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Like Kansas City's Tenderloin District, Omaha's Near North Side was home to a vibrant jazz scene from the 1920s to the 1960s. The Dreamland Ballroom attracted the top performers from across&nbsp;the country-legends like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, and Count Basie all played here. (The Dreamland was located in the Jewell Building at 24th and Grant).&nbsp;North Oahaha had its own calibers of national prominence. The Dan Desdunes Band.<br><p>The Center was born of a revitalization effort in North Omaha, Nebraska in June of 2005 when a historic building was renovated and became the community’s first art museum and gallery with performance arts capability. The mission of Love’s Jazz and Art Center is to preserve, promote, and present African American Art and Jazz, and the Center certainly has a rich history to draw from.&nbsp;</p><p>From the 1920’s through the 1960’s a thriving jazz and blues scene that attracted the best swing, blues, and jazz bands from across the country was located in the heart of city’s African American community. The corner clubs on 24th and Lake attracted legendary musicians like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, and the original Nat King Cole trio. But the Omaha scene didn’t just attract top-flight jazz and blues musicians; the area was a hotbed for incredibly talented local musicians. Some, like Preston Love and Anna Mae Winburn would become internationally acclaimed themselves. Love, who worked with such legends as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, The Four Tops, The Temptations, and Marvin Gaye, noted that North Omaha used to be a hub for black jazz musicians. He called it, “the triple-A league, where national bands would go to find a player to fill out their ensemble.”&nbsp;</p>

The members of the local community look upon the museum and performing arts center with great pride.

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Named in honor of international jazz legend Preston Love Sr., the Center offers a space for performing arts as well as classrooms and an art gallery. The Center also includes displays that share the history of North Omaha and its place in the larger narrative of American jazz.

Love's Jazz and Arts Center

This tour begins at Love's Jazz and Arts Center and concludes at the Great Plains Black History Museum, with stops at several current and former black institutions. The tour also includes the locations of several episodes of violence, including the infamous lynching of Will Brown and Omaha Race Riot that led to hundreds of attacks against African Americans in 1919. 

Omaha African American History Tour

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<p>The church building was designed by Clarence Wesley “Cap” Wigington, one of 59 black architects during this time. With the leadership of Rev. W. T. Osborne, the first African American minister assigned to work in Nebraska, the church prospered for five years. Membership grew from the years 1912-1917 to 390, which encouraged the construction and relocation of the church. The church moved from 24th Street to its present location shortly after this time.&nbsp;</p>

St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church was established in 1865, two years before Nebraska achieved statehood.  The first congregation for African Americans in Nebraska, 

St. John A.M.E. Church 

<p>The
Omaha Star (Nebraska’s only black weekly newspaper) was established July 9, 1938
by the late Mildred D. Brown. Brown was believed to be the first female,
especially the first African American female, to have started a newspaper in
the United States’ history. She was known for being a strong black woman, and
would never let men relegate her to a stereotypical female role. When Brown
passed away in 1989, the paper’s ownership passed onto her niece, Dr. Marguerita
Washington.</p>

<p>For more
than 70 years, the Omaha Star has been printing positive news and being a
vigilant champion to help improve the lives of African Americans. The star has
also worked tirelessly throughout the years for equal rights for Blacks. The star
led the charge to open restricted public accommodations to Blacks and also
helped black teachers in the Omaha public school systems gain equal
participation. Because of the Omaha Star’s record of never missing an edition
and its legendary work for Black equality, the newspaper has won many awards.
The star was inducted into the Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame on
July 9, 1996, has won a Golden Spike Award and is a member of the National
Newspaper Association.</p><p>The
Omaha Star has documented African American lives throughout some of the most
important eras in the United States: the Depression, WWII, the Great Migration,
and the civil rights movement. Located in the heart of Omaha’s black community,
the star continues to be a symbol of strength, education, and culture. &nbsp;</p><p><sub></sub></p>

The Omaha Star is Nebraska's oldest (and only) black weekly newspaper.  The Star was established on July 9, 1938, by Mildred D. Brown and her husband.  Following the couple's divorce shortly thereafter, Mildred Brown took over ownership and editorial duties at the newspaper, making her one of the very few female newspaper owners and editors in American history.    For more than 70 years the Omaha Star has provided "positive news" for Omaha's black community.  

