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Davenport also has a relatively high black population for the state(about 11-12% black, about 12-13,000 black residents). I remember that former 49ers RB Roger Craig, former boxer Michael Nunn and former NBA player Ricky Davis are from there.
Many of the black people there come by way of Chicago or other parts of IL.
Also, Iowa State’s Football stadium is named after this former player that was the school’s first black Football player, who died after a game against the University of Minnesota: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Trice_Stadium
There is more, but it’s cities have black populations that are small, but visible across the state in places like Ottumwa, Fort Madison, Keokuk, Mason City, Marshalltown, Ames, Sioux City, Council Bluffs, Dubuque, Clinton, Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City/Coralville, etc.
In terms of being “slept on” at City-Data, yes indeed. Omaha is likely, imo at least, the most overlooked 1 million population metro on this forum.
As it relates to it’s African American roots and population, Omaha’s always had a rich and significant history. The AA population is far larger and more dense than any city in the state of Iowa (a state recently mentioned in this discussion).
People are surprised to find out world class AA athletes like Bob Gibson, Gayle Sayers, Roger Sayers, Johnny Rodgers, Bob Boozer, Ahman Green, Terence “Bud” Crawford and Marlin Briscoe all hail from Omaha.
AA movie stars like John Beasley and Gabrielle Union are also Omaha natives..as is Malcom X.
There is more. Much more. But Omaha certainly deserves mention in this thread topic..And it’s not simply a blimp on the radar as it relates to its African American community, tradition and proud history.
Willigboro NJ. Lots of family on my mother's side there
The "Black Levittown" is itself a place with Black cultural and historical significance because it began life as a Levittown.
Levittown, N.J. was the first of Levitt & Sons' planned communities to be located entirely within the boundaries of a single municipality — Willingboro Township, Burlington County. Levitt was looking for such an opportunity, as the company liked to control all aspects of their planned communities' growth and development. After buying most of the township's land, Levitt then changed the name of the municipality to Levittown (ISTR this was around 1955).
And as with its previous two Levittowns in New York and Pennsylvania, Levitt forbade sales of homes to Black buyers in Levittown, N.J.
But New Jersey had something New York and Pennsylvania lacked at the time: a state law forbidding discrimination in the provision or sale of housing based on race, religion or national origin. A Black veteran who tried to buy a house in the New Jersey Levittown not long after sales started sued the company in New Jersey court.
In 1957, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled against Levitt & Sons in the first major case brought under the state housing-discrimination law. Levitt then began getting the residents ready to welcome their new Black neighbors. In 1961, those residents voted to change the name of the township back to its original one, causing Levitt to withdraw financial support for things like school construction. Today, Willingboro is the one Levittown with a majority-Black population.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mighty Joe Young
In terms of being “slept on” at City-Data, yes indeed. Omaha is likely, imo at least, the most overlooked 1 million population metro on this forum.
As it relates to it’s African American roots and population, Omaha’s always had a rich and significant history. The AA population is far larger and more dense than any city in the state of Iowa (a state recently mentioned in this discussion).
People are surprised to find out world class AA athletes like Bob Gibson, Gayle Sayers, Roger Sayers, Johnny Rodgers, Bob Boozer, Ahman Green, Terence “Bud” Crawford and Marlin Briscoe all hail from Omaha.
AA movie stars like John Beasley and Gabrielle Union are also Omaha natives..as is Malcom X.
There is more. Much more. But Omaha certainly deserves mention in this thread topic..And it’s not simply a blimp on the radar as it relates to its African American community, tradition and proud history.
YM "blip on the radar." A blimp would make for a pretty large radar profile.
My mom comes from the branch of the largely Texas-based Davis/Daviss family that landed in the Midwest, and where they landed was Omaha, where she was born in 1931. Her bit of the clan would move to a small town in northeast Kansas called Horton, where she graduated from high school in 1948, then move to Kansas City, but her mother's siblings remained in Omaha.
She returned there as she was working her way up the Veterans Administration nursing-management ladder with a stint at VAMC Omaha in the late 1970s.
Omaha is one of the nicest mid-sized (1-2 million) metropolises in the country. I just wrote about a transportation development there for my weekly Next City column, "The Mobile City," and the story had to do with transportation equity, focusing on bus service on Omaha's heavily Black north side. (Its south side is heavily Hispanic, btw, which I'll bet a lot of people would not expect to find in a city or town in Nebraska.)
The "Black Levittown" is itself a place with Black cultural and historical significance because it began life as a Levittown.
Levittown, N.J. was the first of Levitt & Sons' planned communities to be located entirely within the boundaries of a single municipality — Willingboro Township, Burlington County. Levitt was looking for such an opportunity, as the company liked to control all aspects of their planned communities' growth and development. After buying most of the township's land, Levitt then changed the name of the municipality to Levittown (ISTR this was around 1955).
And as with its previous two Levittowns in New York and Pennsylvania, Levitt forbade sales of homes to Black buyers in Levittown, N.J.
