''The'' ''Omaha Star'' is a newspaper founded in 1938 in

North Omaha, Nebraska North Omaha is a community area in Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States. It is bordered by Cuming and Dodge Streets on the south, Interstate 680 on the north, North 72nd Street on the west and the Missouri River and Carter Lake, Iowa on the ea ...

, by

Mildred Brown Mildred D. Brown (December 20, 1905–November 2, 1989) was an African-American journalist, newspaper baker, and leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Omaha, Nebraska. Part of the Great Migration, she came from Alabama via New York and Des Mo ...

and her husband S. Edward Gilbert. Housed in the historic

Omaha Star building The Omaha Star building is located at 2216 North 24th Street in North Omaha, Nebraska. As the site of publication of ''The'' ''Omaha Star'' newspaper since 1938, the building is notable for its long service to Omaha's African-American communit ...

in the Near North Side neighborhood, today the ''Omaha Star'' is the only remaining

African-American newspaper African-American newspapers (also known as the Black press or Black newspapers) are news publications in the United States serving African-American communities. Samuel Cornish and John Brown Russwurm started the first African-American perio ...

in Omaha and the only one still printed in Nebraska. It may be the only newspaper in the United States started by an African-American woman.

History

The first issue of ''The'' ''Omaha Star'' was published on July 9, 1938, at their offices at 2216 N. 24th Street in North Omaha. Five thousand copies were printed and sold for ten cents each. With the banner "Joy and Happiness", the ''Star'' featured positive news about the black community in

. Celebrating positive African-American families, role models and accomplishments, the ''Star'' quickly became a pillar of the North Omaha community. By 1945 it was the only black newspaper remaining in Omaha, the state's largest city. In the 1950s the ''Omaha Star'' won national respect by reporting the Omaha African-American community's perspectives on local and national news. Readers were encouraged to vote and run for office. The

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 COR ...

, an early youth-led Omaha-based civil rights group founded in 1947, met at the offices of the ''Omaha Star'' in the early 1950s after

Creighton University Creighton University is a private Jesuit research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate and undergra ...

kicked them off campus. As publisher, Brown used pressure to persuade advertisers to accept blacks in more positions. Her coverage of civil rights and riots in the 1960s earned her commendations from President

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

. After Brown died in 1989, her niece, Dr. Marguerita Washington, took over leadership until her own death in 2016. In 2019, the newspaper assets were purchased by the Mildred D. Brown Memorial Study Center. The paper continues today as a biweekly print and digital subscription publication.

Present

Today the ''Stars circulation is approximately 30,000 and is distributed to 48 states. A 2001 survey found each copy of the paper is read six times before being discarded. In its 80-plus-year history, ''The Omaha Star'' has never missed an edition. Omaha

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

legend

Preston Love Preston Haynes Love (April 26, 1921 – February 12, 2004) was an American saxophonist, bandleader, and songwriter from Omaha, Nebraska, United States, best known as a sideman for jazz and rhythm and blues artists like Count Basie and Ray Char ...

worked as an

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

specialist for the ''Star'' before his death. In spring 2006 the paper's building was designated an

Omaha Landmark This article covers Omaha Landmarks designated by the City of Omaha Landmark Heritage Preservation Commission. In addition, it includes structures or buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places and those few designated as Nati ...

by the

City of Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

. In January 2007, the Omaha City Council awarded a community development grant to the ''Omaha Star'' for remodeling purposes. The Star building is located in the North Omaha Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area and the North 24th Street Business District. Marguerita Washington, the owner and publisher, announced a partnership with Metropolitan Community College to create a memorial adjacent to the Star office to honor Washington's aunt and ''Star'' founder Mildred Brown. Metropolitan Community College students began landscaping on the "Mildred Brown Strolling Park" in 2007. In 2020,

Symone Sanders Symone D. Sanders-Townsend (born December 10, 1989) is an American political strategist and commentator. She served as national press secretary for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders during his 2016 presidential campaign. She left t ...

' mother, Terri D. Sanders, was named the new publisher.

Honors and recognition

* 1996 - The ''Star'' was inducted into the

Omaha Chamber of Commerce The Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce is the chamber of commerce in Omaha, Nebraska. When United States Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke spoke to the chamber in 2007, his comments were noted for his continued endorsement of globalization. ...

Business Hall of Fame * Received the Golden Spike Award presented by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. Established in 1979, the award recognizes businesses that have made outstanding contributions to the Omaha economy. * 2007 - Dr. Marguerita Washington founded the non-profit Mildred D. Brown Memorial Study Center in honor of her aunt, for scholarships for journalism students. It is located at the Omaha Star building. The ''Omaha Star'' is a member of the

National Newspapers Publishers Association The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), formerly the National Negro Publishers Association, is an association of African American newspaper publishers from across the United States. History The NNPA was founded in 1940 when John H ...

. *In 2008 the

was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

for its important association with the civil rights movement.

References

External links

Official Website

1953 editorial about Omaha school segregation
''Omaha Star''. {{African American press Landmarks in North Omaha, Nebraska African-American newspapers African-American history in Omaha, Nebraska Newspapers published in Omaha, Nebraska History of North Omaha, Nebraska Newspapers established in 1938 African-American newspapers published in Omaha, Nebraska 1938 establishments in Nebraska

History

Present

Honors and recognition

See also

References

Further reading

External links