Next Monday will be the beginning of this year’s Native Omaha Days. The event runs from July 28 to August 4.
The procession will take place on Saturday, August 2, starting at 10 a.m. from the intersection of 30th and Lake to 30th and Sprague.
You may discover additional details about Native Omaha Dayshere.
There’s no substitute for meeting someone face-to-face, particularly during your initial encounter.
The daughter and niece of the founders of Native Omaha Days had only communicated via telephone prior to Tuesday.
Phyllis Mitchell Butler’s mother is named Vera Johnson. Magnolia Bryant Holland’s aunt is Bettie McDonald.
That photo over there was my mom’s favorite — that’s my mom’s favorite,” Mitchell Butler said to Bryant Holland as they were looking at pictures. “And that’s your Aunt Bettie and your uncle.
In 1977, their mother and aunt initiated the every-two-years gathering.
“It began as a … picnic in Los Angeles,” Mitchell Butler.
It eventually became recognized for highlighting the positive aspects of the city’s Black community and uniting North Omaha. This is a legacy that Bryant Holland and Mitchell Butler are honored to continue.
Only last Tuesday, Bryant Holland and Mitchell Butler attended the Omaha City Council meeting, expressing their backing for memorial streets honoring Johnson and McDonald.
“Thank you all for taking the time to think about naming the two streets after our founders,” said Kimberly Sherrod Barnes to the council members.
Sherrod Barnes was among numerous individuals who provided public testimony in favor prior to the city Council’s decision to endorse the streets.
She is committed to ensuring that people recognize that Native Omaha Days encompasses far more than just the parade.
“Ms. Bettie McDonald and Ms. Vera Johnson, two African American women who felt strongly enough to state … ‘we need something to honor each other and remember our journey,'” said Sherrod Barnes.
And due to this, Native Omahans, wherever they may be, can always have a place they consider home.
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READ THE FULL STORY:“Something to celebrate each other”: Streets dedicated to the founders of Native Omaha Days
