Vol. 80. - No. 8

75 CENTS

OMAHA STAR

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

Honor your mother with a tribute in the Omaha Star.

Nebraska’s Only Black Owned Newspaper

Details Inside.

THE

Celebrating 80 Years

Vol. 80 - No. 8 Omaha, Nebraska

Friday, April 20, 2018

1938 2018

75 cents

Street Dedication for Media Maven Cathy Hughes Is May 17 The Johnny Rodgers Youth Foundation will host a ceremonial renaming of street blocks along Paxton Blvd. in honor of Cathy Hughes, the native Omahan media trailblazer. The public is encouraged to attend this historic ceremony on May 17 at noon at the Joe & Jean Edmondson Pavilion at 44th and Paxton Blvd. City Council President Ben Gray will provide a proclamation from the city.

The younger generation may not be familiar with the legacy of Cathy Hughes – who, at a young age, was employed by the Omaha Star Newspaper. Hughes is a dynamic media pioneer who demonstrates the power of one: one woman, one vision, one company – Radio One. As Founder and Chairperson of Radio One Inc., the largest African-American owned and operated broadcast company in the nation, Hughes’ unprecedented career has spawned a multi-media conglomerate that generates original content across the spectrums of radio, television and digital media. Her humble beginnings in Omaha were not a deterrent to her success, but rather part of the catalyst that fueled her ambition to empower African

Americans with information and to tell stories from their perspective.

Hughes began her radio career at Omaha KOWH (AM), a station owned by a group of African-American professionals. In 1971, she moved to Washington, D.C., and became a lecturer in the newly established School of Communications at Howard University. During her tenure, she served as General Sales Manager at WHUR, Howard University Radio, increasing the station’s revenue from $250,000 to $3 million in her first year. She also became the first woman vice president and general manager of a station in the nation’s capital and created the format known as the “Quiet Storm,” which revolutionized urban radio and was aired on over 480 stations nationwide. In 1980, Hughes purchased her first radio station, WOL-AM, in Washington D.C., and pioneered yet another innovative format, “24-Hour Talk from a Black Perspective.” With the theme, “Information is Power,” she served as the station’s morning show host for 11 years.

In 1999, Cathy Hughes became the first African-American woman to chair a publicly held corporation, following

the sale of more than seven million shares of common stock to the public.

Since that time, she – along with her son and business partner, Alfred Liggins III – has grown Radio One Inc. into a multi-media company that is an urban

Cathy Hughes

radio market leader with 56 stations comprised of hip hop, R&B, gospel and talk radio formats. Radio One is the first African-American company in radio history to dominate several major markets simultaneously and is the first

Historian Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. Challenges Perspectives on Race

By Walter V. Brooks

Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Ph.D, is William S. Tod Professor of Religion and African American Studies, and Chair, Center for African American Studies, at Princeton University.

He visited Omaha as guest of the Goldstein Center for Human Rights and was keynote speaker on April 12, at the 19th Annual Leonard and Shirley Goldstein Lecture on Human Rights at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Dr. Glaude also was an honored guest at the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation Visitor’s Center on April 11. The program and dinner were part of the 16th Annual Malcolm X Festival sponsored by UNO’s College of Arts and Sciences Black Studies Department. Dr. Glaude enjoyed presentations that included, “What Would Malcolm Think?” by Mandla Stelly; “Malcolm, Will You Make It Home Tonight?” by Withlove, Felicia; “The Other Half of the Story: The Importance of Memory & History”

by Jade Rogers; and “I Have a Voice”

by Clarissa Love and Shawn Love.

Dr. Glaude’s credentials include books, publications, edited collaborations, television news and talk show appearances, and a

female-owned radio station to rank number one in any major market. Its success has earned Hughes hundreds of prestigious awards and recognitions, including: the naming of the Cathy Hughes School of Communications at Howard University; the ADColor Lifetime Achievement Award, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Chair’s Phoenix Award, the NAACP Chairman’s Award, the Giant of Broadcasting Award, the Uncommon Height of Excellence Award, the Essence Women Shaping the World Award, the Ida B. Wells Living Legacy Award, and induction into the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame.

Cathy Hughes is also a recipient of an Honorary Degree from Creighton University, presented by local CPA and Creighton board member Frank Hayes.

Today, Radio One is the parent corporation of several subsidiaries. TV One, the premiere African-American owned cable television network in the country and current home of the hit show UnSung and the reality show R&B Divas. Reach Media presents syndicated radio programs like the Rickey Smiley Morning Show and the Tom Joyner Morning Show. Interactive

One is home of several popular websites including The Daily Grind and Hello Beautiful. One Solution is a marketing firm that allows advertisers to take advantage of all of the assets under the Radio One brand.

Cathy Hughes’ philanthropic works are on par with her success in the business arena as well. Her passion for education is evident in her efforts to continue her family’s work and legacy at The Piney Woods School in Piney Woods, Miss. She is a staunch supporter of the school, which was established by her grandfather in 1909 and is the largest of only four AfricanAmerican boarding schools in the country. In addition, she is a champion for the hungry and homeless, a mentor to countless women, and an advocate dedicated to empowering minority communities. Although Ms. Hughes has lived many years in the D.C. area, she has continued to support numerous organizations in Omaha.

Parking for the ceremony will be available on both sides of Fontenelle Blvd at the pavilion. Should inclement weather occur, the ceremony will proceed inside the pavilion at the scheduled time of noon.

Pulitzer Prize Board Recognizes Hip Hop and Makes Itself Suddenly Relevant

By Kaitlyn D’Onofrio

Nobody has talked about the Pulitzer Prize in popular press for a long time. This decision suddenly made it relevant. It is the power of diversity.

The Pulitzer Prize Board is better late than never in awarding Kendrick Lamar the prize in music for his critically acclaimed album “DAMN.” Lamar’s album is the first non-classical, non-jazz album to win.

According to the Pulitzer Prize Administration, “DAMN.” is a Lamar collection of “rhythmic dynamism that of the board and people of color just 22 offers affecting vignettes capturing the percent. Ten years ago, women were just complexity of modern African-American above a quarter of the board, and people life.” of color only 16 percent.

It’s unlikely that such a glowing review Lamar’s album could not be more would have come out of one of the previous relevant to today’s social climate – unlike Dr. Glaude boards. The 2017-2018 16-member winners of the prize in recent years.

Photo credit: Sameer A. Khan/ Pulitzer Prize Board is comprised of Withlove, Felicia at Malcolm X Center.

The 2015 award, for instance, went Fotobuddy roughly 44 percent women and about 38 to Julia Wolfe for “Anthracite Fields,” Photo credit: Adrienne Henderson percent people of color. described by the committee as, “A critically acclaimed best seller, Baptist preacher who was Student This is a far cry from just two years ago, powerful oratorio for chorus and sextet “Democracy in Black: How Race Government President at HBCU when women made up about 28 percent See Pulitzer continued on page 7 Enslaves the American Soul.” He’s Morehouse College, Dr. Glaude has even been portrayed by a cast member climbed to the top of Ivy League in a sketch on NBC’s “Saturday Night academia, without any apparent loss Live.” of soul or cool.

After doing a one-on-one interview At UNO, in a panel discussion with Dr. Glaude for North Omaha’s following the screening of the Mind & Soul Radio 101.3 FM, The Academy Award-nominated Brooks Report, it was clear that he documentary, “I Am Not Your is not your standard academic and Negro,” Dr. Glaude pointedly, and By Kaitlyn D’Onofrio black history expert. The son of a See Glaude continued on page 7 Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson’s white privilege shone brightly in his apology over the weekend after two Black men were arrested in a Philadelphia Starbucks.

According to Johnson, “Our store manager never intended for these men to be an election IT provider in Nebraska.” websites related to elections. In arrested and this should never have escalated as it did.” It is unclear then why the Gale said that while there may addition, vendors were cooperative manager, who is white, called the police if she didn’t want the men arrested. have been an issue detected with a in reviewing their own security Perhaps Johnson is saying the manager assumed the men would not be arrested, third party election provider, there protocols and performing self-scans because if the men were white, as are Johnson and the manager, it is less likely they was never a hack or manipulation of of their systems. would have been arrested. Studies in multiple cities have shown that Black people are the voter system maintained by that Gale said that since 2016, his more likely to be arrested for low-level vendor for Nebraska. office has enlisted services provided offenses, including trespassing, than white “I can say with complete confidence through DHS to further enhance the people. In Minneapolis, Black people are that Nebraska was not impacted 8.7 times as likely as white people to be security of the state’s election system. during the 2016 election and that the arrested for a low-level offense. In New “Obviously, I cannot speak to the steps taken by my office during that York City, Blacks and Latinos collectively situation involving the election IT period are steps that continue today, make up 54 percent of the population – provider that was mentioned in the 60 to ensure that websites associated but constitute more than 90 percent of with election processes in Nebraska Minutes story. However, I can assure those arrested for trespassing. And in voters that Nebraska’s data was not are safe from intrusion.”

Jersey City, N.J., Black people are close In 2016, the Nebraska Office of the manipulated or hacked in 2016 and to 10 times more likely to be arrested than Chief Information Officer (OCIO) that I continue to have confidence in See Starbucks continued on page 2 Johnson provided scanning services to state the security of the system today.”

Starbucks CEO Whitesplains Defense of Manager Who Called Cops on Black Men in Philly

Sec. Gale Responds to ‘60 Minutes’ Election Security Report

LINCOLN – Secretary of State John Gale is reiterating that voter registration information was secure leading up to and following the 2016 presidential election. No breaches occurred and based on confirmation provided by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Nebraska was not one of 21 states allegedly targeted by Russia.

Sec. Gale is responding to a story that aired on the CBS television program 60 Minutes on April 8. The program stated that its reporters had obtained a previously undisclosed internal DHS document that included information that hackers had “tried to get into 20 state election systems and

Candidate Forums Election 2018 – April 25.

See In the Village for Details.

531.444.8601 Remember that number to: Request a ride to the polls, volunteer to drive others to the polls, or ask questions about voting.

North “O” Spring Cleanup – April 28.

See In the Village for Details.

Page Two

LOCAL NEWS

THE OMAHA STAR

THE OMAHA STAR, INC.

Starbucks continued from page 1

white people for low-level offenses.

THE VOICE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY The men, who have not yet been publicly identified, were arrested while waiting to meet someone for a business meeting.

Editorial and Business Office The two men arrived at the Starbucks location in Philly last week to 2216 North 24th Street Phone: 402.346.4041 meet with Andrew Yaffe. The men were reportedly waiting for Yaffe Fax: 402.346.4064 to arrive before ordering drinks. They asked to go to the restroom but an employee refused their request, telling them they had to order first.

MAILING ADDRESS: The men sat down. They were asked to leave but refused, at which 2216 North 24th Street time the police were called.

Omaha, Nebraska 68110 A witness recorded part of the incident, which has been viewed WEB ADDRESS: nearly 10 million times. www.theomahastar.com In the video, Yaffe is asking officers what the men did wrong.

“This is ridiculous,” he says several times. “What did [the police] Like Us on Facebook get called for? Cause there are two Black guys sitting here meeting me?”

E-MAIL ADDRESSES: “Well, what did they do? What did they do?” eleanor@omahastarinc.com A woman off-camera is heard saying, “They didn’t do anything. I fwilliams@omahastarinc.com saw the entire thing.” phyllis@omahastarinc.com Yaffe at one point says it is “absolutely discrimination” and asks tcooper@omahastarinc.com other patrons if they think the episode is ridiculous. Witnesses appear Notary Services available during business hours to agree.

Monday – Wednesday – 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The men were taken out in handcuffs, photographed, fingerprinted Thursday – 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and held for eight hours, according to their attorney. They were taken on the suspicion of trespassing but no charges were filed.

Member of the National Newspaper Publishers Association The company said it will reexamine its practices but did not say if MILDRED D. BROWN: Founder, July 9, 1938 any employees will be disciplined.

DR. MARGUERITA L. WASHINGTON: Starbucks came under fire several years ago when baristas started Publisher, 1989 - 2016 writing “Race Together” on their coffee cups. The intention was to Phyllis Hicks: Publisher & Managing Editor start a dialogue about racial issues spreading nationwide. However, Frankie Jean Williams: Copy Editor the move was highly criticized as a publicity stunt. Since the “Race Tanya Cooper: Circulation/Retail Coordinator Together” catastrophe, the company added Rosalind Brewer, a Black Carl Hill: Retail Distributor woman, to its ranks as chief operating officer and group president.

Eleanor Riggs: Adminstrative Services Representative But a look at the company’s leadership team still shows a lack of Debra Shaw: Social Media Administrator diversity. Roughly one-fifth of its members are ethnically diverse, THE OMAHA STAR believes that America can best lead the world away from racial and national and it is two-thirds male. antagonism when it accords every man, regardless of race, color or creed, his human and legal rights.

