The "N" in Nebraska means . . .

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NEBRASKA
Nebraska has always played the race card. Don't blame the messenger.

 

BACKGROUND  - “Elite,” politically powerful and affluent White men in the State of Nebraska have perpetually created, enforced, and sustained legislation, laws, and cultural standards to discriminate against Black people and other people of color. Black people in Nebraska have always existed in a perpetually "abusive and submissive relationship" unilaterally governed by "elite," politically powerful and affluent White people, and perpetually bereft of self-representation or access to appeal. Re-read the previous sentence. The “Big Picture” point? - Nothing changes.

1.     Throughout the 1830s, large-scale relocations of indigenous Native American tribes (Shawnee, Delaware, Kickapoo, Kaskaskia, Peoria, Ioway, Lakotah, Omaha, Ponca, Miami, etc.) born in and residents of Nebraska, notably Chief Standing Bear, and unilaterally categorized by “elite,” politically powerful and affluent White people as confiscated  “Indian Territory” and immediately and forcefully removed to present-day Oklahoma, and elsewhere, a process ordered by the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and known as the Trail of Tears. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas%E2%80%93Nebraska_Act#Effect_on_Native_American_tribes

2.     The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 (10 Stat. 277) was a territorial organic act that created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. The division between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces caused by the Act gave rise to the anti-slavery Republican Party.  The Act, and the tensions over slavery it inflamed, were key events leading to the American Civil War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas%E2%80%93Nebraska_Act   Keep in mind . . . In 1859, the Daily Nebraskian newspaper reported its favoring of slavery, writing: The bill introduced in [Omaha City] Council, for the abolition of slavery in this Territory, was called up yesterday, and its further consideration postponed for two weeks. A strong effort will be made among the Republicans to secure its passage; we think, however, it will fail. The farce certainly cannot be enacted if the Democrats do their duty.

3.     In 1861 the territorial legislature passed a bill prohibiting slavery in Nebraska, but the governor vetoed it.

4.     In 1865, although the Nebraska Territory prohibited slavery, at first the legislators limited suffrage only to "free white males," as was typical of many states. Following the Civil War, having this clause in the proposed 1866 Nebraska State Constitution delayed Nebraska's entrance to the Union for nearly a year, until the legislature changed it.

5.     In 1891, Joe Coe, a Black man, is lynched by a mob for allegedly raping a white woman. No one was charged or convicted for his murder.

6.     In 1919, After being beaten, then lynched, then shot, Will Brown, a Black man, was then dragged all over downtown Omaha, and then, if he wasn't already dead, burned to death in the center of downtown Omaha, Nebraska on September 28, 1919 (below). Keep in mind, it's always been "open season" to beat and kill Black people! Obviously, many photos were taken of this . . . atrocity. Here's another photo of close-up images, but again, although 120 or more White people were indicted for involvement in the beating, stabbing, shooting, hanging, burning and murder of Will Brown, not one person was successfully prosecuted, and all White people were eventually released after serving no term of imprisonment. This "historical footnote" is just one well-documented example of the perpetual meaning of "Being Black," especially in Omaha, Nebraska.     Henry Fonda May 16, 1905 to August 12, 1982 Henry Fonda watched the murder of Will Brown! Let’s not forget that, prior to becoming a legendary actor, 14-year old Henry Fonda (father of Jane Fonda and Peter Fonda) watched as a Black man, Will Brown, was beaten, then lynched, then shot, and then burned to death in the center of downtown Omaha, Nebraska on September 28, 1919. After supper, [my dad] put me in the car with him and we drove back downtown [to the printing office]. And it was very unusual for me — for my dad to be taking me at my age and turning lights on and unlocking doors and going up the stairs. It’s not like doing it in the daytime. I remember those physical things, and walking across this empty office to a window that overlooked the courthouse square. This was where the riot was happening. My father never talked about it. He never preached about it. We both just were observers. […] It was the most horrendous sight I’d ever seen. […] My hands were wet and there were tears in my eyes. All I could think of was that young black man dangling at the end of a rope. Henry Fonda