The Omaha Star 

<span><p>In the early 20th century, Jim Crow ran rampant throughout the South and had made it's way up North. The idea of separate but equal had seemed like a plausible idea, but as history shows us, there was no equality in the separation of the black and white facilities and resources.&nbsp;Thanks to these harsh Jim Crow Laws, social institutions were segregated, places such as nightclubs and bars would restrict blacks from entering white only places. However, these restrictions would not stop the black community from gathering and enjoying each other's companies. It would be up to the community to form it's own places to socialize. Throughout the country, black owned nightclubs and bars served as the community's cultural hub. These places are&nbsp;where black musicians could play and where black audiences could listen, drink, and dance. Omaha Nebraska was no exception, with few places to call their own, the Dreamland Ballroom quickly became the center of black culture.</p><p>The Dreamland Ballroom was located in the Jewell Building, a&nbsp;cultural hub built in 1923 by James Jewell Jr. &nbsp;The ballroom was a must stop destination for many of the big jazz musicians of the day. It could hold a twenty piece band ensemble and the dance floor could hold up to two-hundred people. Louis Armstrong, The Count Basie Band, and Duke Ellington are just a few of the musicians that played within the nightclub. With hardly any places allowing blacks entrance into nightclubs, it was up to the community to form their own entertainment centers, and the Dreamland Ballroom was the place to be. </p><p>The Ballroom was also where some local black jazz musicians began their careers. Preston Love, a saxophonist, had started off by standing in for the Count Basie Band; He was then offered a permanent position to tour with them. He eventually stopped touring with the band, and started his own, The Preston Love Orchestra, back home in Omaha before leaving to become Motown Record’s bandleader. The Dreamland Ballroom had also served as a USO, or United Service Organization, for African-American soldiers in 1945, they provided services such as live entertainment. It was a soldiers “home away from home” where he could relax and listen to great music.</p><p>The Dreamland Ballroom was open until 1965 and is considered a historical landmark in Omaha. Preston Love. From the first days of the nightclub to it’s last, it served as the premier black entertainment center for Jazz.</p><div>The Jewell Building was not only home to the Dreamland Ballroom, but also housed the Tuxedo Pool Hall and Barbershop. Both were located on the first floor of the building. The barbershop had been opened by Deadeye Marcus "Mac" McGee in the late 20's, who was a endured Jim Crow in the south and had moved to Omaha during the Great Migration. His barbershop quickly become the spot to get a clean smooth cut and shave for the black community in Omaha, people would be lined up outside waiting for a haircut. This was also a center for&nbsp;many local activists to&nbsp;gather, such as the former head of the local chapter of the NAACP, John Butler.&nbsp;there to discuss the&nbsp;The Tuxedo Barbershop was one among many thriving black business and closed in the 1970s.<br><br>Today the North Omaha Economic Development group&nbsp;occupies the Jewell Building.<br><br></div></span>

The Dreamland Ballroom was an important jazz, blues and r&b music venue in the heart of Omaha's African-American community.  Located on the second floor of the Jewell Building on 2221 N. 24th Street, the Dreamland ballroom hosted many of the top black musicians during its heyday from the 1930s through the early-1960s.