Hating no man, fearing no man in the firm belief that all are hurt as long as one is held back.

DISCLAIMER

The United States provides opportunities for free expression of ideas. The Omaha Star has its views, but others may differ.

Therefore the Omaha Star ownership reserves the right to publish views and opinions by syndicated and local columnists, professional writers and other writers whose opinions are solely their own. Those views do not necessarily reflect the policies and position of the staff and management of the Omaha Star newspaper.

Readers are encouraged to email letters to the editor commenting on current events as well as what they would like to see included in the paper. Those emails should be sent to: phyllis@omahastarinc. com and must include the writer’s name, address, email address and telephone number. The ownership has editorial rights and does not guarantee that all submissions will be published.

Please be advised that the Omaha Star ownership does not employ staff writers who charge for preparing and submitting articles for the general public. Should you encounter such, please advise Phyllis Hicks at 402.346.4041.

ATTENTION From The Publisher: In order to be included in the Omaha Star, all articles and announcements must be submitted by e-mail to fwilliams@ omahastarinc.com no later than two weeks in advance of the event. All articles and announcements should be prepared in a word document using Times New Roman, 10 pt. Submissions must be limited to 500 words. Any accompanying photographs should be submitted in a jpeg or pdf file. The deadline for all articles is Monday at 3:00 p.m., two weeks prior to the event date. Articles and announcements will not be accepted at the Omaha Star office. The Omaha Star is now published bi-weekly on Fridays. The Omaha Star business office hours are MondayThursday, 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Pick up your copy of the Omaha Star at these convenient locations: Baker’s Supermarket

7312 N. 30th St.

Baker’s Supermarket

4405 N. 72nd St.

Big Mama’s

3223 N. 45th St.

Chubb’s Finer Foods

2905 N. 16th St.

Cubby’s

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has posted the FY18 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants. HUD is making available up to $5 million for the grants, including Planning and Action Grants.

1. Planning Grants are two-year grants that assist communities with severely distressed public or HUD-assisted housing in developing a successful neighborhood transformation plan and building the support necessary for that plan to be successfully implemented.

2. Planning and Action Grants are three and a half year planning grants that pair planning with action. Experience shows that tangible actions taken early on help communities build momentum for further planning and the eventual transition from planning to implementation of that plan. These actions improve neighborhood confidence, which in turn sustains the community’s energy, attracts more engagement and resources, and helps convince skeptical stakeholders that positive change is possible. Under these grants, the planning process activities would take place during the first 24 months of the grant period. The planning process will identify Action Activities that will be carried out during the latter portion of the grant period. Action Activities must build upon the planning for the target housing and neighborhood.

Applications are due on June 12. The NOFA and application package must be downloaded from the www.grants.gov site. Potential applicants should also check out the Choice Neighborhoods website, www.hud.gov/cn, for more information about the program. Questions about the NOFA can be submitted to ChoiceNeighborhoods@hud. gov.

601 S. 13th Street

Easy Drive Package

5124 N. 24th St.

Family Fare Supermarket

820 N. Saddle Creek Rd.

Family Fare Supermarket

7402 N. 30th St.

Felicia’s Beauty & Barber Shop

4802 NW Radial Hwy

Hy-Vee Supermarket

5150 Center St.

Hy-Vee Supermarket

108th & Fort St.

Offutt Air Base - Welcome Center

Bellevue, NE 2401 Lake St.

Phil’s CASHSAVER A cost Plus Food Outlet

3030 Ames Ave.

Skeet’s Barbeque

2201 N. 24th St.

Walgreens

3001 Dodge St.

Walgreens

7202 N. 30th St.

Walgreens

3005 Lake St.

Walgreens

4310 Ames Ave.

Walgreens

2929 North 60th St.

Walgreens

7151 Cass St.

Walgreens

6005 N. 72nd St.

Walgreens

225 N. Saddle Creek Rd.

Walgreens

1802 Galvin Road, S (Bellevue)

Festival to Hold Panel Discussion on Women in Science

The Nebraska Science Festival invites the public to attend a free panel discussion featuring women successful in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers.

“Women in Science” will be Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center on the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus. Panelists will share their life experiences, as well as lessons learned, as they inspire others to consider STEM careers.

Panelists are: • Deann Akins-Lewenthal, Ph.D., director of food safety and microbiology for Conagra Brands; • Lydia Kang M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and author of historical, young adult and non-fiction books including: “Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything” (co-authored with Nate Pedersen); • Amelia Tangeman, STEM outreach coordinator at the University of Nebraska at Omaha; and • Nicole Mitchell, coordinator, the Whitney Young Academy and Project Ready, Urban League of Nebraska.

STEM careers offer women the opportunity to engage in some of the most exciting realms of discovery and technological innovation.

But, according to the United States Department of Commerce, women are vastly underrepresented in STEM jobs and among STEM degree holders despite making up nearly half of the U.S. workforce and half of the college-educated workforce.

Women with STEM jobs earned 33 percent more than comparable women in non-STEM jobs – considerably higher than the STEM premium for men. As a result, the gender wage gap is smaller in STEM jobs than in non-STEM jobs.

Presented by the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the Nebraska Science Festival is a collaboration of organizations and individuals interested in the advancement of science literacy. In addition to UNMC, other sponsors, to date, are the Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, Metro Credit Union, NEST 529 College Savings, Metropolitan Community College and media sponsors KETV and the Omaha World-Herald.

In addition to NeSciFest.com, you will find SciFest updates and information on Twitter (@NESciFest) and Facebook (NE SciFest).

Power Outage?

Who You Gonna Call?

Like you, Omaha Public Power District has been watching the forecast closely. Possible thunderstorms today, followed by snow tomorrow, can be par for the course in Nebraska. When you add the possibility of strong wind gusts to that mix, it could be a recipe for power outages. OPPD crews will be ready.

In the event of storm-related outages, OPPD will post outage updates and other pertinent information at stormandoutage.com.

This is where they post restoration updates, as they receive them from their employees on the front line. They will also note outage causes, when they are known, as well as safety tips, such as how to prepare for the possibility of a power outage, and what to do if you encounter downed power lines.

Customers experiencing power outages should report them online at http://www.oppd.com/outages/or by phoning 1-800554-OPPD (6773). They do not know about outages until they are reported, so it’s important customers contact them. Also, by contacting OPPD, customers have the ability to receive updates on restoration progress.

Library Will Offer Free Passes to Fontenelle Forest Omaha Public Library (OPL) is joining Bellevue and Council Bluffs public libraries in a new initiative with Fontenelle Forest to offer free Forest admission to library members. All OPL branches will begin checking memberships out to patrons on May 1.

“We are so excited to be able to offer these membership passes to library cardholders,” said Merica Whitehall, Fontenelle Forest Executive Director. “One of the things that’s really amazing to me is how much of a resource the libraries and Fontenelle Forest are for the community. How vast the engagement, activities and learning opportunities of the

organizations are! We are thrilled to work closely together for the betterment of our community.”

OPL Executive Director Laura Marlane echoed the enthusiasm.

“Fontenelle Forest is a beautiful space in which to explore and learn,” Marlane said. “We look forward to partnering with Fontenelle Forest to offer membership passes to OPL cardholders.”

Each of OPL’s 12 locations will have day passes available (one per day/per location) for check-out year-round to adults ages 18+ who are Douglas County residents or have a non-resident paid membership to OPL. Passes are good for

Publishing dates for the Omaha Star

4232 Redman Ave.

Cubby’s Old Market

Omaha Rockets Kanteen

Funding Available for Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants

April 20, 2018

May 2018 *Friday (Mother’s Day) Friday

May 4, 2018 May 18, 2018

June 2018 Friday *Friday (Father’s Day) *Friday (Fourth of July)

June 1, 2018 June 15, 2018 June 29, 2018

one-time admission on the day of the week designated on the pass, and each pass admits two adults and children from their household. Individuals should check out the pass for the day they are interested in visiting Fontenelle Forest. Only one pass may be issued per library card and customer. Passes must be returned to any OPL location within five days of check-out.

Unreturned or late passes will be subject to a replacement fee.

To see which OPL locations have passes available for the day of the week you’re interested in visiting, visit omahalibrary. org and search for “Fontenelle Forest” in the online catalog. You

may also phone any OPL branch location to check availability.

Douglas County residents who do not have a library card may find more information about how to get a card at omahalibrary.org/ get-a-library-card or by visiting their local branch.

Fontenelle Forest is the second community organization to offer free admission through Omaha Public Library. A similar partnership with Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium was announced in May 2017.

For more information, phone or visit your neighborhood OPL branch location, or visit omahalibrary.org.

Omaha Star Philosophy: At the Star we look at ourselves as the documentarians of African-American news in Omaha.

We strive to make our readers and our advertisers proud they support a publication that portrays the African-American as a multidimensional person capable of excelling in areas other than sports, entertainment and politics.

July 2018 Friday Friday

July 13, 2018 July 27, 2018

Your Journey to College Begins with Us

August 2018 *Friday (Back to School) *Friday (Labor Day)

August 10, 2018 August 24, 2018

September 2018 Friday Friday

September 7, 2018 September 21, 2018

October 2018 Friday Friday

October 5, 2018 October 19, 2018

Our free resources will help you get there.

November 2018 *Friday (Veteran’s Day) Friday *Friday (Christmas in the Village)

November 2, 2018 November 16, 2018 November 30, 2018

EducationQuest.org 402.391.4033

LOCAL NEWS

April 20, 2018

THE OMAHA STAR

NORTH OMAHA INFORMATION SUPPORT EVERYONE

Page Three

FIRST INSTALLEMENT

APRIL 20, 2018

HOME

noiseomaha.com

Follow @NOISEOMAHA

NOISE, shorthand for North Omaha Information Support Everyone, is a community-led news project committed to strengthening information creation and distribution in North Omaha. With help from The Omaha Star, 101.3 FM Mind & Soul, Mildred D. Brown Memorial Study Center, Internews, and The Listening Post;

by connecting people to news they can use by people they can trust. Full versions of all stories seen here are available at noiseomaha.com

We asked Omahans to share their thoughts and these are a few responses.

A nuanced and beautiful space inhabited by dynamic and complex people.

Tons of potential, lots of beauty, lots of rundown houses, very low growth.

A blank canvas waiting to be painted and shaped by bright minds.

Unfortunately, not a place I’d recommend people to live.

I hope it gets better.

North of Cuming & NW Radial, west of 16th St, east of 72nd, South of Sorenson.

In the early stages of a new era.

Our black history, if you were raised in Omaha.

The place that made me who I am.

WHAT DOES NORTH OMAHA MEAN TO YOU? TEXT OR CALL

402-807-5076

TO SHARE YOUR RESPONSE!

Home, enough said.

The future.

Omaha north of Ames.

OPPORTUNITY

is moving in?

AV VIEW IEW OON N

HIGHLANDER BY B Y ERICK CK UUNCOOL NCOO OOOL

BY DAWAUNE HAYES

You may have seen signs reading “Opportunity is Moving In� sitting on an empty lot or vacant property near you. These signs mark the ownership of the Omaha Municipal

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to reclaim abandoned, blighted, or dilapidated property and land to be made available for public sale, ultimately to spur development. OMLB properties span across the city and

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The Landback has six programs available for people to get involved with acquiring, developing, and/or selling property. Buy/Sell/Donate, Adopt-a-Lot, Tax Lien, Depository, Land Assembly, and Demolition. View OMLB properties for sale: Omahalandbank.com Email: info@omlb.org | Call: 402-800-1240 | Next Board Meeting: May 9, 9 a.m.

FACES OF NORTH OMAHA: FOOD MAVEN & COMMUNITY BUILDER

BigMama

Omaha is getting a breath of fresh air thanks to the new Highlander development on North 30th Street. This area means a lot to a person like me, whose entire family grew up in this area of the city. From the late 80s to the early 2000s, most people outside of the community associated the area with violence and drugs.

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while people pulled up in cars playing old-school R&B. It makes me happy and worried to see the new Highlander complex standing where I once used to roam. It makes me happy to know a black man who is from the community, Othello Meadows, built an area for people to reconnect and grow.

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& easy for other companies, with no true connection to our community and its people, to change the landscape of our environment. But, change is always needed in life as long as understanding and integration are the main goals. Highlander, I welcome you to the northside with open arms and love, so that we all can contribute to the growth of our community.