7.     Throughout Nebraska's entire history, the State of Nebraska and local governments within the state enacted and enforced “redlining” to intentionally segregate and prohibit Black people from access to employment, business opportunities, education, health care, recreation, real estate, public services - everything! Nebraska did not wait for “urban segregation” to be legally authorized by the U.S. federal government with the National Housing Act of 1934 or establishment of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). The introduction of the interstate highway system through Omaha, Nebraska legally expanded "redlining" to intentionally destroy Omaha's Black community (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5kAEbtZ7H8&t=68s). The Union for Contemporary Art in Omaha, NE presents How redlining and interstate highways intentionally wrecked Black communities in Omaha, Nebraska 2006 to 2010. . . AND IT'S ALWAYS BUSINESS AS USUAL! Between 2007 and 2022, as "branded" by the City of Omaha, there's absolutely no evidence to validate any targeted and sustained improvement in the socio-economic status of Black people in Nebraska. 7.1 - Omaha Public Schools remains a cesspool, the worst performing K-12 public school district in metro Omaha. Between 2007 and 2022, neither Omaha Public Schools or the State of Nebraska "improved" educational performance and outcomes for Black male students. CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE A current assessment of the public school districts for the six-(6) cities with populations immediately larger than Omaha and the public school districts of the six-(6) cities with populations immediately smaller than Omaha reveals the average graduation rate is 82.68 percent, and that OPS is below this average with a graduation rate of only 77% for 2019 (which actually dropped to 73.46% for 2020), with OPS ranked 10th among the 13 per school districts. U.S. POPULATION RANK SCHOOL DIST 2022 % GRAD % GRAD RANK 33 Fresno 85.10 6 34 Tucson 86.00 5 35 Sacramento 85.00 7 36 Mesa 82.00 9 37 Kansas City 74.90 11 38 Atlanta 84.20 8 39 Omaha 77.00 10 40 Colorado Springs 71.00 13 41 Raleigh 90.50 2 42 Virginia Beach 94.20 1 43 Long Beach 87.00 3 44 Miami 86.00 4 45 Oakland 72.00 12           AVG 82.68   QUESTION: Between 2007 to 2022, did the OPS graduation rate outperform the peer school districts above, or outperform local Westside Community Schools, Ralston Public Schools, Millard Public Schools, and Elkhorn Public Schools? RESPONSE: No. 7.2 - Black residents of Omaha have the highest rates of unemployment, from 12% to 30%, versus less than 5% for White citizens. In 2007, Omaha had the third-highest Black poverty rate in the United States. 7.3 - Black residents of Omaha have highest per capita poverty, especially Black children, as reported by the Omaha World-Herald in May 2007. In 2005, Omaha’s percentage of Black children in poverty* ranked No. 1 in the nation, with nearly 6 of 10 Black kids living below the poverty line. Plus, As reported in the "2020 Nebraska Minority Population Report Card" by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, according to the U.S. Census, there were 92,902 non-Hispanic African Americans in Nebraska in 2018. This number represented approximately 4.8% of the total Nebraska population and saw an increase of 13.4% between 2010 and 2018. Compared to the White population, 30.3% of the African American population is under the age of 15, 75.4% were younger than 45 years, and 6.8% were 65 years and older. The Empowerment Network reported there are only 27,173 Black people living in North Omaha. Numerically, 8,233 children or 30.3% of this population is under the age of 15. Additionally, the legal age of majority in Nebraska is 19, therefore, children between 15 and 18 must be included for an accurate data compilation and analysis. 7.4 - Black youth are the highest number of incarcerated juveniles, which reconciles with harsher punishments against "students of color" in Omaha Public Schools than their white peers, leading to a higher number of youth of color incarcerated. Black and Hispanic students represent more than 70 percent of those involved in school-related arrests or referrals to law enforcement. Currently, African Americans make up two-fifths and Hispanics one-fifth of confined juveniles. 7.5 - Black residents have the worst access to health care; Blacks comprise 4% of Nebraska's population but 35% of all HIV/AIDS cases! Blacks in Nebraska have the highest rate for HIV/AIDS at 59.3 per 100,000 vs. 5.3 per 100,000 for White males. Black females in Nebraska have the majority of HIV/AIDS cases at 54%. STD/HIV/AIDS and obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and other diseases at epidemic levels throughout Nebraska’s Black community, but Whites have closed public access to health care facilities in the minority community. Sources: >> 2007 Nebraska HIV/AIDS Epidemiological Profile by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services >> 2009-2013 Report >> 2015 Report >> 2020-NE-HIV-AMONG-BLACK-PEOPLE >> 2021-NE-MINORITIES-HEALTH-DISPARITIES Nevertheless, through 2020 and beyond, “elite,” politically powerful and affluent White people who control all aspects of public and private health in Nebraska closed or reduced minority access to health care facilities in Nebraska, and especially to health facilities located in North Omaha where most Black people live. The "status quo" of Black people having limited access to health care in Nebraska continues. Don't be Black and sick in Nebraska . . . 7.6 - Black residents have the lowest rate of new business growth 7.7 - Black residents have the lowest rate of home ownership 7.8 - Black residents live in or near the largest amount of historically “redlined,” abandoned, and poorly performing real estate 7.9 - Black residents live in or near the most environmentally unsafe areas in Omaha containing a fully-functional coal plant and the largest lead superfund site in the U.S. 7.10 - Black residents live in or near the most dangerous, criminally "unsafe" areas in Omaha. Given #1 through #10 above, and looking at the "big picture (below)," as originally conceived, defined, and established by "elite," politically powerful and affluent White people, the socio-economic status of Black people in Nebraska is unchanged. IT'S STILL BUSINESS AS USUAL!