Jewell Building and Dreamland Ballroom

<p>The Fair Deal Café was a staple in
North Omaha’s community for almost 80 years, with its most prominent time under
the ownership of Charlie Hall from 1953 into the late 1990’s. Under the
management of Mr. Hall and his wife the Café became a key foundational place in
North Omaha not only because of fantastic food they served or the manner in
which they served the food but the feeling people got when they entered the restaurant.
It became known as “Omaha’s Black City hall”<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[1]</a>
because it was a key point during the civil rights era, where activists, politicians
and common people could all come to the same place to enjoy a meal, talk about
the difficulties facing the community and the steps to take action to combat
these difficulties. For this unique place it became known around the Midwest as
a key point to a lot of people especially African Americans, prominent African American
nationally such as Jesse Jackson and others along with local leaders like Ernie
Chambers, Ben Gray along with other city councilmen would go to the café.</p><p>The Café closed in 2003 after
changing ownership in the late 1990’s from the Hall family that ran it for over
50 years. The café was in grained into the African American community not just
as place to get food and be around others in the community but as a successful
business ran by fellow African Americans which not Omaha lacked but national
American had very few businesses in predominately African American communities
ran by people in that community. There has been signs of hope for the return of
the café in some capacity over the couple of years. With the demolition of the original
building the land will be used to create the Fair Deal Village Marketplace on
the block, where a grocery store along with 12 smaller businesses will call
home. One of those 12 businesses will be the Fair Deal Café resurgent<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[2]</a>.
The marketplace is expected to open up in the fall of 2016 providing a grocery
store to a community that has not had one in at least 40 years and also
returning a place of historical significance to the community.&nbsp;</p>

The Fair Deal Café from 1953 until its closing in 2003 was a pillar of the African American community through its iconic soul food and service. The more significant contribution this café had to history was that it was a meeting place for all kinds of people within the community from activists to politicians, the cafe was used as a meeting place and discussion table for everyone inside of the community. It was fondly dubbed the "Black City Hall" of Omaha during the civil rights era and became known round the midwest for its ability to be both a restaurant and meeting place. 

The Fair Deal Café

<p>The Omaha DePorres Club was founded in November of 1947 and
had carried out their first year of meetings on the Creighton University
campus. Founding participants of the club mainly consisted of Creighton
students and black Catholics of Saint Benedict’s Church. Beginning actions of
the Omaha DePorres Club included going to churches nearby to question why
blacks were not welcome to attend school there. This resulted in many allowing
black students, however, it also caused Fr. William McCabe, the president of
Creighton, to ask the club to find a new meeting place.<br></p>

<p>&nbsp;From October 1948 to September of 1950 meetings were held at
the new “Omaha DePorres Center” which was built out of a storefront for sale
on 24th and Grace. Here, the club held weekly forums about racism,
held dances, and created youth groups for Omaha children. The Omaha DePorre’s
members also took a stand here against local businesses who refused to hire
black employees. They took a particular interest in the Omaha and Council
Bluffs Street Railway Company. In the summer of 1949 they gathered a whopping
2432 signatures on a petition this marks the beginning of a five year campaign
for the Omaha DePorres Club. Along with the railway company the club worked
specifically in July of 1950 to boycott Edholm-Sherman Laundry until it would
hire blacks who were barred from working the front office or drive delivery
trucks. This boycott was an overall success resulting in blacks being hired to
work for the laundry company. Due to the club's inability to keep up with the
$40 monthly rent in September of 1950 the Omaha DePorres Club would once again
have to find a new place to meet.</p>

<p>In October of 1950 the club got word that Mildred Brown, publisher of Omaha’s black newspaper the <i>Omaha Star</i>, offered to let the club meet
in her offices for free. This would remain the club’s home for the next four
years while they continued their campaigns against both the Omaha and Council
Bluffs&nbsp; Street Railway Company and
Edholm-Sherman Laundry. Along with these ongoing campaigns they also worked to
boycott Omaha’s Coca-Cola Bottling Company and Reed’s Ice Cream for their
hiring practices which ended up being successful boycotts. These campaigns and movements were very important especially during a time when racially motivated crimes and injustices were frequently, if not nearly always,&nbsp;gotten away with. This marks a period where African Americans realize they have power economically through staging protests and boycotts in order to force the city to negotiate towards their demands.</p><p>In 1954 due to pressure from the Omaha DePorres Club, the
Omaha NAACP, and the Omaha Urban League, the Omaha and Council Bluffs Street
Railway Company finally caved to the pressure and began allowing black drivers
for the Omaha bus system. This win marked the beginning of a five year break of
the Omaha DePorres Club. In 1959 Wilbur Phillips, a club member since the
1950s, brought the club back in order to fight the racially discriminatory
hiring practices of Omaha Public Schools. During this year long campaign
Phillips led the club to protest and take action against the system. After a
year without progress the club decided to disband once again and has now become
a part of history.</p>