BY SCHMEEKA SIMPSON Pa atr t ic i ia “Big Mama� Barone or Pat, as she was known before she became the widely Patricia successful proprietor of Big Mama’s Kitchen, passed away on o Good Friday; March 30, ./01 ./ 01+ % 2 & " &

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, &+ and her he compassionate commitment to the people that she served s through providing jobs forr felons, fo felons, community activism, and genuine hospitality. Funeral Fun services were held in her ho ono n r on n Thursday, April 5th at Fort Street Church. honor Bi B g Mama’s Ma ama’s Kitchen is nationally known for its food and has been featured on Food Big Netw Ne twork’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives� and has been frequented tw freque Network’s by national celebs such as Mike Epps. Big Mama’s Kitchen will remain open while plan pla to move the restaurant from its t current cur urre re ent n location at 3223 N. 45th St, to the new Highlander High Accelerator building

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preparing food with the love that made Big Mama’s Kitchen one of the best Soul Food res restaurants in the Midwest. >> Read more about Big Mama’s legacy at noiseomaha.com

OUR CITY REPRESENTATIVE

Ben Gray

BY KIEL HARMON

Councilmember Ben Gray has been prominent in the North Omaha community for over 30 years. Prior to being elected to the Omaha City Council, Ben was a photojournalist for KETV Channel 7.

While in television, Ben produced and

, ", show in the history of Omaha television, “Kaleidoscope.� Gray was elected to city council in 2009 and was re-elected in 2013 and 2017. He is the representative of District 2 which includes most of the northeast quadrant of the city.

Here in Omaha, our city council has the power to adopt, amend or repeal ordinances (city laws) necessary to

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and essential procedures of the city government.)

In addition, city council has the power

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+ # appointments by the Mayor, provide for an independent audit and other necessary actions consistent with the charter.

Omaha City Council’s public meetings are most Tuesday afternoons beginning at 2:00 p.m. Legislative Chambers located on the second level of the Omaha-Douglas Civic Center, 1819 Farnam Street. >>Hear from Ben Gray online at noiseomaha.com

Map by Matt Wettengel

UNDER CONSTRUCTION: A NEW NORTH OMAHA

BY BRADLEY WHITMORE

Development projects continue to dot the " %

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For example, Metropolitan Community College recently completed a $90 million expansion project at the Fort Omaha campus. It has not only contributed

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also provides a place for people to learn valuable trades.

The new facilities include an HVAC/ construction technology building, an academic skills building, as well as the Center for Advanced and Emerging Technologies. These facilities and programs

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vital new trade skills that can translate into well-paying, high-demand jobs. >> Learn more about North Omaha development projects at noiseomaha.com

April Events

4/21

4/24

4/26

Earth Day OSBN Mural Listening North Omaha Elmwood Park Session Neighborhood Alliance 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

2505 N 24 St 3223 N 45 Street 5:30 - 7 p.m.

6 p.m.

4/28

4/30

Policy & a Pint: North Omaha 9 : , Cleanup Vis Major Community Wide 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

9 a.m.

FOLLOW OUR PARTNERS

4/26 Black Votes Matter Tour: Silent Auction

- 8 $$ 6 - 9 p.m.

Page Four

THE OMAHA STAR

PRAISE, WORSHIP, DEVOTION, OBITUARIES & INSPIRATION April 20, 2018

Zion Baptist Church Hosts ‘A Call To Salvation’ Morning Star Baptist Church Pastor Kenneth Allen and the Zion Baptist Church Family are extending a cordial invitation to everyone in Omaha and beyond to attend their 2018 Annual Spring Revival, “A Call to Salvation.” The three-night revival, based on Isaiah chapter 55, will be held May 2-4. Worship will begin promptly at 6:45 p.m. with devotional service led by the deacons and assigned ministries of the church.

The evangelist for this soul-stirring series of services will be the Rev. Wayne J. Banks, Pastor of the Greater New Home Baptist Pastor Allen Pastor Banks Church in New Orleans. Rev. Banks is the former Pastor of Pleasant Green Baptist Church in Omaha, and a friend to all. Zion’s revival prayer is that sinners will be saved, backsliders will be re-claimed, and the saints will be revived!

Guest Churches for the revival include Pastor Eugene Rollerson and Greater New Hope Baptist Church as well as Pastor Brian Page and the Pleasant Green Baptist Church. Come one, come all to Zion Baptist Church, 2215 Grant St. For more information, call the Zion Baptist Church office at 402346-1502.

There Are Real Heroes All Around Us

By Dr. William Holland Irena Sendler was a Polish nurse and social worker who worked in the Warsaw health department during World War II. In a short window of time between 1942 and 1943, she along with a small band of co-workers led a courageous effort within the Warsaw ghetto to secretly smuggle at least 2500 Jewish babies and children from facing the certainty of the German concentration camps.

She and her team were members of the Zegota, an underground organization established in 1940 by the Polish government for the purpose of rescuing Polish Jews. With permission from the Nazis to enter the ghetto to help segregate the city’s 380,000 Jews, she came up with a plan to secretly smuggle babies and young children to safety. They used every idea possible to rescue the innocent, which included hiding them in toolboxes and under gurneys, sneaking them into ambulances, taking them through sewer pipes or other underground passageways, wheeling them out in suitcases, and leading them out through an old courtyard which led to the non-Jewish areas.

She carefully recorded the names of the children on cigarette papers and sealed them in glass bottles which she buried in a colleague’s garden. After the war, the jars were dug up and the lists handed over to Jewish representatives. Attempts were made to reunite the children with their families but sadly most of the parents had perished in the Treblinka death camp.

Irena was arrested in October 1943 and taken to Gestapo headquarters where she was interrogated to surrender information about the leaders of Zegota. She endured severe beatings and as her legs and feet were broken, she was eventually driven away to be executed. With what many consider to be a miracle from heaven, a private deal was made between Zegota and her executioner and she was released. Irena was later found unconscious along the side of the road and had to use crutches the rest of her life as a result of her injuries. One of the names in the jars was Michal Glowinski, a professor of literature. He said, “I fondly think about her and owe my life to her.”

Mrs. Sendler’s story remained relatively unknown until a few years ago when it was discovered in America by a group of Kansas school children who wrote a play about it, called “Life in a Jar.” The word spread very quickly and now the world is aware of her saving many defenseless victims of the Nazi ideology. She was eventually nominated for the Nobel peace prize in 1997. Irena spent her last years in a Warsaw nursing home and passed away in 2008. When interviewed, she sternly insisted she did nothing special and is quoted, “I was brought up to believe that a person must be rescued when drowning, regardless of religion and nationality. The thought of being considered a hero irritates me greatly as I continue to have pangs within my conscience that we could have done more.

My emotions are overshadowed with the fact that my faithful coworkers, who also constantly risked their lives, did not live long enough to receive the honors that are now falling upon me.”

ATTENTION READERS Looking for Death and Funeral Notices If you want a notice of death or obituary published in the Omaha Star Newspaper, call or let your funeral director know that you want a notice placed in the Omaha Star Newspaper. Funeral directors should contact the Omaha Star office to submit notices and/or Obituaries.

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

Hosts Women’s Conference Rev. Dr. Leroy E. Adams Jr. and the Morning Star Baptist Church will host a Women’s Conference April 27-28. The conference theme is “Women Free to Soar” and the scripture focus is Isaiah 31:4.

Registration and refreshments will begin on April 27 at 6:30 p.m. The conference will begin at 7 with keynote speaker, First Lady Debra A. Pierce of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Greensboro, NC. On April 28, breakfast will be served from 8:30-9:30 a.m.

At 9:30, six breakout sessions, with powerful women of faith facilitators, will begin.

There is a small donation to attend which includes breakfast and lunch on April 28. Women in the community are invited to be part this awesome weekend.

For more information, phone call the church at 402-342-0018 or Dr. Carol T. Mitchell at 402-708-2246.

Roylisa L. Thompson Ms. Roylisa L. Thompson, age 55, passed away Thursday, April 5, at her residence.

Survived by son: JaSaun Thompson; daughters: JaCara & JaChe Thompson; brother: Krandon Thompson; sister; Morlita Thompson, Omaha; 13 grandchildren, great-grand, nieces, nephews, other relatives.

Funeral Services were held 12 p.m. Friday, April 13, at Salem Baptist Church, Pas. Selwyn Q. Bachus, officiated.

Arrangements by Thomas Funeral Home.

Book Review ‘The Heavens Might Crack: The Death and Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.’ Review by Terri Schlichenmeyer One minute.

That’s all it can take to change history. Sixty seconds, as long as an average TV commercial or two, a few blinks of your eyes and nothing is ever the same. And things can keep changing, as you’ll see in the new book “The Heavens Might Crack” by Jason Sokol.

The evening of April 4, 1968 was ordinary, just like many others on the road.

Andrew Young hadn’t kept Martin Luther King Jr. satisfactorily apprised of a legal situation in Memphis, and was on the receiving end of a pillow fight. Later, “Young and [Pastor] James Orange shadowboxed in the parking lot” of the Lorraine Hotel and, while preparing for the next event, King wondered if he might want a jacket for the cooling air. And then, a “firecracker” sound, and King was quiet…

By most accounts, King was prepared for his death. He’d discussed it with friends and family, and they knew that loving him would mean losing him; it had been this way for years but, says Sokol, “the early months of 1968 felt different.” White people largely feared and hated King. The FBI told him to “take his own life.” And yet, King hadn’t once backed down in his ideals.

Shock rolled through the nation following that spring evening.

Some wept, and some questioned the need to go on. Others looted, burned, stood against the police in nearly every major city in the country. Many white Americans rejoiced, while Black militancy increased. Gun control, which the Senate had discussed just hours before King’s death, became a political hot-button.

And in the days that followed his assassination, it was feared that King’s legacy would be forgotten. Instead, it became sullied: says Sokol, “…the historical King – a courageous dissident who unsettled the powerful – would be replaced by a mythical one.”

Because it has been fifty years since Martin Luther King Jr.

was assassinated, it can be assumed that many Americans today are too young to remember it. “The Heavens Might Crack” serves as a good fillin for them (and for the not-then-born), as well as a look back for those who can recall with great detail.

But beware – it’s a painful read, not because of how it’s written but because of what’s told. Author Jason Sokol picks the scab off old wounds that may have once seemed healed as he puts current events into reverse-perspective: readers might be surprised to see that some issues have softened with age, while others are as sharp today as they were then - and that includes shocking examples of racism, inequality, and violence.

He doesn’t stop there, though: Sokol shows how King’s birthday became a reluctant holiday, and how his legacy leaves us with a “duty” to “make clear the substance of his actual teachings…”

This is a history book, to be sure, but it also feels quite meditative, making it the perfect read for those who remember and those who can’t. “The Heavens Might Crack” is highly recommended. You’ll be grabbed by it in the first minute.

Kids Talk About God

How Should We Pray For America? (Part 1 of 2)

By Carey Kinsolving And Friends The Bible exhorts all Christians to pray for “all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (I Timothy 2:2).

“Dear God: Make everyone a Christian in America, and Lord, make my mom never cook spinach again,” wrote Sarah, age 6.

Although I’m sure my spinach-quiche suggestion would fall on deaf ears, I do commend Sarah’s prayer that all Americans come to know the Lord. To expand prayer horizons beyond America, read a book called “Operation World.”

It’s never too early for children to start praying. The following brief prayer comes from 4-year-old Cale: “Dear God: Keep the ocean and the cowboys safe.”

Because the kids who wrote the prayers for this column live in a suburb of Dallas, I wonder if the second half of this prayer is for the Dallas Cowboys.

“Dear God: I pray that the president gets more ideas,” wrote Johnathan, 6.

Yes, we should pray that government officials receive godly advice from wise counselors, but we can also pray against evil plans and people. When King David

learned that Ahithophel had joined his son’s rebellion to take over his throne, he prayed, “O Lord, I pray, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!” God answered that prayer.

We need to constantly be in prayer against the plots of evil people, like those who kill innocent children and adults in senseless rampages. We should pray that the plotting of terrorists and mass killers would be exposed.

We know from the Book of Esther that God has a wonderful way of letting evil people hang themselves with their own plans. Esther schemed with Mordecai to expose the conspiracy of Haman, an evil man who wanted to kill all Jews and especially Mordecai. Haman was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.

Ryan, 10, provides an example of a prayer for righteousness to prevail: “Dear God: Please help the president to make the right decisions. Help make this country to still stand strong.”

Alyse, 9, offers another example: “Lord, please be with America through these hard times. Keep your angels around us.”

Let’s not forget to be grateful for what God has given us. Erin, 5, offers a prayer

of thanksgiving: “Dear God: Thank you for our family, and thank you for George Washington, and thank you for Jesus.

Thank you for butterflies. Thank you for our country. I wish I could make a valentine to put up in heaven for you.

“And thank you for our Bible stories, Mom and Dad, friends and Christmas.

Thank you, God. I do love you. Amen.”

Do you want to do God’s will? The Bible says, “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thessalonians 5:18).

Many of my journalist colleagues have adopted the motto, “If you don’t have anything good to say, let’s hear it.”

Christians who adopt heaven’s view of life realize God is at work in every situation.

Eyes of faith cause people of faith to give thanks in faith when they don’t completely understand God’s purposes in a situation.

Hannah, 7, offers a prayer of thanksgiving for her salvation: “Dear God: You saved me.