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8. On June 24, 1969, Vivian Strong, a 14-year-old Black girl, was killed in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, when a white police officer shot her in the back of the head without warning. After being suspended and then fired, the officer was charged with and pleaded not guilty to manslaughter. After the case, in which he personally testified, he was acquitted by an all-white jury and served two more years on the Omaha police force.

9.    As well-documented between 1880 to 2022, the single most effective tactic to keep Black people in their place . . . is the perpetual practice and focus of the State of Nebraska to incarcerate Black men, not to employ Black men. As researched and published by Clare V. McKanna, Jr. in "Seeds of Destruction: Homicide, Race and Justice in Omaha, 1880 - 1920," The Black homicide rate didn't fall between 1880 to 1920; that's 39 years, that's Omaha's "brand," and nothing has changed. As researched and published by the U.S. Department of Justice and the University of Nebraska-Omaha, "Criminal Justice Policy Focus, Number 91-1," between 1975 and 1989, 55% of homicide victims were Black, and the remaining 45% were White; that's 14 years, that's Omaha's "brand," and nothing has changed.

As reported by UNO, from 1975 to 1989 (fourteen years) 55% of homicide victims in Omaha were Black; the other 45% were White. From 2007 to 2022 (fifteen years) 57% of homicide victims were Black (see graphic below).

Please note as detailed by the above exhibit, despite the fact North Omaha's Black population dropped from 45.3% in 2010 to 35.0% in 2020, and despite the fact White homicides slightly dropped during this same time period (although the average number of total homicides remained the same), nevertheless, the Black homicide rate (i.e., gun violence) has increase every year since 2016 - from 48% (2016) to 50% (2017) to 68% (2018) to 74% (2019) to 76% (2020)! Do the math. In 2009 there was a total of 30 homicides, 17 or 57% were Black; in 2020 there was a total of 37 homicides, 28 or 76% were Black! Where's the progressive and sustained reduction in Black homicides? Plus, between 2007 and 2022, the average number of White homicide victims was 16; conversely, the average number of Black homicide victims was 20. Keep in mind, Omaha's Black population has ranged from 9% to 11% of Omaha's population, against a White population of 85% to 90%.

