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A controversial plan backed by Black Senator, Ernie Chambers, has swept across the peaceful plains of Omaha. Already approved the Nebraska state legislature and signed by its governor, the plan will create a majority Black school district within Omaha, as well as a majority White district and Latino district.
While Omaha’s school superintendent and the city’s two other state senators- both white- said that the plan constitutes legalized segregation, Senator Chambers said that the plan is merely a way to allow Black parents and citizens to have a voice in their children’s education.
Chambers stated, “There is no intent to create segregation…What my plan does is that it makes smaller districts in the city instead of one big district as you have now. It gives control of the schools over to the parents and gives us the right to elect out own school boards. This plan is not exclusionary, but inclusive…My plan does not mention race...It’s the White people who are talking about segregation, but segregation is already here.”
Chambers noted that Black schools are under-funded, and the ratio of classroom teachers to students is higher in White schools. Chambers said that his plans would enable Black students to produce higher test scores after acquiring better facilities, teachers, and administrators.
Governor Dave Heinemen (R) commented before signing the bill on April 14, “It is clear to me that the motivation behind his proposal is neither segregation nor separation, but instead the goal of improving student achievement and the responsiveness of schools.”
Others vehemently disagree, as seen by Senator Pat Bourne’s comments, “We will go down in history as one of the first states in 20 years to set race relations back.”
NAACP Chapter President Tommie Wilson also disagreed, saying, “There is definitely something wrong when the legislature agreed to his plan. It’s like they were saying, ‘okay, you take care of your own.’ If there is one good thing that comes out of all of this is that people realize that that Omaha is racist.”
While the plan is set to go into effect in July 2008, possible court challenges or legislative adjustments may push back the start date.
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Black technology entrepreneurs are increasingly providing the horsepower that drives the global economy. Over the last two decades, black entrepreneurs have created more jobs, and contributed much more to the economic expansion of the Black community as a whole, than any black pastor or politician. Black entrepreneurs are taking risks and building businesses that generate economic growth and increase prosperity in underserved areas, as more minority-owned and minority-focused businesses emerge, willing to serve the financial needs of Black entrepreneurs. US Black Engineer & Information Technology magazine's annual list of Top Black Technology Entrepreneurs reflects the expanding scope of leading Black entrepreneurs in information technology, homeland security, and defense.