You took away my sins. I love you, God.” Be thankful that God has kept you and your loved ones safe for another day. Be compassionate by praying for those who are grieving over the loss of friends or family members.

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

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PRAISE & WORSHIP DIRECTORY

April 20, 2018

ALLEN CHAPEL A.M.E. R . B R. F P

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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

R . B R. F

THE OMAHA STAR Page Five

SACRED HEART CATHOLIC CHURCH

KOINONIA AND FRIENDS OF CHRIST

F . D K • D J C

22nd and Binney Street • 402-451-5755 • www.sacredheartchurchomaha.org

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3208 Corby Street Omaha, NE 68111 Sunday School ..................................................9:00 a.m.

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

Thursday Bible Study ......................................6:30 p.m. www.KFCChurch.org

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MORNING STAR BAPTIST CHURCH “Where Christ Jesus Is the Center of Attention�

R . D . L E. A , J .

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2019 Burdette Street Omaha, NE 68110 Ph: 402-342-0018 Fx: 402-346-9300

“Where Life is for Everyone�

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

D J C , F . D K

Mass Times: Saturday: 5:00 pm • Sunday: 8:30 and 10:30 am ALL ARE WELCOME!

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

ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CATHOLIC CHURCH

Worship Service .............10:00 a.m.

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

R . D . L E. A , J .

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

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

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

BIBLE TRUTH MINISTRIES “Strengthing Families for Victorious Living�

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S P R S PO Box 1703 2402 Franklin St. Bellevue, NE 68005 402-292-9499 Web: www.BibleTruthMinistries.org Sunday School..................................9:00 a.m.

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

Wednesday Prayer & Bible Study......6:00 p.m

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S P R S

HOLY NAME CATHOLIC CHURCH

MOUNT CALVARY COMMUNITY CHURCH “Jesus is the light of the world�

R . J P. W , S P

mtcalvarycommunitychurch.org

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

5112 Ames Avenue Omaha, NE 68104 Ph: 402-457-4216

Pastor: Rev. Vitalis Anyanike

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

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

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

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

CLAIR MEMORIAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

ST. MARK BAPTIST CHURCH R . J P. W

“Come Get Your Hilltop Experience�

R . P A. C , P

5544 Ames Avenue, Omaha, NE 68104 Telephone: 402-451-8322 • Website: www.cmumc.net Email: clairumc@cumc.omhcoxmail.com Sunday School‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌8:45 a.m.

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

Monday Bible Study‌‌‌‌‌‌‌6:00 p.m.

Wednesday Bible Study‌.‌‌.‌‌.7:00 p.m.

Worship Service – Sunday 10:15 a.m.

Children’s Church (except 2nd Sunday) Holy Communion every 1st Sunday

MT. NEBO MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

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P B J 2532 Binney Church: 402-451-1474 “The Church On A Mission For God�

“The Church Where Fellowship is Real�

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5501 N. 50th Street Ph: 402-451-4245 Fx: 402-451-2130 office@mtneboomaha.org www.mtneboomaha.org Sunday Morning Worship ...................................9:00 a.m.

Family Hour of Christian Education.................11:00 a.m.

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

Youth/Children Ministry Focus (Wednesday)..7:00 p.m.

Wednesday Night Adult Bible Study ................7:30 p.m.

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

Sunday Service ...............................10:30 a.m.

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

Wednesday Bible & Prayer Service ....7:00 p.m.

Prayer and Bible Doctrine Study Midday - 12:00 noon; Evening – 7:00 p.m.

Our Mission: “To exalt the Savior, edify saints, evangelize sinners and elevate society.�

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SALEM BAPTIST CHURCH Serving God and One Another in the Spirit of Excellence R . D . S Q. B S P

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

Where we Exalt, Equip, and Evangelize R . W B. J , P

2301 North 45th Street, Omaha, NE 68104 Ph. 402-934-6020 • Fax 402-453-3190 E-Mail: wrjallied@cox.net

R . D . J F , S P

Services on Sundays at 8:30 am & 10:50 am R . W B. J

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.

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S. P

Televised Broadcast – Sundays at 6:00 p.m., KPAO Cox Channel 22 & CenturyLink Channel 89

NEW BEGINNING COMMUNITY BAPTIST CHURCH

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Sunday School‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌.9:30 a.m.

Sunday Worship‌‌‌‌11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday Bible & Prayer Service‌‌‌6:30 p.m.

R . D . S Q. B

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.

SHARON SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH

Come Experience the Power of God Where Faith and Fellowship is Fostered 3336 Lake Street • 402-453-4079 Fax: 402-453-7082 Gacoll4@aol.com • Website: omahasharonsda.com

R . D . J F

PLEASANT GREEN BAPTIST CHURCH

FREEDOM WORSHIP CENTER OMAHA P J T

B 3025 Parker Street Omaha, NE 68111 402.905.9730 • www.fwcomaha.com

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3616 Spaulding Street, Omaha, NE 68111 Phone: 402-451-0307 Email: smbcsecretary@stmarkbaptist.org Sunday School – Sunday 9:00 a.m.

FAITH MISSION CHURCH

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Sunday at 10:00am Family Night each Wednesday at 7pm The Daily Journey each Wednesday at Noon Saturday Prayer from 7 - 8am

GREATER NEW HOPE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH 1411 North 30th Street Omaha, NE 68131 Office: 402-342-0265 Fax: 402-342-0343 Email: gnh.omaha@gmail.com Website: greaternewhopebaptist.com Sunday School: 9:30 am Sunday Morning Worship: 10:45 am Bible Study: Wednesday 6:00 pm Prayer Service: Wednesday 6:45 pm

HOPE LUTHERAN CHURCH Missouri Synod 2723 N. 30th Street 402-453-1583 Sunday School................................10:00 a.m.

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

YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME

“Where CHRIST is Preeminent and the Word Prevails!�

SATURDAY SERVICE: Sabbath School‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌9:30 a.m.

Divine Worship‌‌‌‌‌‌‌11:00 a.m.

P B P 5555 Larimore Avenue Church: 402-346-8427 www.pleasantgreenomaha.org Wednesday: Prayer Power Hour ......................................12:00 p.m Thursday: Youth For Christ ............................................6:00 p.m Prayer & Bible Study ....................................7:30 p.m Sunday: Worship..............................................8:00 a.m.

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

Worship............................................11:00 a.m.

PRAYER MEETING: Wednesday Night Prayer Meetings....7:00 p.m.

The Community is invited to attend Youth Wednesday Prayer Meetings‌6 pm-7p.m.

P B P

BIBLE STUDIES: Every Tuesday.........................6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.

TABERNACLE OF FAITH CHURCH

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

RISING STAR MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH Pastor Darnell N. Johnson, Sr. 1823 Lothrop Street, Omaha, NE 68110 Phone: 402-451-3700 Fax: 402-451-3700 Email: Risingstarbaptchurchone@gmail.com Follow us on Facebook at RisingStarMBCONE Sunday Sunday School‌‌‌‌‌.............. 9:30 a.m.

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

Tuesday P D N. J , S .

Tuesday Night Teaching‌‌...........6:30 p.m.

L J Wednesday Prayer Meeting/BIBLE Study............7:00 p.m.

P G S. C M . L C , J.D.

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

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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

ZION BAPTIST CHURCH R . K A. A , P

2215 Grant Street Omaha, NE 68110 Ph: 402-346-1502 Fx: 402-344-2720 Sunday School ..................................9:00 a.m.

Worship Services ...........................10:40 a.m.

Wednesday Prayer Services ...........6:30 p.m.

Wednesday Bible Study .......7:15 - 8:00 p.m.

R . K A. A

R . J D. W

THE WORSHIP CENTER

JOY OF LIFE MINISTRIES COGIC P E

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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

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C -P C B

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

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

Worship Celebration 10:15 a.m.

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

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

Page Six

THE OMAHA STAR

COMMENTARY

Fair Housing Act: A Milestone on the Journey to Equality

By Jeffrey W. Hicks A half-century ago, the Fair Housing Act was enacted to prohibit discrimination in housing based on race, color, creed and national origin. The law also supported National Association of Real Estate Brokers’ (NAREB) efforts toincrease Black homeownership which we believe serves to increase wealth and other economic outcomes for Black Americans.

We have since experienced highs and lows in the journey towards economic empowerment and Black homeownership. While sometimes challenged, we are not discouraged. And, we have learned vital lessons along the way.

The NAREB has advocated for Black Americans to own their homes since 1947, and we are proud to play a leadership role in that struggle. But this is not a solitary endeavor. We must grow a “Community of Concern” by partnering and actively involving civil and human rights organizations, communitybased and social service organizations, business groups, and the faith-based community-our oldest and most trusted institution. We must collaborate to create strong, viable communities that help to stabilize Black Americans and their families through homeownership.

In 1970, two years after the passage of The Fair Housing Act, Black homeownership was 41.6 percent. It reached its height in 2004 at 49 percent. Today, Black homeownership stands at 42.1 percent, almost the same as nearly 50 years ago. The economic downturn of a decade ago hurt many Black homeowners with high foreclosures, upside-down mortgages, and financial upheaval from which many are still struggling to recover.

Today, economic segregation remains a problem. Urban centers, long the home of Black

Americans, are being gentrified. Many with deep community roots are being forced out by rising taxes and skyrocketing housing values.

While obvious obstacles like Jim Crow segregation no longer exist, we still face formidable obstacles to owning homes. Obstacles like credit scoring, which is based not on how diligently we pay our bills, but on how much consumer debt we can amass. Obstacles like crippling student debt, which impacts Black Americans deeply. Obstacles like unfair mortgage lending practices.

Despite these challenges, we know that wealth can be built through education, through financial literacy, through creating and growing our Community of Concern to support homeownership.

This is how Black America educates its children and how we set up businesses-by using equity from our homes to invest in ourselves, our families and our futures.

We stand on the shoulders of NAREB founders and visionaries like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who spoke to NAREB in 1967 about the need for “middle-class Negroes to ... publicly identify with the problem of poverty which engulfs the life of the masses.”

NAREB’s motto is “Democracy in Housing,” and we will continue to fight for that. We must continue to be vigilant. We must continue to EDUCATE Black Americans, to ENCOURAGE Black Americans, and do everything we can to EMPOWER Black Americans to build wealth, to build stability, and to invest in our futures through that most fundamental part of the American Dream: homeownership.

Jeffrey W. Hicks is the 30th president of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers.

Editor’s Note: The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the policies and position of the staff and management of the Omaha Star newspaper.

United Way of the Midlands’ Community Spotlight

United Way Celebrates National Volunteer Month Volunteers are an essential part of United Way of the Midlands’ (UWM) work to advance the common good in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area. During National Volunteer month in April, UWM is celebrating those who take action and encourage other individuals to be at the center of social-change discovery and actively demonstrating their collective power to foster positive transformation through volunteerism.

Not only does volunteering benefit the community, individuals who volunteer also reap the benefits through physical and mental health.

In fact, a 2017 United Healthcare National Study reports those who give back through volunteerism had improved mood (93%), lower stress levels (79%), improved self-esteem (88%) and an enriched sense of purpose (94%). A 2013 Carnegie Mellon study found adults over the age of 50 who volunteered on a regular basis were less likely to develop high blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke. Volunteering may also improve cognitive function of older adults, especially women.

UWM unites efforts toward common goals on a local level, leveraging the volunteer resources and know-how of the entire community.

Meaningful and important volunteer projects are coordinated to support UWM’s goal of impacting poverty by strengthening the local organizations that also pursue that goal every day. Last year, 3,495 local volunteers invested 51,039 hours of service in our community.

The Corporation for National and Community Service reports the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area ranks 15th among mid-sized American cities for the number of residents who volunteer their time.

UWM’S Volunteer “Days Of Service” Projects Though UWM is paying special tribute to volunteers during this month, it is year-round volunteerism that plays a vital role to energize and mobilize UWM-funded programs. UWM offers three signature volunteer events each year and encourages community members to participate. These volunteer events promote the spirit and value of volunteerism, increase the awareness of local human service issues and demonstrate what people-working together can accomplish.

• Day of Action – June 21: Focusing on childhood literacy, UWM connects caring volunteers with out-of-school time programs for children, to spend time during that day as Reading Buddies for students in kindergarten through third grade. Register today www. unitedwaymidlands.org/DayofAction.

• Day of Caring – Sept. 21: This annual volunteer service event is open to individuals and teams of volunteers for a variety of projects at local nonprofit and civic organizations.

Projects will range from organizing, cleaning and painting at local nonprofit sites, to helping metro area students with their homework and job interviewing skills.

• Holiday Helpers – November and December: The holidays are a time to celebrate the things

we are most thankful for, and many want to share their time helping those in need across our community. Individuals and teams can sign up for meaningful holiday projects that will help individuals in need and the organizations that provide them support.