CLICK ABOVE GRAPH TO ENLARGE Year Number of Homicides in Omaha Number (%) of Black Homicides Source: Violence Policy Center Report; FBI; Department of Justice 2007 34 5 (14.71%) To download 2007 report, click here. 2008 44 0 (0.0%) To download 2008 report, click here. 2009 30 17 (56.67%) To download 2009 report, click here. 2010 34 26 (73.47%) To download 2010 report, click here. 2011 43 30 (69.77%) To download 2011 report, click here. 2012 41 31 (75.61%) To download 2012 report, click here. 2013 42 25 (59.52%) To download 2013 report, click here. 2014 32 26 (81.25%) To download 2014 report, click here. 2015 50 27 (54.00%) To download 2015 report, click here. 2016 29 14 (48.28%) To download 2016 report, click here. 2017 30 15 (50.00%) To download 2017 report, click here. 2018 22 15 (68.18%) To download 2018 report, click here. 2019 23 17 (73.91%) To download 2019 report, click here. 2020 37 28 (75.68%) To download 2020 report, click here. 2021 32 TBD Data not provided in response to FOI request. 2022 30 18 (60%) Data not provided in response to FOI request. 2023 TBD TBD TBD       In 2010, one of every four drivers pulled over by Omaha police officers was Black. Omaha Police Department stops and arrests Black drivers at rates higher than their proportion of the population. Source: Martha Stoddard, Omaha World Herald, April 6, 2010. Plus, as documented in the report, "Anatomy of Traffic Stops," by former City of Omaha Public Safety Auditor Tristan Bonn, Omaha Police are decidedly adversarial toward Blacks.       In 2011, the national Black homicide victimization rate was 17.51 per 100,000. For that year, Nebraska ranked first as the state with the highest Black homicide victimization rate. Its rate of 34.43 per 100,000 was nearly double the national average for Black homicide victims. 2011 Ranking State Number of Homicides Homicide Rate per 100,000 1 Nebraska 30 34.43 2 Missouri 235 33.38 3 Michigan 447 31.54 4 Pennsylvania 419 219.02 5 Oklahoma 74 25.51 6 Louisiana 375 25.30 7 Kansas 44 24.97 8 Wisconsin 86 23.22 9 West Virginia 15 22.79 10 North Dakota 2 21.99 2012 Ranking State Number of Homicides Homicide Rate per 100,000 1 Missouri 247 34.98 2 Nebraska 31 34.93 3 Michigan 492 34.77 4 Pennsylvania 452 31.02 5 Louisiana 384 25.75 6 Indiana 157 25.48 7 Oklahoma 73 25.04 8 Wisconsin 91 24.38 9 California 585 23.25 10 Tennessee 246 22.40 2013 Ranking State Number of Homicides Homicide Rate per 100,000 1 Indiana 213 34.15 2 Missouri 216 30.42 3 Michigan 428 30.34 4 Nebraska 25 27.65 5 Oklahoma 81 27.36 6 Pennsylvania 384 26.11 7 Wisconsin 93 24.74 8 Louisiana 350 23.33 9 California 549 21.79 10 New Jersey 268 20.49       An objective assessment of violent crime in Omaha reveals Police acts of violence are independent of criminal activity in Omaha. Given the data analysis above: Keep in mind . . . When is comes to publicly killing innocent and unarmed Black men and women, Minneapolis greatly pales in comparison to Nebraska! The murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin (photo at right) on May 25, 2020 is insignificant to Nebraska's very "public" beating, lynching, shooting, and dragging the dead body of Will Brown all over downtown Omaha on September 28, 1919 . . . or the murders of Joe Coe, or Vivian Strong, or Marvin Ammons, or George Bibins, or James Scurlock, etc. In fact, without regard to the "public outrage" over George Floyd, as established and sustained by “elite,” politically powerful and affluent White men in the State of Nebraska, it has always been open season to beat and kill Black people, especially Black men. As captured in the following videos, Black people in Nebraska have always existed in a perpetually "abusive and submissive relationship" governed by "elite," politically powerful and affluent White people; and especially White men and their minions who dictate and enforce laws based on their skewed, bias, and overtly subjective assessment of "Justice." Black people should NEVER expect justice in Nebraska!   CLICK ABOVE PHOTO FOR MORE INFORMATIION   Of course, not all White people are racist, but . . . Douglas County District Attorney Don Kleine, a White man who consistently supports pro-racism efforts and the incarceration of Black male juveniles and adults, refused to press charges Jacob Gardner, a White man who shot and killed unarmed Black protester James Scurlock. In response, on September 15, a Special Prosecutor, Frederick Franklin, pressed charges against Gardner. Gardner was formally charged with four felonies, including manslaughter. On September 20, while in Oregon, Gardner committed suicide, reportedly near a medical clinic. Of course, not all White people are racist, but . . . Omaha Police beat the crap out of unarmed Robert Wagner. As captured in a video on May 29, 2011 and broadcast on Channel 22 (CTI22) and all local commercial television stations, Robert Wagner, a Black man, was beaten, stomped, kicked, and repeatedly tasered by Omaha Police Officers in the parking lot at Creighton University Medical Center. The City of Omaha paid Wagner $32,000 in damages and an additional $68,000 for attorney fees, expenses and costs.   Of course, not all White people are racist, but . . . as usual, Omaha Police beat the crap out of unarmed Octavious Johnson; beaten by Omaha Police in 2013. The City of Omaha paid Johnson $30,000 in damages and an additional $60,000 for attorney fees, expenses and costs.