Omaha's DePorres Club, one of the leading civil rights organization in Omaha, maintained an office and headquarters at this location from 1948 to 1950. The organization had two other headquarters and served the community from the late-1940s through to the early-1960s. This Catholic-centered, integrationist organization was created by a group of young people from Creighton University and the nearby North Omaha community as a vehicle to challenge racial discrimination in the city.  Over the years, the DePorre's Club led a series of non-violent campaigns and protests against employment and housing discrimination, as well as educational inequality.  Notably, the group led a successful protest campaign against the local bus company in the early 1950s, before the more famous Montgomery Bus Boycott.  Fr. John Markoe and Denny Holland were key leaders in the group.

The DePorre's Club, 1947-1960

<p>On
August 17, 1970, eight Omaha police officers responded to an anonymous
emergency call talking about a domestic disturbance at a North Omaha house.
When officers arrived on the scene at 2867 Ohio Street just after 2 a.m., they
found an abandoned home and no such dispute. Just inside the door, two officers
spotted a small suitcase. When one of them opened it, the suitcase exploded,
killing officer Larry Minard and critically injuring officer John Tess. Minard
was 29.</p>

<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Omaha Police believed the local
Panther group to be responsible for the bombing. After a controversial trial,
Ed Poindexter and David Rice, who emerged as leaders of the Omaha Black
Panthers, were convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison on April 17,
1971. Poindexter was a discharged Army veteran and postal worker, while Rice (now
known as Wopashitwe Mondo Eyen we Langa) was a young civil rights activist and
reporter for two local, underground newspapers. Both Poindexter and Rice were
leaders of the Black Panther Party’s National Committee to Combat Fascism, or
NCCF. It’s been reported that the Omaha BPP was removed from the national
organization in August 1969 due to anonymous letters disparaging Poindexter and
we Langa. One letter accused we Langa of “reluctance to follow the party line”
by accepting employment from a government-funded agency called Greater
Community Action. Another letter accused Poindexter of mishandling party funds.</p>

<p>Their
trial, known as “The Omaha Two” trial is considered very controversial,
because many believe Poindexter and we Langa weren’t treated fairly. Some argue
there was a strong lack of physical evidence linking the two men to the
bombing. Many also pointed to the convenient disappearance of the 911 tape
while in police custody prior to the trail, the jury being nearly all white (11
out of 12 members), the attack on Poindexter and we Langa’s political ideology
during the proceedings, and widespread surveillance and intimidation of the
Omaha Panthers by local police and the FBI. While Poindexter’s shirt and we
Langa’s pants pockets tested positive for dynamite fragments, their hands did
not. There was also what some believe to be a coerced confession by the
prosecution’s key witness, fifteen-year-old Duane Peak. Peak, a former NCCF
member, confessed to planting the bomb and placing the phony 911 call. Peak
told police two weeks after Minard’s death that he saw Poindexter assemble the
bomb in we Langa’s home with the suitcase and dynamite provided by we Langa. Peak
changed his testimony up to six different times, but the first degree murder
charges against Poindexter and we Langa were upheld. Peak was allowed to plead
guilty to juvenile delinquency, and served four years in juvenile detention.</p><p>The “Omaha Two” case has attracted
local and national interest over the last 40 years. There was even
international interest when human rights organization Amnesty International
demanded a new trial for Poindexter and we Langa. We Langa denied committing
the crime numerous times, saying the dynamite found in his home after Minard’s
death was planted, before his death in the Nebraska State Penitentiary on March
11, 2016. He was 68. Poindexter is currently 71 and still in the penitentiary,
where he’s been for the past 45 years.</p>