Community-Minded Companies Come To Uwm For Service Projects A variety of Omaha-Council Bluffs area companies, small and large, come to UWM for help with creating and coordinating meaningful, customized volunteer projects for their employers and members. Employers greatly benefit when they encourage employee participation in volunteer activities – employees are more engaged, they develop professional skills and they are happier and healthier, resulting in better productivity and reduced sick time. The 2017 National Study reports: • 87% employees believe they develop professional skills as a result of their volunteer activities • 86% employees indicate learning better time management • 92% employees agreed volunteering as a team helped them develop their people skills/ teamwork • 71% of those surveyed (almost three-fourths) who volunteer through work report feeling better about their employer “I had a vision of what I wanted to accomplish for our last volunteer activity and so I reached out to United Way. We talked through what my vision was, worked together and came up with a great plan that they helped me execute. It turned out to be a wonderful volunteer experience for us,” says Dolores Terwey, U.S. Bank assistant vice president project analyst and UWM campaign manager.

“When our employees come back from volunteer activities,” Terwey says, “they seem more energized, they’re excited, they talk to their coworkers about their experience and the organization. It’s a win-win situation for the company, United Way and the organizations we’ve helped out.”

Volunteering provides benefits beyond measure. Communities are stronger and volunteers are able to see first-hand the impact their contributions are making. Prospective volunteers can reach out directly to UWM to learn more about the many available opportunities there are to serve in the metro area. Individuals and groups can contact the Volunteer Engagement Director at volunteer@ uwmidlands.org or 402-522-7949 to coordinate meaningful volunteer projects with UWM’s funded partners.

Projects can also be viewed on UWM’s volunteer website, www.unitedwaymidlands. org/volunteer. UWM’s funded agencies update the website year round with their projects and information, including time and number of volunteers needed. Users simply have to create a login and answer a few questions about the areas they prefer to volunteer for. Then users can view all local projects and be updated when new projects in those areas are added to the site.

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

April 20, 2018

Eastman Announces Candidacy for Congress

By Kara Eastman I’m running for Congress because our values have been forgotten and ignored in Washington. Values like looking out for one another, helping our neighbors, and making sure our children have the future they deserve. My work has centered around identifying problems and finding solutions, and I care deeply about environmental and social justice issues.

For 12 years, I’ve been the President and CEO of Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance, and I’ve raised $13 million to create healthy homes for children so they can grow to their fullest potential. We identified North Omaha as one of the areas of the city where children were consistently being diagnosed with lead poisoning. We’ve worked hard on prevention and to rehabilitate homes.

We do all we can to make sure North Omaha contractors are hired to do the work in their community.

Unhealthy housing is pervasive in our city.

We continue to place children living in poverty in homes that are substandard, and we know that unhealthy homes are holding our children back.

Unhealthy homes can cause IQ problems and a wide range of other health problems which make learning difficult for children. Those health problems lead to high medical costs and cause our students to miss school. This often leads to disciplinary actions which harm a child’s ability

to be successful in the classroom.

Healthier homes are a step in the right direction toward our children’s success, but we also need to ensure we have schools that perform well. We have to create programs that open the door to debt-free college and job training for students so they have the education and skills needed to find well-paying jobs.

In addition, we must reform our criminal justice system and stop the school to prison pipeline. It’s time to stop jailing kids for things like running away from abusive homes, “truancy” related to illnesses, or unpaid traffic tickets. We need to fund programs that help these kids grow into healthy adults without removing them from schools and incarcerating them.

It’s time to decriminalize marijuana and remove mandatory minimums for non-violent offenders; both will significantly reduce racial disparities in our prison system. We must ensure police officers are trained and held accountable for their actions. We have to find ways to prevent the use of unnecessary force in our community.

In order to address the many issues that disproportionately affect people in North Omaha, we have to have the political will to invest in these communities. I commit to finding solutions that benefit the entire district.

I am a proven leader and community organizer who is ready to stand up and fight for our neighborhoods, families, and children.

You can be a part of the solution. Please vote for me, Kara Eastman, on May 15 in the Democratic Primary.

Mentoring Matters

By Debra L. Shaw The ideal mentoring relationship helps children who need it most. The Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging (ENOA) sponsors a program entitled Foster Grandparents.

This is a national program of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) through Senior Corps. It has been in existence since 1965. The Foster Grandparents Program (FGP) allows volunteers to serve as positive models for children who need special attention with education, healthcare and social development. Students who benefit from the FGP are in schools, in head start programs or child development centers. This program is open to volunteers 55 or over who can serve between 15 and 40 hours a week. It is believed that older Americans who volunteer frequently live longer and report better health. Volunteering can also lead to more friendships and a more positive attitude based on CNCS research. FGP partners with schools, Head Start Centers, and other youth facilities that focus on high impact activities such as: improving behavioral and educational outcomes, tutoring and mentoring in local schools and community-based programs, and aiding

children by providing emotional support and empathy.

The FGP uses the following motto: “Share Today, Shape Tomorrow.” The program gives the volunteer a chance to share his/her time and experience to help children learn how to read; to assist younger students for school readiness; to tackle tough subjects and to make decisions that keep them on the right path. Volunteers are matched based on their skills and passion of interests along with travel convenience to local schools, youth facilities, and day care centers.

FGP volunteers do not need formal experience in tutoring or mentoring. Volunteers will be partnered with an organization that has clear cut mentoring goals. FGP Coordinator, Roxanne Jackson, states the local ENOA office currently has 63 active volunteers in its program and they recruit volunteers to serve children in Douglas, Dodge, Sarpy, Washington and Cass counties.

Income eligible volunteers are offered a taxfree stipend, supplemental accident and liability insurance, along with mileage reimbursement while serving as a volunteer. For additional details regarding the FGP, phone 402.444.6536. This is a wonderful avenue to inspire and encourage students as they navigate through their educational journey.

Mentoring Matters!

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LOCAL NEWS

April 20, 2018

reDiscovering ENCAP

The 1960s in America were turbulent, but many clinical training of UNO practicum students and took action during this revolutionary decade to interns; nutrition support; transportation; senior create hope. After declaring during his State of the enrichment; and employment assistance.

Union Address that the nation was declaring an In October of 2016 ENCAP welcomed its “unconditional War on Poverty,” on Aug. 20, 1964, current Executive Director, Aaron Bowen.

President Lyndon Johnson signed into law The Bowen came to ENCAP from Community Action Economic Opportunity Act (EOA). The purpose Partnership of Lancaster and Saunders Counties of this Act was “to in Lincoln, NE, bringing eliminate the paradox of with him more than 11 poverty in the midst of years of Community plenty in this Nation.”

Action leadership.

Soon after the EOA’s “We want ENCAP’s passage, President programs and services Johnson tabbed Sargent to be innovative, to be (Robert) Shriver effective, and to change to lead the War on lives, and our team has Poverty. Shriver teamed a deep commitment to with experts from reaching these goals,” across the country to said Bowen. build comprehensive This past year, programming designed ENCAP’s Board of to be “a hand up, not Directors developed a hand out” (Shriver Aaron Bowen (Executive Director), Hannah an ambitious strategic Peace Institute), and to O’Malley (Behavioral Health Therapist), Ruth plan focused on the insure that all Americans Matlock (38 year employee) following goals: building had access to economic financial sustainability opportunity. A cornerstone of the EOA was for the agency; improving programming; and the formation of Community Action Agencies strengthening and building new connections with nationwide, including right here in Omaha. clients, communities, funders and donors. “We Eastern Nebraska Community Action Partnership definitely cannot do this work alone,” said Bowen.

(ENCAP), originally Greater Omaha Community “Poverty is complex, and there is no one size fits Action (GOCA), was established in the heart all solution. The willingness of our community of North Omaha, and has been serving Douglas partners to collaborate and explore possible and Sarpy Counties since 1965. It is a member solutions makes successes with each family we of a network of over 1,000 Community Action serve more possible.”

Agencies across the country working to improve On Thursday, May 3, partners, board members, the communities they serve, and to help families funders, and staff will gather for an exciting with low incomes achieve economic stability and “reDiscover ENCAP” event. Bowen shared, “This have their voices heard. event represents the beginning of an era of positive ENCAP operates two offices, one at 2406 change. We want to share what we have been up Fowler Ave. and a second office in Bellevue. Last to lately and where we are going next. We are still year ENCAP served over 7,000 individuals, and here, and we have a very bright future ahead of us.” nearly 2,500 unique households through initiatives For more information about ENCAP, please visit: including: emergency financial assistance; mental www.encapnebraska.org or like their Facebook health and substance abuse treatment, including page “ENCAP Nebraska.

Playing with Fire Founder: 2018 Lineup ‘May Be the Best Bands We’ve Ever Played’ Playing with Fire, Omaha’s world-class, free summer concert series, is unveiling a crackling 2018 lineup – an award-winning mix of local and international talent poised to bring the best in bluesrock, soul, funk, R & B and roots back to Turner Park this summer.

“Every year, people remark on the amazing quality of artists that play our summer concerts.

This truly makes the event unique,” says Playing with Fire founder Jeff Davis. “We don’t focus on selling tickets and having a profitable name on the bill. We focus solely on artists that can provide the people of Omaha an exceptional musical experience.”

Playing with Fire (PwF) is celebrating its fifth year at Midtown Crossing’s Pavilion at Turner Park and its 15th year in Omaha. Davis is especially fired up about this year’s lineup. He says these “maybe the best bands we’ve ever played. In fact, our 4 Canadian bands each have won at least one Juno Award.”

2018 Playing with Fire Summer Concert Series Line-up: July 14 Park Opens: 3:30 p.m. | Music Begins: 4:30 p.m.

Opener: BluesED / The Redwoods Support: Heather Newman Band – Powerful, striking vocals and deft bass playing have earned this BluesED alum impressive reviews from the blues world.

Support: Monkey Junk – 2018 Juno Award winner – Blues Album of the Year, dubbed “The Sultans of Swamp R&B.” Headliner: Jack de Keyzer Band – Jack de Keyzer is, according to Blues Revue magazine, “a coveted super-hero in Canada,” multiple Juno award-winning, worldwide performing bluesman and master of smoldering guitar skills, soulful singing and rocking blues.

Aug. 25 Park Opens: 3:30 p.m. | Music Begins: 4:30 p.m.

Opener: BluesED / Us & Them Support: Matt Cox – A Midwest regional favorite,

roots/blues/country songsmith, and six-time Omaha Entertainment and Arts Award winner for Best Country/Americana and Best Blues Support: Blackie and the Rodeo Kings – A Juno award-winning Canadian band and “singersongwriter super group,” according to Rolling Stone magazine Headliner: Paul Reddick Band – Paul Reddick’s songwriting, power vocals and harp skills over the years have catapulted him into a formidable force in blues music.

PwF launched in 2004 to introduce Omaha to the highest quality local, national and global musical talent, and build community through the healing power of music. Over the course of its 15-year lifespan, PwF has produced 80+ events with performances by 360+ bands featuring over 1,000 musicians playing to an estimated 750,000+ fans.One thing that hasn’t changed over the years is the price of admission: free.

“This opens our events to everyone without exception, and it exposes people from all walks of life to share in the discovery and celebration of music of the highest quality–music they otherwise might never encounter” Davis says.

Each year, PwF supports other non-profit organizations in the community, including BluesED, a non-profit youth artist development program and 2018 recipient of a “Keeping the Blues Alive” award this year at the International Blues Challenge. BluesED performers open each PwF concert series and have the opportunity to attend clinics by presenting artists. July 14 supporting artist, Heather Newman is BluesED alum. She first performed on PwF stage with BluesED at the age of 11.

PwF is sustained by grants from the Nebraska Arts Council and the Douglas County Visitor Improvement Fund, as well as private sponsorships, in-kind donations and volunteers. Free-will donations are accepted online and day of show and will be shared, this year, with BluesED.

THE OMAHA STAR

Page Seven

Gaude continued from page 1

repeatedly, spoke about how the late, great James Baldwin is his spiritual mentor. Dr. Glaude is currently writing his own book on Baldwin, tentatively titled, “James Baldwin’s America, 19631972.” He deconstructed Baldwin’s philosophy and how and why James Baldwin “called out” racist America in ways that still demand answers and actions. Dr. Glaude may be the most honest, pull-no-punches African American historian to come along in years. And his critique doesn’t spare his Panel discussion after the James Baldwin documentary own black intellectual peers.

“We are experiencing a new low in movie. Left to right: Peggy Jones, M.A., Dr. Eddie Glaude, black thinking today,” Dr. Glaude said. and Jennifer Harbour, Ph.D. Photo credit: Adrienne Henderson “Too many black intellectuals have given up the hard work of thinking carefully in public about the crisis facing black America. The idea of the intellectual who reads widely and deeply and who critically engages the complexity of our times has been supplanted by the fast-talking ‘black Ph.D. pundit’ who strives to be on CNN, Fox or MSNBC. “Too many black intellectuals have sold their souls for a mess of pottage, while the misery in black America deepens.”