Again, Black people in Nebraska have always existed in a perpetually "abusive and submissive relationship" unilaterally governed by "elite," politically powerful and affluent White people, and perpetually bereft of self-representation, and with no access or extremely limited access to appeal. In Nebraska, specifically Omaha, Black firearm homicide rate was 23 times higher than White males. Black population in Omaha continues to decrease, and the composition of Black students and Black teachers in Omaha Public Schools continues to decrease, BUT the "pipeline" of Black juveniles populating Douglas County Juvenile detention continues to exist far greater than the percent of Black residents living in Douglas County!!! NORTH OMAHA'S BLACK POPULATION DROPPED FROM 45.3% TO 38%   80% OF DOUGLAS COUNTY RESIDENTS ARE WHITE, BUT 80% OF INCARCERATED YOUTH ARE MINORITIES CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE             QUESTION: Where do you dump the latest group of "undesirable" people who have little to no money, no or very few employable skills, who don't speak Spanish, who are not White and where there's a helluva lot of "redlined" (Omaha Land Bank) property that nobody wants? You dump them in North Omaha, of course! CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE   Omaha Public Schools exists as the "feeder group" to populate the ever increasing urban cesspool of youth incarcerated at the Douglas County Juvenile Detention Center: As reported by Schott Foundation for Public Education and OPS, in 2012-13, ranked 49th of 50, OPS had the next to the lowest graduation rate for Black males in the United States. As reported by Public School Review, for the 2023 school year, there are 111 public schools serving 51,914 students in Omaha Public Schools School District. This district's average testing ranking is 1/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public schools in Nebraska. Public Schools in Omaha Public Schools School District have an average math proficiency score of only 30% (versus the Nebraska public school average of 52%), and reading proficiency score of 33% (versus the 52% statewide average). Minority enrollment is 76% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is more than the Nebraska public school average of 35% (majority Hispanic).             BLACK STUDENT COMPOSITION AT OPS CONTINUES TO FALL   BLACK TEACHERS AND WHITE TEACHERS ARE CONSTANTLY LEAVING OMAHA PUBLIC SCHOOLS CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE “Elite,” politically powerful and affluent White people have consistently been in complete control of the formal education of Black students in Nebraska since 1867 (158 years), but the educational performance of Black students has never equaled the performance of White students. Omaha Public Schools (OPS) is the largest public school district and with the worst student academic performance in Nebraska. Although over 90% of Douglas County residents are White, OPS has the most segregated student body with 22.7% White, 24.1% Black, 7% Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander, 39% Hispanic/Latino, 0.8% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.1% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.  Over 50% of Black males fail to graduate from high school, while Nebraska’s White controlled public and private colleges and universities generate revenue through "slave labor" scholarship recruitment of Black male students to carry a football or shoot a basketball.   CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE The Omaha "city limits" include the following school districts: Omaha Public Schools, Westside Community Schools, Ralston Public Schools, Millard Public Schools, and Elkhorn Public Schools. Consistent with “White flight,” the overwhelming majority of White students abandoned "people of color school district" to live in neighborhoods not contaminated by both lead and coal pollution, extremely high unemployment, poor housing to attend predominately “White public schools” (Westside, Ralston, Millard, and Elkhorn) also located within Omaha’s city limits. Most importantly, as citizens of the City of Omaha the majority of these resident vote for the position of Mayor of Omaha, because their townships or villages were annexed by the City of Omaha. The "Big Picture" objective successfully achieved and sustained by "elite," politically powerful and affluent White people remains: (1) keep the cesspool of "undesirables" attending Omaha Public Schools and living in "redlined" areas from contaminating their districts; (2) prevent minorities from creating their own school districts (LB 1024); and (3) maintain sovereignty of their own school districts. "Elite," politically powerful and affluent White people have been extremely successful!

10. As reported by the Omaha World-Herald in May 2007, even considering the size of Omaha's Black population, the percentage of Black people who work in management positions was the eighth-lowest in the country, and while the number of Black managers has been on the rise nationally, Omaha's figures dropped 25 percent between 2000 and 2005. QUESTION: As recently as 2019, has employment of Black people and other minorities into management level positions improved since 2000? ANSWER: Absolutely not, as validated by the State of Nebraska's EEO-4 report below: Again, employment of Black people and other people of color is NOT the objective; unemployment and incarceration are the objectives.

11. As reported in 2021 and 2024 by PrisonPolicy.org and the FBI in 2022, and Statistic.org in 2023, if every U.S. State were a country with incarceration rates compared worldwide, the State of Nebraska's perpetual practice and focus to increasingly incarcerate more Black men ranks Nebraska with the 32nd highest rate of incarceration (per 100,000) in the world. Nebraska with a population of only 2,005,465 incarcerates more people than China (2nd largest world population of 1,408,580,000), France (20th largest world population of 68,649,000), Germany (19th largest world population of 83,577,140) and Japan (11th largest world population of 123,360,000)!

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In 2023, attorney Timothy Ashford, a Black man, filed [CI 19 9165] to desegregate the “all White” Douglas County Murder Panel, due to its intentional refusal to appoint qualified Black attorneys to represent indigent defendants in murder cases in Douglas County.

12. As intentionally established and sustained by "elite," politically powerful and affluent White people for over 150-years, this is Nebraska’s legal environment . . .

13. As reported in the Crete Newspaper on October 7, 2015, and as intentionally established and sustained by "elite," politically powerful and affluent White people for over 150-years, this is Nebraska’s cultural environment . . .

Of course, not all White people are racist, and its ridiculous to suggest such.  Nevertheless, in 2015, as perpetually sustained by “elite,” politically powerful and affluent White men in Nebraska . . . century after century, decade after decade, year after year, . . . in Nebraska, Black people were yet again reminded it's always open season to discriminate, oppress, beat, lynch, and murder Black people.

14. "Elite," politically powerful and affluent White people "intentionally segregated and culturally categorized" the overwhelming majority of Black people living in Nebraska with the paradigm well-established by Omaha's legislative District 2. Again, Black people in Nebraska have always existed in a perpetually "abusive and submissive relationship" governed by "elite," politically powerful and affluent White people to sustain and propel the absence of high school and higher eduation coupled with the incarceration of Black men.