The “Omaha Two” refers to the controversial case of Ed Poindexter and Mondo we Langa (formerly David Rice), two Omaha Black Panther Party leaders who were convicted in 1971 of the murder of white Omaha Police officer, Larry Minard, and sentenced to life in prison under what many saw as questionable, or unjust, circumstances.  The case of the Omaha Two has attracted national and international attention over the years, with Angela David and Danny Glover coming to speak on their behalf, and Amnesty International describing the men as prisoners of conscience.  

The Case of the "Omaha Two"

<div>Given the brutality many African Americans faced when they attempted to integrate into the larger society, Malcolm X advocated racial separatism over integration and believed that the black community should work toward becoming economically and politically independent of white people and white institutions. Malcolm X preached non-violence, but he also believed in the legitimacy of violence when it was necessary for self-defense. In 1952, Malcolm X joined the Harlem- based Nation of Islam- the Black Muslims- and quickly became a spokesperson for the Nation of Islam under the tutelage of Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm X's charisma was unmatched, and his wit was truly unrivaled.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The house was destroyed in 1965, with little attention as few made a connection between the house and the influential civil rights activists at that time.&nbsp;</div>

This site was the childhood home of Malcolm Little, who was born on May 19, 1925, and would later change his name to Malcolm X to symbolize the brutality of slavery that included the loss of the right to name one's own children. Malcolm X would go on to become one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century. His parents, Earl and Louise Little lived at this home and it was here that Malcolm came into the world. Earl Little was a Christian minister and was active in the local community. In his autobiography, Malcolm X states that he and his family left the Omaha community for Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1926 because of threats of the Ku Klux Klan. 

Malcolm X Birthsite and Malcolm X Memorial Foundation 

<div>Omaha newspaper, "the Omaha Bee", published an article highlighting African-American men's rage against defenseless white women. One of the women featured was&nbsp;19-year-old white woman, Agnes Loebeck. Who claimed that she had been assaulted by a black man. She and her boyfriend identified Will Brown, a 40-year-old meatpacking worker with a muscle deformity as the assailant.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Brown was taken into custody, but not before a small angry mob caught word and approached the house demanding that he be brought over to them. The police were able to transport Brown safely to the courthouse, but only for a moment. On September 28, 1919, the small mob grew into thousands who marched downtown Omaha in attempts to seize Brown. The crowd's rowdiness escalated out of control as they fired upon the courthouse as well as set it on fire. Mayor Smith attempted to ease the crowd, yet only to his demise as he was tortured at the hands of the crowd. Mayor Smith, who was beaten over the head and hung by a lamppost, was soon rescued.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Like Smith, Brown ended up in the hands of the angry mob. Yet there was no cavalry for his pleas. He was beaten unconscious, dragged to a nearby lamppost and hung by his neck. While hung, Brown was shot at several times. Brown was then taken down, tied to the back of a car and dragged to the intersection of 17th and Dodge (the address posted). Finally, Brown's body was burned severely.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Brown maintained his innocence through the last few moments of his life.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Will Brown's death is considered one of the "largest spectacles of violence directed towards an individual" in the United States. After enduring brutal torture, Brown died at this location and observers posed for pictures next to his burning corpse.&nbsp;</div>

On September 28, 1919, a mob of several thousand men, women, and children surrounded and stormed the Douglas County Courthouse in order to lynch Will Brown, an African American man who had been accused but not convicted of raping a white woman. The incident was the culmination of a summer filled with economic tension that often led to attacks against African American families who had arrived in the city during World War I. After months of investigation, the only arrests were related to the destruction of the courthouse even though thousands witnessed the slow and tortuous murder of Will Brown at the hands of dozens of the city's white residents.  