Yet, Dr. Glaude has done all those television shows, too, and much more. He has appeared on the Tavis Smiley Show, Fox News Hannity & Colmes Show, CNN, MSNBC, and C-SPAN. Along with noted scholars Dr. Cornel West and Michael Eric Dyson, Dr. Glaude also appeared in the documentary, “Stand,” produced and directed by Tavis Smiley. He is a contributor to the Huffington Post, as well as contributor and panelist during the Black State of the Union. In 2007, he delivered the Founder’s Day Convocation keynote address during the 140th anniversary of Morehouse College.

Yet, Dr. Glaude still believes that the average brother or sister in the barbershop or beauty shop has just as much sense as he does and relishes contact with the community. He loves conversation and dialogue, the harder, the tougher, the better.

That’s because Dr. Glaude also prefers to keep his mouth shut and actually listen to people. He never loses sight that his writing, his books, his incredible academic career, his students’ course work and projects, should connect to issues affecting the daily existence of millions of African Americans who are still bearing the weight of 400 years of racism and white supremacy in this country.

“Baldwin’s writing does not bear witness to the glory of America,” Dr. Glaude said. “It reveals the country’s sins, and illusion of innocence that blinds us to the reality of others. Baldwin’s vision then requires a confrontation with history (with slavery, Jim Crow segregation, with whiteness) to overcome its hold on us. Not to posit the greatness of America, but to establish the ground upon which to imagine the country anew.”

The Leonard and Shirley Goldstein Lecture on Human Rights is presented by the Religious Studies Department, the Goldstein Center for Human Rights, and the Goldstein Family Community Chair in Human Rights in the College of Arts and Sciences at UNO. The lecture is designed to keep UNO and the Omaha community, as a whole, informed about human rights issues and activities. Dr. Glaude was the 19th speaker in the annual series.

The heart of his message to over 400 attendees at the lecture focused on what he calls the “value gap” in America – the belief that white people are more valuable than all other Americans, and the terrible “racial habits” that value gap has created in this country.

“Race over-determines how we understand democracy,” Dr. Glaude said. “Abraham Lincoln condemned slavery, yet still believed that black people were inferior to white people in every way.

Racism deforms the people who believe in it and it prevents and blocks the way for all Americans to rise and be the very people a true democracy needs to thrive and succeed.

“The black freedom movement in this country has fought for centuries to close this value gap.

Segregation is never about ‘choice.’ It’s about laws and covenants that help condition millions of Americans to a racially-favored way of life that is no longer sustainable in an America where whites are rapidly becoming the minority.

“Most white Americans do not believe themselves to be racist, yet their actions maintain a value gap between what white people think of themselves and what they think of black people, and reproduces the inequalities of racism.

“One of the interesting aspects of the nation’s history is how every time there is a breakthrough in equality and human relations, instead of growing and becoming the basis for lasting change, it leads to white backlash, violence and a resurgence of racist behavior. The Reconstruction era after the Civil War, led to decades of re-enslavement and degradation of African Americans. The Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, was answered by Nixon’s law and order movement, ultra-white conservatism and eventually the mass incarceration of millions of black people. Even the Obama Presidency, which I have criticized extensively for his shortcomings in improving the lives of African Americans, led to the Tea Party, the Birthers, and Donald Trump.”

It’s this unyielding “value gap” in America that fuels the nation’s one step forward, two steps back history of racial relations. Dr. Glaude noted that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. declared that America needed a “revolution of values.” White Americans cannot continue to give lip service to equality and democracy but then live daily lives that prevent the fulfillment of those very values.

“One of the most exhausting features of black existence in America is the daily struggle to convince white people that what is happening to us is real. The black life and culture that whites condemn us for is nothing more than the reflection of the failure of America to extend equal protection and value to all its citizens.

“The objective is not segregation, or even assimilation, but the just and equitable distribution of social values and resources. As long as we view equality as a kind of charitable enterprise, something white folks give to other folks, we’re always going to be behind the eight ball. The goal is for every human being to be afforded dignity and standing. And white people aren’t the measure for that,” Dr. Glaude said.

Pulitzer continued from page 1 evoking Pennsylvania coal-mining life around the turn of the 20th Century.” In 2012, “Silent Night: Opera in Two Acts” by Kevin Puts took the victory. “A stirring opera that recounts the true story of a spontaneous cease-fire among Scottish, French and Germans during World War I, displaying versatility of style and cutting straight to the heart,” the board quipped.

While Lamar’s win is a groundbreaking accomplishment, it follows a trend of Black music and artists earning the recognition they have not received on for so long.

In January Nielsen announced in its Nielsen Music report that hip hop and R&B for the first time passed rock as the nation’s largest music genre. Lamar’s “DAMN.” played a role.

“Powered by a 72 percent increase in on-demand audio streaming, eight of the top 10 albums came from the world of rap or R&B” – including Lamar’s now Pulitzer Prize-winning album, Reuters reported in January.

Lamar’s album explores themes including police brutality and racism. He even samples a Fox News segment on the album that criticized part of Lamar’s earlier album, “To Pimp a Butterfly.”

And he has not been afraid to express these themes in his performances. Earlier this year at the Grammys he delivered a powerful opening act that included his dancers dressed in hoodies dropping to the ground one by one to the sound of gunshots – a tribute to Trayvon Martin.

This has not been without negative responses, though. Geraldo Rivera, in 2015, spoke about Lamar on Fox News’ “The Five.” According to Rivera, Lamar and hip hop have “done more damage to young African Americans than racism in recent years.” He also said Lamar’s performance at the BET Awards, during which

he stood on a police car, was “exactly the wrong message.”

Lamar samples parts of the segment on two songs, “BLOOD.” and “DNA.” and refers to the incident and Rivera directly on the track “YAH.”: “Interviews wanna know my thoughts and opinions / Fox News wanna use my name for percentage / My latest muse is my niece, she worth livin’ / See me on the TV and scream: ‘That’s Uncle Kendrick!’ / Yeah, that’s the business / Somebody tell Geraldo this n***a got some ambition.”

Rivera took to Twitter on Monday to give himself a pat on the back for Lamar’s album.

Lamar’s album did not garner him the Grammy for Album of the Year, but it did win the Best Rap Album award for 2018. And it was recognized by Rolling Stone as the No. 1 best album of 2017.

“DAMN. debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated May 6, 2017, and spent four nonconsecutive weeks atop the list. It marked his third straight No. 1 effort, following untitled unmastered. (2016) and To Pimp a Butterfly,” Billboard reported.

Lamar’s victory comes just after the first weekend of Coachella, at which Lamar made appearances in a couple of performances.

Fellow Black musician Beyoncé made history at Coachella as the first Black woman to headline the event, receiving massive amounts of praise for her critically acclaimed performance.

Black artists are making strides in film, too.

Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther” this month surpassed “Titanic” to become the third highestgrossing film of all time in North America. The movie has a Black director and predominantly Black cast – and features music from numerous Black artists, with Lamar appearing on several tracks.

It’s an Apartment NOT AN ASHTRAY Live without someone else’s smoke when you use RentSmokeFree.org to find your next apartment or home. This FREE online service by the Metro Omaha Tobacco Action Coalition (MOTAC) connects you to smoke-free housing located throughout the Omaha metro.

Find a place that has everything you want – without the smoke.

RentSmokeFree.org for your next apartment or home

This project is supported in part by Region 6 Behavioral Healthcare through funding provided by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services/Tobacco Free Nebraska Program as a result of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.

Page Eight

LIFE & STYLE/HEALTH & WELLNESS April 20, 2018 The Best Of Ask Alma Beyoncé Brings Black Pride to Coachella Friend Won’t Let Go of Ex

By Sheryl Estrada

THE OMAHA STAR

By Alma Gill NNPA Newswire Columnist

Dear Alma, My friend is a single mother. Her husband left her and their three children to be with a younger woman he had been working with.

He said the new woman was his soul mate. My friend was devastated and I understand. It’s been almost a year now and she still continues to spiral into a deep depression. Now I can hardly recognize her. She had kinda let herself go before he left but now she’s just gone downhill. What’s worst is she constantly talks about her ex-husband in the worst of ways in front of her children. She tells them that their father left because he doesn’t love them and she calls him names and lashes her anger out towards them. She will even posts nasty things about him on her Facebook page, and I’m sure her teen daughter can see it. I feel sorry for her kids and I’m not sure what to do. How do I get her to understand she has got to get a grip and start taking care of her children?

Sheila, Waldorf, Md. Hi Sheila, I hear you and yes, I have a horizon full of advice for her bright as the morning sun. But, TBT, it doesn’t matter ‘cause she wouldn’t entertain this dance at dawn even if it knocked on the front door with a box of chocolates and a dozen long-stemmed roses. I mean no judgment, no shade, truly I understand ~ it’s because her heart is broken. While drowning in the pain of rejection, negativity is all she has to offer. The

assassination of her marriage has overwhelmed her and she’s not sure where to go or what to do. When living with a broken heart, unwanted criticism isn’t welcomed. You’ll need to tread lightly and be creative when replacing her sour lemon juice with real cane sugar, sweet tea.

Let’s start with casual conversations about parenting. Discuss the pain experienced by children seated in between an emotional tug of war. One parent’s critical comments about another are extremely hurtful for a child to endure. We’d all agree, kids deserve limitless love and affection from both parents, married, separated or divorced. Down the road, if a mate turns out to be a rubbish receptacle, it’s not the fault of our kids. Bottom line, we must love them, our children, more than we hate our ex partners. Adults adhere a horrible resistance to correction, me included, and I don’t know why, especially when I’m pissed. This will take time and can translate into a meaningful support system between friends. Be patient and kind, she’s hurting. There’s no need to fly a flag of her faults, we all have them and are sometimes blinded by our own unfiltered light. She has been delivered a traumatic blow to her very core. Find out if she’ll consider therapy. Yes, she needs to reroute her anger and be strong for her children, but she can’t give what she doesn’t have and right now she’s not right with herself. She needs professional intervention and a good friend to hold her accountable. Take her to church. Give her a number to reach out to social services. She has a big step to take and she needs your help like yesterday. Don’t waste another day trying to change her. She doesn’t need changing, she needs healing and healing the right way, takes time.

Alma

Something to Talk About

‘In All Thy Getting …

Get An Understanding’

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has carved a place in Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival history as the first Black woman to headline the event.

The traditionally hipster/bohemian festival took a journey into Black America with Queen Bey at the helm.

Throughout her two-hour show on Saturday, streamed live on YouTube from Indio, Calif., the superstar continued the theme of Black pride celebrated in her 2016 visual album “Lemonade,” and her Super Bowl halftime performance the same year.

Beyoncé, 36, gave a tribute to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the U.S. by incorporating a drumline. The performers included alumni of Florida A&M University, Tennessee State University, Alabama State University, Alabama A&M University, Prairie View A&M University, Hampton University, North Carolina A&T University, Norfolk State University, Bethune-Cookman University, University of Georgia, Kennesaw State University and more.

They are members of the show “Drumline Live,” according to Don P. Roberts, creator, director and music director of the show based on the 2002 film starring Nick Cannon.

Dressed in yellow and black, an ode to “Lemonade” and the Beyhive, her legion of followers, Beyoncé also paid tribute to historically Black fraternities and sororities by creating her own on stage: BDK – Beta Delta Kappa.

Some fans on social media have said the B is for Beyoncé, the K for Knowles and the D for the delta symbol, a Greek letter meaning change, which her husband Jay Z uses in “The Roc” hand symbol representative of his music label, Roc-AFella Records.

More than 100 musicians and dancers were

REACH Addressing Health Disparities

Racial and ethical approaches to community health (REACH) is a bi-weekly column featuring articles that focus on reducing health disparities in the African American community. It will include topics submitted by Creighton University Health Sciences Multicultural and Community Affairs (HS-MACA) department.

By Dr. Richard L. Brown, Ph.D., FACHE Executive Director, REACH, Creighton University

By Ashley Marie Dantzler What we don’t understand … we fear. Who we don’t know … we decide to avoid. Recently, I made the decision to avoid something and someone because of the fear that they would not understand. I found a truth, people won’t understand unless they are educated. Ignorance is appealing. It looks nice and it feels nice to stay in our comfort zone. We miss out on teaching moments when we stay in this zone. I’m not going to give you reading material about coming out of your comfort zone … you’ve read it … I’m sure. I’ve read it, and we both know that stepping out of this zone makes us vulnerable, it opens wounds and allows us to be hurt, in some extreme cases even changed. But it also allows us to be freed. Free from the fear that man has put in us, with their words, with their actions, and with their thoughts.

The stigma that rests in mental illness is real. The words, actions, and thoughts of people filled with ignorance can hurt us and open wounds causing them to fester.

However, there is an ointment for these open sores … the truth. People are freed everyday by the truth. Whether spiritually or naturally; the truth will make you free.