But New Jersey had something New York and Pennsylvania lacked at the time: a state law forbidding discrimination in the provision or sale of housing based on race, religion or national origin. A Black veteran who tried to buy a house in the New Jersey Levittown not long after sales started sued the company in New Jersey court.
In 1957, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled against Levitt & Sons in the first major case brought under the state housing-discrimination law. Levitt then began getting the residents ready to welcome their new Black neighbors. In 1961, those residents voted to change the name of the township back to its original one, causing Levitt to withdraw financial support for things like school construction. Today, Willingboro is the one Levittown with a majority-Black population.
YM "blip on the radar." A blimp would make for a pretty large radar profile.
My mom comes from the branch of the largely Texas-based Davis/Daviss family that landed in the Midwest, and where they landed was Omaha, where she was born in 1931. Her bit of the clan would move to a small town in northeast Kansas called Horton, where she graduated from high school in 1948, then move to Kansas City, but her mother's siblings remained in Omaha.
She returned there as she was working her way up the Veterans Administration nursing-management ladder with a stint at VAMC Omaha in the late 1970s.
Omaha is one of the nicest mid-sized (1-2 million) metropolises in the country. I just wrote about a transportation development there for my weekly Next City column, "The Mobile City," and the story had to do with transportation equity, focusing on bus service on Omaha's heavily Black north side. (Its south side is heavily Hispanic, btw, which I'll bet a lot of people would not expect to find in a city or town in Nebraska.)
Willingboro's also the hometown of famous track & field Olympian, Carl Lewis.
The "Black Levittown" is itself a place with Black cultural and historical significance because it began life as a Levittown.
Levittown, N.J. was the first of Levitt & Sons' planned communities to be located entirely within the boundaries of a single municipality — Willingboro Township, Burlington County. Levitt was looking for such an opportunity, as the company liked to control all aspects of their planned communities' growth and development. After buying most of the township's land, Levitt then changed the name of the municipality to Levittown (ISTR this was around 1955).
And as with its previous two Levittowns in New York and Pennsylvania, Levitt forbade sales of homes to Black buyers in Levittown, N.J.
But New Jersey had something New York and Pennsylvania lacked at the time: a state law forbidding discrimination in the provision or sale of housing based on race, religion or national origin. A Black veteran who tried to buy a house in the New Jersey Levittown not long after sales started sued the company in New Jersey court.
In 1957, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled against Levitt & Sons in the first major case brought under the state housing-discrimination law. Levitt then began getting the residents ready to welcome their new Black neighbors. In 1961, those residents voted to change the name of the township back to its original one, causing Levitt to withdraw financial support for things like school construction. Today, Willingboro is the one Levittown with a majority-Black population.
YM "blip on the radar." A blimp would make for a pretty large radar profile.
My mom comes from the branch of the largely Texas-based Davis/Daviss family that landed in the Midwest, and where they landed was Omaha, where she was born in 1931. Her bit of the clan would move to a small town in northeast Kansas called Horton, where she graduated from high school in 1948, then move to Kansas City, but her mother's siblings remained in Omaha.
She returned there as she was working her way up the Veterans Administration nursing-management ladder with a stint at VAMC Omaha in the late 1970s.
Omaha is one of the nicest mid-sized (1-2 million) metropolises in the country. I just wrote about a transportation development there for my weekly Next City column, "The Mobile City," and the story had to do with transportation equity, focusing on bus service on Omaha's heavily Black north side. (Its south side is heavily Hispanic, btw, which I'll bet a lot of people would not expect to find in a city or town in Nebraska.)
High Schools like North, Northwest, Benson and Central have quite a few black students in terms of being the biggest group in plurality. Tech used to have quite a few before closing as well.
Cathy Hughes, the founder and owner of Urban One, Inc. was born and raised in Omaha as well. Ironically, I found out her maternal grandmother was born and raised in Keokuk and later Burlington IA. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Morris_Allen_Jones
My mom comes from the branch of the largely Texas-based Davis/Daviss family that landed in the Midwest, and where they landed was Omaha, where she was born in 1931. Her bit of the clan would move to a small town in northeast Kansas called Horton, where she graduated from high school in 1948, then move to Kansas City, but her mother's siblings remained in Omaha.
She returned there as she was working her way up the Veterans Administration nursing-management ladder with a stint at VAMC Omaha in the late 1970s.
Omaha is one of the nicest mid-sized (1-2 million) metropolises in the country. I just wrote about a transportation development there for my weekly Next City column, "The Mobile City," and the story had to do with transportation equity, focusing on bus service on Omaha's heavily Black north side. (Its south side is heavily Hispanic, btw, which I'll bet a lot of people would not expect to find in a city or town in Nebraska.)
Thanks for sharing your Omaha related family background. Maybe I really meant “blimp” on the radar after all..as it relates to Omaha’s deep and proud African American community, lol.
Also- excellent, well written piece. I had read it a few days back and thought it was extremely well done. Glad to find out you were the author
Mint condition
Prince
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Morris day and the time (The Minneapolis Sound)
Lizzo
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