Omaha Race Riot and Lynching of Will Brown, 1919

<p>The University dates back to 1908, when the&nbsp;University of Omaha was established as a private college by the Presbyterian Theological Seminary of Omaha. The school became a municipal college in 1930, the same year that this building was erected. &nbsp;</p><p>Arts and Science Hall is home to one of the first African American Studies departments in the United States. The&nbsp;Black Studies Department at the University of Nebraska was founded in 1969 out of the crucible of protest and politics during the Black Power era. &nbsp;</p><p>The founding of the University of Nebraska Black studies department all started when, on November 10th, 1969 50 years after the infamous race riot of 1919 in Omaha, and 1 year after the assassination of Dr. King, 54 black students had a sit-in in the office of the then president Kirk Naylor. This was after a joint press conference between the BLAC (Black Liberators for Action on Campus) and Naylor where he responded to the BLAC’s demands. Some of the demands that were made included the firing of two student center faculty members, student control of the student center, and a black studies program. After Naylor dodge the questions the BLAC asked the press to leave and the sit-in began. The sit-in was meant to address how black people had little to no voice at the University and hoped to induce change. Other students weren’t happy with how Naylor handled the sit in by calling the police and having all 54 of the students arrested and a seventh demand that they all be released was added to the list the next day. The sit-in seemed to be a failure until the media began to cover the issue, the media dubbed the sit-in participants the “Omaha 54” and once the media began covering the issue the group began to gain community support.&nbsp;</p><p>	Following the sit-in progressive action was taking place in the form of student-faculty committees, studies, and proposals for the black studies department. The student and faculty senates came out in favor of the idea of a black studies department, support on the campus was also widespread. A key supporter, the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Vic Blackwell, came forward and initiated the Black Studies Action Committee which would ultimately approve the creation of the department.&nbsp;</p><p>	While the department was mainly a paper creation at first,&nbsp;in 1970 Melvin and Margaret Wade were recruited from the University of California from Saint Barbara’s Black Studies Department to help transition the department into reality. Melvin said that he and his wife interviewed around 200 students faculty and staff to gauge where the interest for what the department should look like was. The Black Studies Program at UNO was one of the first of its kind and is still going today with options of both a major and a minor. The department has seen it’s challenges since it was created in the form of potential budget cuts but it has overcome them each time and has been operating continuously for over 45 years.&nbsp;</p><p>













</p><p>One of its premier annual events, the Black Studies Department at UNO also hosts a Malcolm X Festival that includes plays, music, academic presentations, and informational discussions about African American experience in the U.S. and across the diaspora. “This is opportunity to share our history of culture, and our experience with those not of the African diaspora,” said Dr. Sharif Liwaru president of the Malcolm X Foundation in Omaha. Many of the presentations done at the festival are done by instructors in the department. Most of the presentations are focused towards black lives matter movements but there are open dialogues about what it is like to be a minority in america. “The attendees must come in with an intention to learn, and they must also have a goal mindset,” Liwaru said. This is a very unique event where anyone can go and expand their understanding of race and race relations in america.</p>

Constructed in the midst of the Great Depression of the 1930s, this campus building is home to the oldest college at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the College of Arts and Sciences. This college and building houses the departments of History, Geography, Anthropology, Chemistry, Biotechnology, Latino/Latin American Studies, Native American Studies, Physics, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Women's Studies, and more.   