Writers and leaders have said, “The truth only hurts once.”I can believe this and find that there is some validity to their words. However, in my opinion, the truth may hurt once, but it may take a moment to heal; maybe several moments. Having had surgeries before, I know that healing is rough. Things sometimes must get worse before they get better.

I’ve written before about the fear that people put in us and how we can escape it.

But today I challenge you to use an escape route. My map is simple, the instructions incredibly clear. Confront your fears and stop avoiding the people and the obstacles that those people bring. It’s not going to be easy. It wasn’t easy for me, but mental illness stigma must stop. It has to stop for this country and yes, even this world to move on.

We can’t move on, we can’t accept and help those in need unless someone uses their God given voice to make a change.

My challenge is not just to those mentally ill, but to their support systems as well, and even to you that have yet to reveal your struggle. All our voices are needed. We are all members of a collective group called humans, and as human beings it is our responsibility to coexist on this earth, with nobility and respect.

The destruction of stigma in this world is important. As important as any other movement that shakes the foundations of criticism and unfairness across the globe.

Your personal movement is just as important, if not more.

Move for change and move for it now. Face fears and understand that everyone won’t get it, but someone will.

If you are ready to fight stigma in our community and abroad there are people that will listen to you and help you understand how you can join the movement. See these website for more information. www.goodthearpy.org www.nostigmas.org

Join us for Omaha’s Together To End StrokeM Walk rallying the Omaha community to promote stroke awareness and prevention.

Saturday, June 2 9 a.m. Walk | Fontenelle Park Pavilion Refreshments | Awards | Giveaways TEAMS consist of two or more family, friends and/or co-workers.

The largest team registered by May 19 will get the traveling trophy.

REGISTRATION FEE: $6 for youth 12 and under; $10 for adults S/M/L/XL; $13 for adults XXL/XXXL Register by May 19 online at Heart.org/Omaha to get t-shirt (Walkers are welcomed later, but will not receive a t-shirt.)

Register Today at: www.heart.org/omahaptes Questions? Call 402-444-3367 email Theola.Cooper@cityofomaha.org Thanks for supporting the walk!

©2018 American Heart Association. Also known as the Heart Fund. MWA

behind the artist in a pyramid formation wearing the same colors and showed the crowd how members of the Divine Nine step.

In addition, Beyoncé gave a rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” written by James Weldon Johnson and often called the Black national anthem. It was performed for the first time by 500 school children on Feb. 12, 1900, in Jacksonville, Fla., in celebration of President Lincoln’s birthday.

During her breath-taking performances, Beyoncé uttered quotes from Malcolm X and Nina Simone as #Beychella trended on Twitter.

Olivier Rousteing of Balmain designed her costumes throughout the show, including a nod to ancient Egyptian Queen Nefertiti.

Beyoncé fans took notice of all of the symbolism, including a crest she wore that featured a black fist and a black panther – representing the Black Power movement of the 1970s.

In her 2016 Super Bowl halftime show performance, she and her dancers paid tribute to the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense in the Bay Area, and both praise and backlash ensued.

The crest she wore on Saturday also included a replica of Nefertiti and a bee, which symbolizes the Beyhive.

Beyoncé also included Jay Z; her sister, Solange; and a brief reunion of her former girl group, Destiny’s Child, in her set.

The 11th Annual Addressing, Health Disparities will take place April 28 from 8 a.m. till 4:30 p.m. at the Hixson-Lied Auditorium G-04, on the campus of Creighton University. The address is 2555 Burt St. The guest speaker this year is Mustapha Santiago Ali, Senior Vice President of Climate Environmental Justice Community Revitalization for the Hip Hop Caucus. He is the former Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The goal of the conference is to increase the community’s knowledge, skills, and ability to address health disparities and the effects of ecological and built environmental issues on chronic diseases.

At the end of this workshop, the participants should be able to: • Describe “Environmental Justice” and “Environmental Health” • Recognize the different environmental factors that define our community’s health • Discuss strategies for developing, implementing, and evaluating environmental improvements • Recognize the role of individuals in providing environmental justice.

The following is a snapshot of the events of the day: Presentation: Dr. Frank T. Peak Memorial Health Disparities Essay Contest Sade Kosoko-Lasaki, MD, MSPH, MBA, FAAS, Lyris Peak 8:30 a.m. - Presentation by Essay-Contest Winner 8:50 a.m. - Review of activities of the Center for Promoting Health and Health Equity (CPHHE) in Community Academic Partnerships’ Perspective (2017-2018) Speaker: Doris Lassiter, Chairperson 9:05 a.m. - Lead Poisoning and the Superfund Speaker: Shannon Melton, MPH (Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance)

9:20 a.m. - North Dakota Access Pipeline Speaker: Nicole Ducheneaux, JD 9:50 a.m. - Environmental Changes and its Impact on Health Moderator: Steve Jackson, MPH Video: “Uniontown: Environmental Health Hazards” Recorder: Errik Ejike, MPH Video: “Here’s How Flint’s Water Crisis Happened” Recorder: Errik Ejike, MPH 10:50 a.m. - BREAK 11:00 a.m. - Panel Discussions: Community Revitalization and the Environmental Impact Moderator: Chris Rodgers, MBA, MPA Speakers: Richard Brown, PhD, FACHE (REACH) Julie Smith, MS, BGS (One Omaha) Othello Meadows, JD (75 North) Jeff Spiehs, BS (MAPA) Noon - LUNCH 12:15 p.m. - Economics and its Impact on the Environment Speaker: Dell Gines, PhD. (Kansas Federal Reserve) 1:00 p.m. - Transportation and the Environmental Impact Speakers: Meagan Walker, BA, BS (Omaha MAPA) 1:15p.m. - Keynote Address – Environmental Justice Keynote Speaker: Mr. Mustafa Ali (Hip-Hop Caucus) 2:30 p.m. - BREAK 2:45 p.m. – Breakout Sessions Group A: Violence Prevention and Social Justice Facilitator: Thomas Warren, MS; Recorder: John Pierce, JD Group B: Nutrition, Food, and Produce Facilitator: Roselyn Cerutis, PhD; Recorder: Mr. Joel Dougherty Facilitator: Timothy Dickel, EdD, MCC; Recorder: Jeffrey Smith, PhD, NCC, PLMPH 3:45 p.m. - Breakout Session Reports 4:00p.m. - Q & A / Closing – Sade Kosoko-Lasaki, MD, MSPH, MBA, FAASS 4:15 p.m. - Evaluations – Mervin Vasser, MPA REGISTRATION Call 402 280 5659 https://2018healthdisparities. eventbrite.com.

Trump Administration Issues Rule Further Watering Down Obamacare Administration has used its regulatory power to undermine Obamacare after the Republican-controlled Congress last year failed to repeal and replace the law.

The Trump administration took additional steps to weaken Obamacare recently, allowing U.S. states to relax the rules on what insurers must cover and giving states more power to regulate their individual insurance markets.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a final rule that allows states to select essential health benefits that must be covered by individual insurance plans sold under former President Barack Obama’s healthcare law. The 2010

Affordable Care Act requires coverage of 10 benefits, including maternity and newborn care and prescription drugs. Under the new rule, states can select from a much larger list which benefits insurers must cover.

That could lead to less generous coverage in some states, according to Avalere Health, a research and consulting firm.

President Donald Trump’s administration has used its regulatory power to undermine Obamacare after the Republican-controlled Congress last year failed to repeal and replace the law. About 20 million people have received health insurance coverage through the program.

The new CMS rule also allows states the

possibility of modifying the medical loss ratio (MLR) formula, the amount an insurer spends on medical claims compared with income from premiums that is also a key performance metric. A state can request “reasonable adjustments” to the medical loss ratio standard if it shows that it could help stabilize its individual market.

Insurers could also have an easier time raising their rates under the new rule.

Obamacare mandated that premium rate increases of 10 percent or more in the individual market be scrutinized by state regulators to ensure that they are necessary and reasonable. The new CMS rule raises that threshold to 15 percent.

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April 20, 2018

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April 20 – Young artists from the Union for Contemporary Art’s After School and Saturday Art Clubs will host their Youth Exhibit with an opening reception, from 6-7:30 p.m., in the Wanda D. Ewing Gallery, 2423 N. 24th St. The artists explored a variety of ways in which they could illustrate the world from their perspective.

For more info, phone 402-933-3161.

April 20 – RivALZ, is a fundraiser that engages young professional women in a friendly but fierce flag football game that will be played at Omaha Sports Complex, 14706 Giles Rd. Kickoff is 7 p.m. To learn more about RivALZ visit alz.org/RivALZ. April 21 – The American Heart Association and the Omaha Power Council will host POWER-A-THON, from 10 a.m. till noon, at Girls Inc., 2811 N. 45th St. Bring your family and friends to this free event.

April 21 – Nebraska’s 9th annual Lymphoma Walk will be held at Mahoney State Park at 10 a.m. with registration at 9:00. The event is free, vehicles must purchase a park permit at the gate.

A free picnic will follow the walk. For more info, contact Dana Bork at 402-612-968-3757 or dbork@lymphoma.org.

April 21 – Omaha NAACP Primary Election Candidate Forum will be held from noon - 2 p.m., at Love’s Jazz & Arts Center, 2510 N. 24th St. For more info, phone 402.345.6227.

April 21-30 – Want to be a comedian?

Writing and performing a standup comedy act and learning how the industry works from an insider’s point of view are the topics that will be covered when The Funny Bone Comedy Club hosts workshops on April 21, 22 and 29, from noon until 4 p.m. Participants will perform their standup acts on April 30 at 7 p.m. For more info and to register visit www.TheComedyBook. com, phone 440-315-4077 or email Dave@ TheComedyBook.com April 23 - Omaha drummer and Jazz experimentalist Dana Murray will perform an album release show at Slowdown. The album, The Negro Manifesto, blends jazz, spoken word, rap, hip-hop and experimental music. Murray’s project seeks the true roots of the system that creates and perpetuates injustice. Not a tidy story with simple answers - it’s a noisy and deep chasm of universal struggle. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The show begins at 7:00. For tickets or more info, visit: www.slowdown.com.

April 25 – Big Mama’s Kitchen and Black Men United will host “Candidate Forums Election 2018,” a series of forums for the Nebraska primary election, at Big Mama’s Kitchen, 3223 N. 45th St., from 12-1:30 p.m.

Featured are OPS Board of Education District 2 & 8 candidates, Marque Snow, Zachary H. Bioko, Marlon Brewer, Kimara Snipes.

April 28 – North Omaha Spring Cleanup.

To find your neighborhood’s site location or more info, visit www.wasteline.org/cleanup or phone 402-444-4636.

April 28 – City Sprouts hosts an Arbor Day Celebration from 1-3 p.m., at the City

Sprouts Community Garden, 4002 Seward St. Community members are invited to stop by this fun and free event and bring their children to participate in tree-themed activities, enjoy treethemed snacks, and learn about the importance of trees. Folks who come dressed as a tree will be eligible for a special prize!

April 29 – High-flying adventurers will gather at 4 p.m. to celebrate Nebraska’s first multistation zip line tour with a ribbon-cutting, speakers and refreshments. Soaring Hawk Zip Line Tour gives thrill-seekers a bird’s-eye view of the Elkhorn River Valley and its surrounding forest and prairie. For more info, see the article on the youth page, visit www.girlscoutsnebraska. org/soaringhawk or phone 800.695.6690.

May 4 – Catholic Charities will provide families and individuals fresh produce, bakery and meat items at a mobile food pantry event from 10 a.m. - noon at St. Peter’s Catholic Church (27th & Leavenworth).

May 5 – Participate in the 5th Annual My Sister’s Keeper (MSK) Spring Honors Walk at Benson park pavilion, from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. This walk honors those who have lost their lives to breast cancer, while celebrating with those who are still in the fight. Register today to walk individually, or as a team! T-shirts are available but there is a limited amount. Paper forms can be picked up at the MSK office, 5620 Ames Ave. For more info contact MaxCine Jackson 402-541-5803.

May 5 – Compassion In Action will host “It’s Happening,” an Omaha Gives concert event at Mission Church, 3401 Patrick Ave, from 6-8 p.m. Featured artists include Camille Metoyer, Carol Jeanpierre, Jim & Suzie Merts, Leland Mickles, Jevon Vonte, and Latrice MicklesBrown. For more info, contact Teela Mickles at 402-515-5277 or teela@compassioninactioninc. com May 8 – Reservations are still open for the Salvation Army’s 20th annual D.J.’s Hero Awards Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. at CenturyLink Center Omaha. The speaker is John Elway, a two-time Super Bowl champion. Proceeds from the event go directly to support summer youth enrichment activities, the Back to School program and services for homeless families.

Visit SalArmyOmaha.org for more info. To reserve your seat, phone Elisa Vertuli at 402898-5909.