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Since Omaha, Nebraska continues to incarcerate more Black male juveniles and Black male adults at rates higher than their proportion of the population, and since Nebraska (Omaha) is no longer listed as one of the Top 10 states for Black homicide victimization rate, why does OPD continue to target and incarcerate Black male juveniles and Black male adults at rates higher than their proportion of the population?

15. "Elite," politically powerful and affluent White people strategically and subtlely infused their "in-house," poor performing, and easily manipulated negroes, including Uncle Tom's, to sustain segregation and cultural categorization and to constrict Black people to an "abusive and submissive relationship" by maintaining the "status quo." Notably, with the exception of a very few and repeatedly used tokens, in both the public and private sector, career advancement for Black people is not possible in Nebraska.

NEBRASKA'S PERPETUAL CONTEMPT FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR

16. On August 8, 2018 former Nebraska Governor Ricketts unveiled his “Strategic Plan for International Engagement,” and the targeted countries and regions for “engagement” include: Japan, Mexico, Germany, China, Korea, Israel, Southeast Asia: Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South America: Argentina and Brazil.   As usual, Governor Ricketts and his incestuous business cronies configured a team of White people, thirteen-(13) White men and four-(4) token White women to lead the Governor’s Council for International Relations, and as historically and consistently practiced by all previous Governors for the State of Nebraska, Governor Ricketts ignored these facts: 1.   White people account for only 16% of the World's population, but Ricketts’ “international engagement” team is 100% White.     2.   Asia constitutes more than half the World's population, and China’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is predicted to overtake the US by 2030, but Ricketts’ “international engagement” team was 100% White. We're White and we're just right!       Did you know: 1. In the wake of the Vietnam War, Nebraska has one of the largest populations of Vietnamese; 2. Nebraska has one of the largest populations of Sudanese due to the war in Sudan; and 3. Due to the increase in both legal and illegal Mexican immigrants Omaha, Nebraska has a Mexican consulate? Please note, as a subject matter expert in all human resource disciplines, I’ve always been totally against quotas, Affirmative Action, or hiring or promoting someone because of their race, or sex, or whatever.  It’s been my demonstrated practice to hire, promote, discipline or reward based solely on validated work-related proficiencies – period.  Oh, perhaps, to explain or justify Governor Ricketts’ lily-White Governor’s Council for International Relations you want to use that ole tag line frequently used by White folks, “We just can’t find any qualified minorities?”  Really?   So, who made the decision to intentionally ignore all of the successful Vietnamese men and women who operate restaurants, food stores, and other businesses lined up and down 27th Street in Lincoln, Nebraska? Are these residents of Nebraska, all who have more first-hand knowledge about Vietnam – much more than all members of the Governor’s Council for International Relations simply not worthy of consideration and development?   Given that Dr. Maorong Jiang, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations, and Director of the Asian World Center at Creighton University (or his designee) has much more subject matter expertise, and actual first-hand experience about all of Asia – more than all members of the Governor’s Council for International Relations, who made the decision to exclude Dr. Maorong Jiang as a member of or consultant to the Governor’s Council for International Relations?   Who made the decision to exclude Minister Sánchez-Salazar, Consul of Mexico in Omaha, Nebraska and a career member of the Mexican Foreign Service with wide experience in the consular, bilateral and multilateral diplomatic fields (or her designee) as a member of the Governor’s Council for International Relations?   Given that Omaha is home to more than 10,000 South Sudanese expatriates, and that Nebraska has the world’s largest population of Nuer (Sudanese) outside South Sudan, who made the decision to exclude members of the Southern Sudan Community Association or other Omaha-based Sudanese groups or individuals as a member of the Governor’s Council for International Relations? Why should women and people of color spend time and money obtaining higher education degrees at the best universities only to be constantly rejected from consideration for the Governor’s Council for International Relations and similar "Glass Ceiling" opportunities?  So, why were no “people of color” appointed to the Governor’s task force?

Meanwhile, it's still business as usual for brainwashed Negroes to be shuckin' and jivin'!

CLICK THE THOUGHT BALLOONS ABOVE FOR FACTS THAT EXPLAIN WHY SHUCKIN' AND JIVIN' IS NO LAUGHING MATTER

As strategically established and enforced by "elite," politically powerful and affluent White people, "elite," politically powerful and affluent Black people use overt narcissism to maintain the "status quo."