Arts and Science Hall, UNO

Growing up in a rough part of South Detroit, Briscoe often attributes his success to the competition of tough athletes in his neighborhood. &nbsp;Before his college days, he was a high-school phenom. &nbsp;Briscoe earned all-city and all-state honors in both basketball and football. Once he was drafted by Omaha University he continued to set records. He won 3 conference championships there as well as lettering in basketball in the years 1967 and 1968.<br><br>Earning the nickname "The Magician", Briscoe was considered one of the greatest athletes ever produced by the city of Omaha. He didn't stop there. In 1968 he was drafted 14'th pick&nbsp;by the Denver Broncos where he became the first ever African-American to play quarterback in the NFL. In his rookie season, he started 5 games in which he through for 1,589 yards and 14 touchdowns! &nbsp;His longest pass was a 66 yard pass to running back Floyd Little. &nbsp;<br><br>His professional career took many turns. &nbsp;He was sent to the Buffalo Bills in 1969 where he played wide-receiver for the first time in his life. &nbsp;He did well at receiver; pulling in 32 passes for 532 yards and 5 touchdowns that season! &nbsp;His next year with the Bills would be one of his greatest. &nbsp;He had 57 catches for 1,036 yards and 8 touchdowns. This type of play earned him a spot in the pro-bowl and All-AFC and second team All-NFL. He would only play one more season with the Bills before being traded to the Miami Dolphins.<br><br>The Bills traded him to Miami as exchange for a first round draft pick in which they were able to draft future hall of fame guard Joe&nbsp;DeLamielleure. &nbsp;Briscoe played well for the Dolphins. They went undefeated won two straight superbowls. Briscoe caught 16 passes for 4 touchdowns in one of those seasons and 30 catches in the next one! He would go on to play for the Chargers, Lions, and the Patriots before finishing up his career. &nbsp;Overall, he had&nbsp;224 career catches for 3,537 yards and scored 30 touchdowns. His statue will be at Baxter Arena in Omaha this September to celebrate his athletic accomplishments there.&nbsp;<br>

This statue, to be dedicated September 23, 2016, honors the career of trailblazer Marlin Briscoe. In an era when African American football players were steered towards positions such as running back and wide-receiver, Briscoe defied those who attempted to dissuade him from playing quarterback-a position of leadership that was previously reserved for white players. Briscoe became the first African American quarterback in the modern era of the National Football League. However, despite a record-setting rookie year with Denver, Briscoe would never again play quarterback. His release by the Broncos convinced him that he would need to become a position player, and he reinvented himself as a wide receiver. This statue will be the first to an athlete on the UNO campus when it is dedicated in September, 2016. In addition to this statue, West Omaha Studio is working to create a motion picture about Marlin's life and career.

Statue of "The Magician" Marlin Briscoe at the University of Nebraska-Omaha

<p><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The museum has been in existence for 30 years.&nbsp; During these years it has been dedicated to
teaching people about the African American culture in the area.&nbsp; While the museum is open to everyone, the
museum does have a certain audience in mind for the museum.&nbsp; This audience consists of the main African
American community, people living in the area, kids in school, and
visitors.&nbsp; The museum is a place to teach
people of the specific history it holds and therefore has a certain lesson plan
in mind.</span></p>

<p><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The museum is a community and learning place to praise
identity and accomplishments made by African Americans.&nbsp; These accomplishments concern the creation of
and the finalizing of the Great Plains area.&nbsp;
It provides an explanation for the history of the African Americans in
the area and their heritage by having knowledge on the history of African
Americans in not only the rest of the country but around the world.<sub>1</sub>&nbsp; The museum has many partnerships and
committees.&nbsp; <span>The museum is found in the
Crossroads Mall facing Barnes &amp; Noble Booksellers.<sub>2</sub></span></span></p>

	The Great Plains Black History Museum is dedicated to highlight the important historical and heritage aspects of people of African heritage both in the Great Plains of the United States and from all over the country and world.  The museum has collections and research that is used for its exhibits and to provide a location that shows pride, education, and praise to African Americans and to the kids going to school in the area.  The museum is a non-profit community organization.  Not only does it keep the historic aspects of African Americans in the area but it also possesses modern aspects as well.

Omaha African American History Tour

Love's Jazz and Arts Center

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information