May 8 – “Wading Into Whiteness,” 2nd in a series of Advanced Cultural Humility Workshops, will be held on the 3rd floor of MCC North Express, 2112 N. 30th St., from 6-9 p.m. The workshop goal is to build bridges and improve cross-cultural communication in a diverse world. This advanced workshop will examine the connections between white identity and white supremacy, and learn how overcoming white supremacy is essential to achieving racial equity and justice. To register: https://coned.mccneb.edu/CourseStatus. awp?&course=18APEVNT004

“One Mother Of A Show: Live In Benson,” featuring Tammy Tyree & Her Mother Lovin’ Band, will offer a Mother’s Day weekend of old skool groovin’ and great performances celebrating Omaha legendary hit makers like Buddy Miles, Maxayn Lewis and Lalomie Washburn. The concert will be held at the Opollo Music Hall, 6052 Maple St., in the heart of Benson, May 11-12.

Her Mother Lovin Band includes The Harris Brothers [Donald, Leonard and Kevin] on sax, keyboards, trombone and vocals; drummer Andre Stennis; guitarist Groovin’ Grover Lipkins; bassist Derek Sanders; saxophonist John Carlotto; LaShanna Adams and Tammy Tyree on vocals.

Tickets are available online at Eventbrite.com. A portion of the ticket sales will benefit the Mildred D. Brown Memorial Study Center scholarship fund.

Outdoor Family Fun Day Features Water, Wildlife and Wonder

Valentine, Ne – The Niobrara National Scenic River (NSR) invites all young explorers, curious water users and future outdoor enthusiasts to the 9th annual Outdoor Family Fun Day. This event offers a variety of activities for kids of all ages, and will be held at Smith Falls State Park this Saturday from 11 a.m. till 3 p.m.

This year’s line-up of amazing activities includes canoeing, a stream table, fishing, archery, creating a replica fossil, and in honor of “Year of the Bird,” bird watching. Attendees may roast their own hot dogs and make s’mores over a campfire. Previous experience is not necessary for any activities. Children who complete all of the activities will earn a special Junior Ranger patch. Participants should arrive early to ensure their spot in a canoe and to participate in all of the activities.

All activities are free of charge, and lunch is included. Smith Falls State Park requires a vehicle parking fee or a Nebraska Game & Parks Commission annual pass. Smith Falls State Park is located 19 miles east of Valentine, Nebraska via Highway 12.

For more information, contact the Niobrara NSR Visitor Center at 401-376-1901, or visit the website at nps. gov/niob or Facebook at facebook.com/NiobraraNSR/.

Experience North O Jazz Scene with Ginetta Vendetta Live Your energy and support are needed to make historical North Omaha an unbelievable destination, attraction, and a place to feel, touch and taste the African American experience! On April 27and 28, Love’s Jazz & Arts Center, 2510 N. 24th St., will present New York’s triple threat female powerhouse Ginetta Vendetta live.

Ginetta sings, plays a jazzy, funky pocket trumpet and continues to attract fans around the world! The doors open at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 8.

Contact Loves Jazz & Arts Center for ticket pricing and reservations at 402-502-5291 or email:ww.lovesjazzartcenter.org.

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National Memorial to Honor Lynching Victims Opens April 26 There was a time in the U.S. when white people would gather in public squares in the Deep South to witness Black men, women or children hanged, burned or amputated, sometimes all of the above. This form of domestic terrorism is a painful part of American history that Bryan Stevenson said needs to be remembered in order to heal the racial divide in this country.

“We can achieve more in America when we commit to truthtelling about our past,” he said in a statement.

Stevenson, a criminal defense attorney who played a role in successfully overturning the wrongful convictions of more than 100 people on death row, is founder and director of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI).

EJI spearheaded the creation of the National Memorial to Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Ala. It is the nation’s first comprehensive memorial dedicated to the more than 4,000 racial terror lynchings of Blacks in a 70-year period following the Civil War, when Black people were supposed to get the right to vote.

“Lynching was especially effective because it would allow the whole community to know that we did this to this person,” Stevenson told Oprah Winfrey in an interview that aired Sunday on “60 Minutes.”

“It was intended to send a message that if you try to vote … if you do anything that complicates white supremacy and white dominance of political power, we will kill you.”

Racial terror lynchings are defined as “acts of violence that were done with complete impunity, where there was no risk of prosecution.” Lynching was not only committed in the middle of the night by members of the Ku Klux Klan, but was also done publicly. They were witnessed and celebrated by thousands of people.

In the “60 Minutes” segment, Winfrey read from a newspaper

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about the lynching of a Black teenager named Jesse Washington in Waco, Texas.

“The news article headline read, ‘Burn Young Negro in Public Square as 15,000 Look On,’ “Winfrey said.

The National Memorial to Peace and Justice was paid for through hundreds of private donations. The memorial structure on the center of the site is constructed of over 800 steel monuments that hang from the ceiling, one for each county in the U.S. where a racial terror lynching took place. The names of the lynching victims are engraved on the columns.

“We wanted people to have a sense of just the scale of what this violence, what this terrorism was,” Stevenson told Winfrey.

During the most active years of lynching, the population of Blacks in the country was an estimated 7 million. Lynching reached its peak in 1892. When configured for today’s population, the 4,000 victims calculated by the EJI translates to about 24,000 lives lost – about eight times the number of people who died on 9/11.

In 2015, EJI, a nonprofit group based in Alabama that fights against racial inequality in the legal system, released the report “Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror.” The report focused on the 12 most active lynching states in the country: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina,

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Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

The National Memorial to Peace and Justice is modeled after important projects in other countries used to overcome difficult histories of genocide, apartheid and horrific human rights abuses. The EJI said it was “designed to promote a more hopeful commitment to racial equality and just treatment of all people.”

A short walk from the memorial, and built on the site of a former slave warehouse, the EJI also created The Legacy Museum, which includes interactive media, sculpture and videography. It immerses visitors in the sights and sounds of the domestic slave trade, racial terrorism, the Jim Crow South, and the world’s largest prison system.

The April 26 opening of the memorial will be accompanied by several days of educational panels and presentations from leading national figures, including civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.).

A Concert for Peace and Justice is scheduled for April 27 and will feature the Roots, Common, Academy Award-winner for “Glory” from “Selma,” Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes, Usher and Kirk Franklin, among others.

“I’m hopeful that sites like the ones we are building and conversations like the ones we’re organizing will empower and inspire people to have the courage to create a more just and healthy future,” Stevenson said.

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YOUTH/EDUCATION NEWS April 20, 2018 Family Fun at City Sprouts Black History Museum Takes Students Arbor Day Celebration and Teachers on Virtual Tour City Sprouts is once again hosting their annual Arbor Day Celebration event on April 28 from 1-3 p.m.

Page Ten

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On March 21, the Executive Director of the Great Plains Black History Museum (GPBHM), Eric L. Ewing, took 230 students and 5 teachers from Irving, TX, Cincinnati, OH, Los Angeles, CA, El Cajon, CA, and Romeoville, IL on a 45-minute virtual tour of the GPBHM. Nepris is an organization that connects industry to every classroom throughout the United States, and allows students to gain exposure to the real world without ever leaving their classroom.

Ewing stated, “with budget restrains schools are limited in the fieldtrips they are able to take, so virtual tours are a great way for organizations to bring learning opportunities to the classroom without impacting the schools budget.�

During the virtual tour the students were able to see and learn about the GPBHM’s founder Bertha Calloway and the museum’s exhibits. They learned about the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Omaha Chapter exhibit which highlighted photos and artifacts from the Omaha chapter. The tour allowed them to see photos, information and artifacts and learn about the

Tuskegee Airmen who called Nebraska Home.

As part of this exhibit the students were able to see a Congressional Gold Medal, which was awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen in 2006. The students were also able to learn about the rich history of Nebraska’s famous African American athletes, such as Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rogers, baseball great Bob Gibson, and Marlon Briscoe, the first African American to start at Quarterback for the National Football League’s Denver Broncos.

The tour was a great way to interact and bring history to students throughout the U.S. Ewing stated, “If the students cannot come to the museum, let’s take the museum to the students.

We hope to make this an annual experience.�

Visit the newest exhibits at the Great Plains Black History Museum, 2221 N. 24th St. The museum is open to the public at no charge Thursday, Friday and Saturday 1-5 p.m.

For more information about the Great Plains Black History Museum, phone 402932-7077 or follow them on Facebook @ Greatplainsblackhistorymuseum.

AAAA Foundation’s LeCount R. and Jewel W. Davis Scholarship The Association of African American Financial Advisors (AAAA) Foundation’s LeCount R. and Jewel W. Davis Scholarship provides financial assistance to deserving African American undergraduate students who are enrolled full-time at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) CFP Board-Registered Program.

Eligible students must be pursuing a career in financial planning, a rising junior or senior, and have a strong academic record with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Applicants who are active in community service and show exceptional leadership potential have higher chances.

Interested students must complete the requirements including the application, transcripts, and letters of recommendation from a faculty member and a professional who can attest to the applicant’s commitment to the financial planning profession.

The award amount is divided: one part will be paid directly for the tuition and fees of the student’s college or university and the other will be given as travel allowance.

Scholarship recipients will be required to attend the AAAA Annual National Conference.

In 1978, LeCount R. Davis became the first African American to earn the Certified Financial Planner designation. At that time, he had no financial support while pursuing his education. Now, the AAAA Foundation, founded by LeCount R. Davis Sr., aims to provide resources and assistance to disadvantaged students.

The deadline for this scholarship is usually in April of each year, and the award amount is usually $2,500.

For more details, visit www.aaaafoundation.org.

Omaha Area College Fair April 29 Students can visit with representatives from nearly 110 colleges during the Omaha Area College Fair, April 29 from 1-3 p.m. at University of Nebraska Omaha’s Sapp Fieldhouse, 6001 Dodge St. This free event is sponsored by EducationQuest Foundation The college fair is especially important for high school juniors who should narrow their college choices before applying for financial aid and college admission early in the fall.

The fair will also help seniors finalize their college decision, and sophomores start their college search process.

Before attending, students should register for a barcode at NebraskaCollegeFairs. org, print the barcode (or download it to their smartphone) and take it to the fair so college reps can scan it.

A list of participating colleges and questions to ask are available in the college fair article at EducationQuest.org.

EducationQuest Foundation is a nonprofit organization with a mission to improve access to higher education in Nebraska.

Headquartered in Lincoln, EducationQuest provides free college planning services, need-based scholarship programs, college access grants for high schools, college access resources for middle schools, and outreach services for community agencies.

For more information, call 800.303.3745 or visit EducationQuest.org.

Girl Scouts Reschedule Zip Line Tour Grand Opening Nickerson, Neb. – Due to wintry weather last weekend, Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska has postponed the grand opening of the Soaring Hawk Zip Line Tour at Camp Crossed Arrows in Nickerson, Neb., near Fremont.

High-flying adventurers (and supportive spectators) will now gather at 4 p.m. on April 29 to celebrate Nebraska’s first multi-station zip line tour with a ribbon-cutting, speakers and refreshments.

Open to the public and to Girl Scouts, Soaring Hawk Zip Line Tour gives thrill-seekers a bird’seye view of the Elkhorn River Valley and its surrounding forest and prairie.

With five runs, or individual zip lines, Soaring Hawk sends riders careening across prairies and through the woods. Runs vary in height and length, building in speed and intensity as the course progresses, and reaching speeds up to 25 mph.

Riders should plan for 2-3 hours to complete the tour, depending on group size, and must be at least 10 years old and weigh between 60 and 275 pounds. Prices vary per person.

To learn more or to make a reservation, visit www.girlscoutsnebraska.org/soaringhawkor phone 800.695.6690.

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at the City Sprouts Community Garden, 4002 Seward St. Community members are invited to stop by this fun and free event and bring their children to participate in tree-themed activities, enjoy tree-themed snacks, and learn about the importance of trees. Folks who come dressed as a tree will be eligible for a special prize!

This event is presented as part of NESciFest 2018, an annual statewide science festival designed to make science accessible, interactive, relevant and fun for kids and adults alike. For more information, visit www.nescifest.com. “We are so pleased to offer this fun, free, and family-friendly celebration in partnership with NESciFest 2018 again this year! We are thrilled to invite the community to learn about trees, and about what we do here at City Sprouts,� said Shannon Gennardo, City Sprouts Community Engagement Coordinator.

In case of inclement weather, the event will take place inside the education center at 4002 Seward St. For more details, please visit www.facebook.com/ events/385222801940475/ or email info@omahasprouts.org.

City Sprouts, a 501c3 nonprofit, is Omaha’s longest-running community garden. Originally founded in 1995, City Sprouts has expanded their facilities from the original community garden to include an education center, an urban farm, a second community garden in South Omaha, and a chicken coop full of laying hens. By providing education on gardening and sustainability, fresh and affordable food, a community gathering space, and employment opportunities, City Sprouts empowers the community to sustainably grow, eat, provide and promote healthy, local foods. Learn more at http:// www.omahasprouts.org.

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