Omaha Star building
Encyclopedia
The Omaha Star building is located at 2216 North 24th Street in North Omaha
, Nebraska
. As the site of publication of the Omaha Star since 1938, the building is notable for its long service to Omaha's African-American community
and its connections to the civil rights movement in the city
. In recognition of its significance, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 2007.
decades, the Near North Side
of Omaha was the center of the city's African-American community when Mildred Brown
and her husband Edward S. Gilbert founded the Omaha Star
in 1938. The building, built in 1923, originally housed a mortuary and then a social hall. Brown lived in an apartment at the back of the building from the founding of the paper through 1989 when she died. (She and her husband divorced in the 1940s.)
Since 1945, the Omaha Star has been the only African-American paper in Omaha. In the 1940s, the building provided a home for the DePorres Club
, an important civil rights organization in Omaha. Brown invited the DePorres Club, a youth-led activism organization
, to use her offices after the group was exiled from nearby Creighton University
.
Brown ensured that the Omaha Star kept the community apprised of national issues, especially the civil rights movement's successes and failures across the country and throughout the city. Journalists researched the issues and presented the facts to its readers, and then urged involvement, but it also provided a voice and a face for the community in general.
The city of Omaha
recently unanimously approved a community development block grant to fund a $40,000 renovation for the building. During the renovation, the building's hallmark 1940s sign was temporarily taken down for refurbishing. The sign features the newspaper's name, a map of Africa
and a large star that lights up at night.
Marguerita Washington, Mildred Brown's niece, has run the paper since her aunt's death. She owns the building. Speaking of the NRHP designation, she said, "I wanted it in recognition for my aunt because of all that hard work she did in the community."
The city dedicated the Mildred Brown Memorial Strolling Park in May 2008 next to the Omaha Star Building. Constructed as a service learning project by students from the Metropolitan Community College
, the park includes walkways and planting beds.
Omaha
Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. As the site of publication of the Omaha Star since 1938, the building is notable for its long service to Omaha's African-American community
African Americans in Omaha, Nebraska
African Americans in Omaha, Nebraska are central to the development and growth of the 43rd largest city in the United States. The first free black settler in the city arrived in 1854, the year the city was incorporated....
and its connections to the civil rights movement in the city
Civil rights movement in Omaha, Nebraska
The Civil rights movement in Omaha, Nebraska has roots that extend back until at least 1912. With a history of racial tension that starts before the founding of the city, Omaha has been the home of numerous overt efforts related to securing civil rights for African Americans since at least the...
. In recognition of its significance, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2007.
History
Through the Great MigrationGreat Migration (African American)
The Great Migration was the movement of 6 million blacks out of the Southern United States to the Northeast, Midwest, and West from 1910 to 1970. Some historians differentiate between a Great Migration , numbering about 1.6 million migrants, and a Second Great Migration , in which 5 million or more...
decades, the Near North Side
Near North Side (Omaha, Nebraska)
The Near North Side of Omaha, Nebraska is the neighborhood immediately north of downtown. It forms the nucleus of the city's African-American community, and its name is often synonymous with the entire North Omaha area...
of Omaha was the center of the city's African-American community when Mildred Brown
Mildred Brown
Mildred Brown was an African American journalist, newspaper publisher, and leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Omaha, Nebraska. Part of the Great Migration, she came from Alabama via Chicago and Des Moines, Iowa...
and her husband Edward S. Gilbert founded the Omaha Star
Omaha Star
The Omaha Star is a newspaper founded in 1938 in North Omaha, Nebraska by Mildred Brown and her husband S. Edward Gilbert. Housed in the historic Omaha Star building in the Near North Side neighborhood, today the Omaha Star is the only remaining African-American newspaper in Omaha and the only one...
in 1938. The building, built in 1923, originally housed a mortuary and then a social hall. Brown lived in an apartment at the back of the building from the founding of the paper through 1989 when she died. (She and her husband divorced in the 1940s.)
Since 1945, the Omaha Star has been the only African-American paper in Omaha. In the 1940s, the building provided a home for the DePorres Club
DePorres Club
The DePorres Club was an early pioneer organization in the Civil Rights Movement in Omaha, Nebraska, whose "goals and tactics foreshadowed the efforts of civil rights activists throughout the nation in the 1960s." The club was an affiliate of CORE.-History:...
, an important civil rights organization in Omaha. Brown invited the DePorres Club, a youth-led activism organization
Youth activism
Youth activism is when the youth voice is engaged in community organizing for social change. Around the world, young people are engaged in activism as planners, researchers, teachers, evaluators, social workers, decision-makers, advocates and leading actors in the environmental movement, social...
, to use her offices after the group was exiled from nearby Creighton University
Creighton University
Creighton University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by...
.
Brown ensured that the Omaha Star kept the community apprised of national issues, especially the civil rights movement's successes and failures across the country and throughout the city. Journalists researched the issues and presented the facts to its readers, and then urged involvement, but it also provided a voice and a face for the community in general.
The city of Omaha
Government of Omaha
The government of the City of Omaha, Nebraska consists of the Mayor of Omaha, the Omaha City Council and various departments of the City of Omaha, which in located in Douglas County, Nebraska. The city of Omaha was founded in 1854 and incorporated in 1857....
recently unanimously approved a community development block grant to fund a $40,000 renovation for the building. During the renovation, the building's hallmark 1940s sign was temporarily taken down for refurbishing. The sign features the newspaper's name, a map of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and a large star that lights up at night.
Marguerita Washington, Mildred Brown's niece, has run the paper since her aunt's death. She owns the building. Speaking of the NRHP designation, she said, "I wanted it in recognition for my aunt because of all that hard work she did in the community."
The city dedicated the Mildred Brown Memorial Strolling Park in May 2008 next to the Omaha Star Building. Constructed as a service learning project by students from the Metropolitan Community College
Metropolitan Community College (Omaha)
Metropolitan Community College is a public community college with multiple campuses located throughout the Omaha, Nebraska metro area.- About :...
, the park includes walkways and planting beds.
