As communities across the country work together to address bias and hate, many people are looking for ways to get involved, stay engaged, or gain deeper understanding. Ready to take action? There are plenty of organizations that could use your engagement and support.
We created this community resource guide to highlight Omaha nonprofits and groups fighting hate, promoting acceptance, and cultivating inclusion.
Notice something missing? Email communications@omahafoundation.org if you know of programs or resources to add to this list. As our efforts and the needs of our community continue to evolve so will the content of this guide.
Omaha Community Council for Racial Justice and Reconciliation is a network of organizations and citizens that have come together to coordinate efforts to memorialize victims of lynching in Douglas County, Nebraska, and to raise awareness of the community’s legacy of racial violence and injustice. Steering Committee includes representatives from Omaha NAACP, Great Plains Black History Museum, Omaha Human Rights and Relations Department, Creighton University, Urban League of Nebraska, Omaha Public Schools, and Black Votes Matter.
Similarly, several organizations—including Black Votes Matter, Omaha NAACP, the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Metropolitan Omaha, the League of Women Voters of Greater Omaha, and Civic Nebraska—have been hosting Courageous Conversations, a series of unifying talks covering topics like Nebraska’s voter ID laws, and race and education.
Fabric Lab is an urban design lab, community space, and access point that centers and supports Black architects, planners, and entrepreneurs while acting as a hub for holistic community development in North Omaha. It is one of Spark CDI’s development projects.
Fabric Lab has been partnering with various organizations including GirlTrek—a walking group for Black women and girls—and Flatwater Free Press, which recently hosted a packed town hall meeting on affordable housing (pictured above). They’ve also hosted an open mic series, art exhibitions, and a plant sale with Omaha Sunflower Cooperative, a BIPOC led urban agriculture cooperative.
Tri-Faith Initiative cultivates inclusive environments to advance interfaith relationships and understanding. In a survey of participants, 85% said Tri-Faith helps them to dismantle stereotypes and assumptions about people of diverse religious identities. In the past month, Tri-Faith partnered with the Metro Young Latino Professionals Association (MYLPA) to host a Vigil for Peace and Healing (pictured above). Tri-Faith also hosted its first annual Race, Religion, and Social Justice conference. Areas of focus included belief, behavior, and belonging; religious pluralism; intersectional identities; postcolonial formations of power and whiteness; race, truth, and reconciliation; identity formation; collaboration and conflict; and bridging differences.
Black Men United is a grassroots organization that does advocacy and economic development work that focuses on Black men of all ages in the Omaha community. One of their programs, Real Men Read, provides opportunities for Black men to be role models by reading to children in local elementary schools.
Inclusive Communities is a human relations organization confronting prejudice, bigotry and discrimination through educational programs that raise awareness, foster leadership and encourage advocacy for a just and inclusive society. One of their programs, Table Talk, focuses on facilitated discussions that foster an understanding of differences and greater respect to help eliminate prejudice and inequities in our community. Different topics and themes are highlighted during each session. Past events have addressed confronting racism in the queer community, celebrating Native and indigenous cultures without appropriating, exploring the path to citizenship, and understanding oppression of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) communities. See all here.
Movement in Omaha for Racial Equity (MORE)—formerly Policy, Research & Innovation (PRI)—is fighting for racial equity through engagement, education, and advocacy. MORE recently released a campaign letter outlining their accomplishments from the past few months, including hosting public forums that covered everything from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in North Omaha to critical race theory. The latter event was a collaborative effort with Inclusive Communities, College of Saint Mary, Nebraskans for Peace, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, and Survivors Rising.