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17.Due to redistricting laws designed and enacted by “elite,” politically powerful and affluent White people to intentionally limit minorities with political access to the forty-nine-(49) member Nebraska state legislature, Senator Ernie Chambers, was the only Black member of the Nebraska Legislature for nearly forty-(40) years! On April 25, 2005, Senator Chambers became Nebraska's longest-serving state senator, having served for more than 35 years. Nobably, Senator Chambers initiated legislation and ultimately achieved district elections in urban areas with more than 50,000 residents, which would finally enable people of color and poor people access to elected positions. Not until 1981, did Fred Conley became the first Black person to be elected to the Omaha City Council. Conversely, the City of Omaha vowed to keep fighting against the district elections, and the mayor swore having open, citywide elections was the best way to go. The NAACP president in 1980, Buddy Hogan, believed Omaha was unique nationally for its commitment to Jim Crow through open elections. He was quoted saying, “In the case of the City of Omaha, it is extremely possible to show discriminatory intent of the at-large scheme to deprive Black citizens of their rights.” Senator Chambers was deemed too "controversial" by White “powerbrokers,” so in 2000 “elite,” politically powerful and affluent White people in Nebraska passed a term limits law specifically targeted to remove Senator Chambers.

Controversial . . . for telling the truth? On March 20, 2015, during a Judiciary Committee Hearing on Allowing Guns in Bars (LB 635), as part of the vetting process, Senator Chambers said this ("Your enemy is not my enemy!):     My ISIS is the police. And you know what the county attorney said, Don Kleine: If the officer makes a mistake, if he's wrong but he had reason to think that he was right, then he's clear. I cannot get away with that and shoot you and say, well, I thought he was going to do something. They say, uh-uh, buddy, that doesn't work. Well, now we presume that these officers are trained. To show how little their training means and how they hide behind it, some guy out east was fired because he was dealing with a guy who had a mental problem and wound up...he was on duty, shot the guy 14 times, and he was fired. Now he's trying to get his job back. And you know what the lawyer is arguing? And he's justified in view of the not finding any fault in what these cops are doing. He said, yes, he shot the man 14 times, but it was within his training. So now, if the police are trained to shoot somebody in the back, then the cop who shoots in the back says, it was pursuant to my training, and he's home free. That's what's happening. I would tell young people: If you tell somebody to go across the world to fight for ISIS, they can put you in jail if you just talk about it. If you want to fight injustice, don't...you don't have to go around the world to find the ISIS mentality. Your ISIS is in America and you're likely to die over there, one way or the other. So if you're going to die, die making your home safe.My home is not threatened by ISIS. Mine is threatened by the police. The police are licensed to kill us, children, old people. They showed a guy on a highway. The highway trooper, he had this elderly black woman down on the ground, just beating the stew out of her, and nothing was done to him. That's what I see. Now suppose somebody told me somebody from ISIS did that. Then everybody is up in arms: See what cowards they are? They beat women in broad daylight. But when a cop does it, it's all right. I don't feel that way. And if I were going to do something--but I'm not a man of violence--I wouldn't go to Syria, I wouldn't go to Iraq, I wouldn't go to Afghanistan, I wouldn't go to Yemen, I wouldn't go to Tunisia, I wouldn't go to Lebanon, I wouldn't go to Jordan. I would do it right here. Nobody from ISIS ever terrorized us as a people, as the police do daily. And they get away with it and they've been given the license now. And people don't like me to say this. Then you rein in your cops.     A few days later, as expected, White state senators used the White-owned and controlled local media to flood public opinion and demand an apology from Senator Chambers; as expected, the blatant and unabated beating and killing of unarmed Black people by police in Nebraska and throughout the U.S., as referenced by Senator Chambers was ignored, because the true power of White privilege is the ability to beat or kill Black people with absolutely no expectation of prosecution or conviction.   Controversial . . . for telling the truth? In 2007, Senator Chambers said this: Chastising the "approved use" of the "N-Word" by students and administration at Omaha Public Schools NIGGER - | 'niger | noun offensive A word intentionally used by White people, especially Christians, Muslims, Jews and other hypocritical people of faith in their ongoing practice to enslave, rape, murder, castrate, oppress, discriminate, and engage in acts of genocide against Black people. CLICK ABOVE IMAGE TO READ THE BENSON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT PAPER For fallout, click here.   "NIGGER," A word historically and currently used by White people and brain-washed Black people (via Willie Lynch, Uncle Tom’s, etc.) to devalue, limit, categorize, and prevent Black people from equitable access to human rights and achievement of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Sen. Chambers is not referring to "all" White people, or to any individual who acts in an egalitarian way toward all people. Consistent with the practices of broadcast media, a “sound bite” is not supposed to provide context, clarity, or fairness. As Sen. Chambers consistently conveyed during his weekly 90-minute community access television show, he’s talking about 48 "elite," politically powerful and affluent White state senators and their political and financial constituents who own, run, and influence everything. Learn more at: "Being White" http://www.tripoetry.com/White.htm   Controversial . . . for telling the truth? In 1967, in the award-winning documentary film, "A Time for Burning," (pre-Senator) Ernie Chambers said this: A Time for Burning A White Pastor in Omaha, Nebraska tries to introduce integration into his church by arranging visits with a Black church of the same faith. The experiment is filmed as it happened. Discussions from all points of view take place, which included a young Ernie Chambers. In the end, as predicted by Ernie Chambers, the White pastor is forced to leave the church by a committee which did not like his attitude.   "A Time for Burning," Dir. Barbara Connell, Bill Jersey; 58 minutes; Not Rated 1967; Lutheran Film Associates

