A&M University.

The dream to fly is thousands of years old. The ancient stories from around the world of those who wanted to take flight started to become reality in the late 1800’s. Each generation has learned what is possible while holding true to the love of flight that is in the heart of all aviators.

The first airplanes were made of cloth and wood, and those early craft were powered by engines that produced around 12 horsepower. While the physics of flight remains the same, the technology is always advancing. Aviators have shown what is possible today. What does the future hold?

Where will the young aviation dreamers of

today lead us?

Youngsters ages 6-17, now is the time to get out your favorite artist supplies and give free rein to your imagination to create a poster for the Aviation Art Contest 2020.

Combine the flights of the past with the dreams of the future in this year’s theme, “Flying Yesterday and Tomorrow.”

For further details and/or an entry brochure contact David Morris at the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Division of Aeronautics, david.morris@ nebraska.gov, or call 402-471-2371. All entries must be postmarked no later than Jan. 17.

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.

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

Noyce Scholar Dario Gudino, right, tracks the movement of a high altitude balloon following its launch. Gudino is a UNO senior and in his second year as a Noyce Scholar.

Omaha Builds Math Momentum with Academic Partnerships, $1.4 Million Grant A $1.4 million federal grant funded by with increased opportunity and optimum the National Science Foundation Robert results.

Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program will “Many MCC students come from the help the University of Nebraska at Omaha diverse backgrounds that reflect the (UNO) build upon a successful program community in which we live,” Knipp said. that prepares future high school math “Identifying and recruiting MCC students teachers for dynamic careers in high-need for the Omaha Noyce partnership will help schools. broaden the program’s diversity in terms The NebraskaMATH Omaha Noyce of demographics, life experiences, and Partnership, which partners UNO with income, and will enrich the institutional Metropolitan Community College (MCC) transfer cultures of OPS, MCC and UNO.” and Omaha Public Schools (OPS), will Michael Matthews, UNO associate run from Oct. 1, 2019 through Sept. professor of mathematics, said 21 students 30, 2024. Over the next five years, the have participated in the program since its grant will provide scholarships, research 2014 launch, more than half of whom are opportunities, internships and mentorship already in schools teaching. to students pursuing careers as high school “The impact goes beyond the classroom,” math teachers.

Matthews said. “All of our NOYCE The program is open to students enrolled in scholars give back by being involved with UNO’s Bachelor of Science in Mathematics mentors and their own initiatives, often in / Teacher Preparation program, as well as the neighborhood of 12 hours a week.” students studying or preparing to graduate NebraskaMATH Omaha Noyce Partners from the pre-math track in MCC’s Liberal will use this second phase program to Arts / Academic Transfer Associate in investigate how active-learning strategies Science degree program. Noyce Scholars impact the recruitment and success of future will earn both a mathematics degree and math teachers, as well as how community secondary teacher certification at UNO outreach efforts impact the social capital while developing valuable skills, such as and Science, Technology, Engineering and culturally responsive teaching techniques, Math (STEM) identity of students in high which will enable them to teach effectively needs schools. in high-need schools.

The UNO Math NOYCE Leadership Since January of 2014, UNO’s team defines high needs school districts NebraskaMATH Noyce program has based on percent of students receiving free benefited participating students in three or reduced lunch in a school or district. key areas: Current qualifying districts include • Providing structured internships in Bellevue Public Schools, Council Bluffs teaching and research for first- and second- Public Schools, Omaha Public Schools and year undergraduates, referred to as “Noyce Ralston Public Schools.

Interns.”

• Establishing financial, academic and professional development for third- and Caring for someone with fourth-year undergraduates, Alzheimer’s isn’t easy. referred to as “Noyce Scholars.”

Reaching us is.

• Continuing financial and academic support, as well as professional development, for Noyce program graduates who have gone on to become high school math teachers in high-need schools.

Therese Knipp, MCC Director of Grants, describes the partnership as an example of using best practices to provide students 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

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