18. On a personal note, as intentionally established by "elite," politically power and affluent Nebraska's White bishops, clergy, and congregations of the Methodist Church, I vividly recall (first-hand) as early as the mid-1950s when my father, grandfather, and great-grandfather pastored segregated chuches in Nebraska. During the 1950s and 1960s in Lincoln, Nebraska, my father was "prohibited" from entering all White Methodist churches except from the back door or rear service entrance, and he was NEVER allowed into the church sanctuary. Plus, consistent with Nebraska's urban and rural racial demographics, and most importantly, the well-established hypocrisy of organized religions, such "religious segregation" continues today with very few exceptions!

For more information, click the image above.

19. Nebraska is overwhelmingly committed to maintaining the "status quo!"

Again, nothing ever changes.

The Racial Wealth Gap 1860 - 2020 As researched by Derenoncourt, Chi Hyun Kim, Kuhn, and Schularick in their March 8, 2021 report, “The Racial Wealth Gap, 1860 - 2020,” the wealth gap between Blacks and Whites has never been abated, has only increased significantly; and if present trends in the data continue, the racial wealth gap is headed to a steady state with average White wealth at least five times greater than average Black wealth - even through 2260! Click the image at right to read the full report. Note: This data reconciles with "Seeds of Destruction: Homicide, Race and Justice in Omaha, 1880 - 1920."

20. A final personal note:

In April 2024, weekday, about 6:00 PM, I was legally walking my dog on a sidewalk in a residential neighborhood in a Nebraska city several hours west of Omaha, Nebraka. A young White boy about ten-(10) years-old was quickly walking to the front door of his home and abruptly yelled-out at me, "Get lost nigger!" Then, he quickly slammed his front door. I made no response. I took no action.       In July 2024, a weekday about 7PM, I was walking back from a grocery store to my temporary residence in a Nebraska city west of Omaha, Nebraka. A White male in his early 30s stopped me, began recording me with his cell phone and said, "I know you've been knocking on my door, scaring my kids, and I'm calling the police." I responded, "I don't know what you're talkng about. I live right here, feel free to call the police, I'll be right here." The angry White man replied, "You don't live there. I'm calling the police." I replied, "Again, call the police." I turned away, walked up the steps to the residence, put my key into the lock, and walked in, placed my groceries on the counter. I walked back outside and said to the man, "So, where are the police? Nevermind, I'll call them." He replied, "Okay, so you do live there. Hum, I guess I made a mistake." I replied, "So, with absolutely no evidence you blame me because I'm a Black man walking, really?" "Again, I'm sorry man, er . . . a . . I don't know what else to say." I made no additional response. I took no action.         In January 2025, 11:45 PM, Saturday, temperature -6 degrees (with wind chill), in a Nebraska city west of Omaha, Nebraka. I'm a career athlete in track, and I train no matter how hot, cold, windy, or rainy. I was minding my own business, running on a 400 meter public access track, when from a street adjacent to the track a White young man in his 20s leaned his head out through his car window and yelled, "Hey, nigger!" He quickly rolled-up his window and drove on. I made no response. I took no action.           In April 2025, 6 PM, Monday, in a Nebraska city west of Omaha, Nebraka. I was minding my own business, running on a public access 400 meter track. A high school boys football team of approximately twenty players was practicing on the infield. While running laps I could constantly here loud rap music being played on a portable speaker system. "NIGGER," was the dominate word being used at the beginning, middle, and end of every rap sentence. All of the coaches were White, and all of the students were White except for one-(1) Black teenage youth. I approached two-(2) gentlemen I believed to be coaches, and demanded they select music that was not racially offensive, or stop playing music; and if they refused to comply I would report my concerns to all local media, social media, school board, police, etc. They acknowledged my concern and apologized. Plus, they informed me as I was leaving the track they would take responsibility to monitor the selection of music made by students. I thanked them for their kind assistance, and took no additional action.

This is Nebraska’s legal environment. This is Nebraska’s culture. For the overwhelming majority of Black people, it's an abusive and submissive relationship. There's never been any serious scrutiny of abusive racial relationships in the midwest, because unlike the heavily populated east coast, west coast, and south, there are no major metropolitian media centers. So, don't blame the messenger for just telling the truth.

Again, nothing ever changes.

I welcome your feedback. Trip Reynolds trip.reynolds@yahoo.com Reynolds' Rap July 1, 2025 © 2017-2025 Tripoetry. All Rights Reserved. First Amendment to the United States Constitution - Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.