It was a “Love Supreme Friday” on the set of 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning, and hosts Paul B. and Buddy the God were in a mood to celebrate — celebrating community, culture, and the kind of quiet, determined work that changes a city from the inside out. At the center of it all was a conversation with Dana Murray, executive director and co-founder of the North Omaha Music Academy (NMA), a man whose vision for North 24th Street is as ambitious as it is grounded.
Paul B. set the tone early. “We’ve been talking a lot of politics for a while and it’s time to make a decision — it’s going to be Love Supreme Friday today.” And while the Nebraska primary election results and a sobering look at low voter turnout did find their way into the broadcast — Buddy the God reminding listeners, “We got to do both — we have to build our own ecosystems and continue to do the things that we’re about to talk about, but in the long run we do got to figure this out as far as a nation” — the heart of the morning belonged to Dana Murray and the story of what NMA is building on the corridor Paul B. has long called “the most important Black corner in Nebraska.”
Murray, a South Omaha native who spent eleven years in New York City before returning home to teach and build, was candid about what North 24th Street could be — and honest about the gap between that potential and present reality. “Really, the area that has the most history and the one that can claim ‘we are a cultural and arts district’ for real is the North 24th Street corridor,” he said. “We’ve been so far removed from that — not even what the rest of Omaha views North 24th Street as. I’m more talking to the people that are there, who are so far removed from what that was, that it is hard to build momentum from within.”
His blueprint for the corridor is practical and visionary in equal measure. Sustainable infrastructure — housing, eateries, services, parking — paired with destination attractions that draw people in. And yes, even a hotel. “With a hotel, now you can throw larger attractions, music festivals, and conferences right in the community,” he said. Viewer Pops echoed the sentiment from the chat, noting that “artists like Fats Domino used to stay at your grandfather’s home when he came to town to perform — so yes, more infrastructure for the artist around the Deuce corridor would be a godsend.”
Murray also spoke with refreshing directness about cultural pride, suggesting it can sometimes work against the very community it’s meant to honor. Pointing to South Omaha’s Cinco de Mayo celebration as a model, he observed: “It’s a festival that brings them together, but they invite everybody down to be part of that. At every opportunity, we fail at taking advantage of showcasing our culture and highlighting the excellence of who we are.” The goal, he made clear, isn’t to dilute North Omaha’s identity — it’s to share it boldly enough that the rest of the city can’t look away.
That spirit of bold, intentional sharing is baked into NMA’s DNA. Paul B. described it as a “secondary matrix” — the deeper mission running beneath the surface of music lessons. “In Dana Murray’s case, he teaches kids music — on the surface that’s what it is. But the secondary matrix is to create critical thinkers, create people that can go further in their fields because they have the discipline of musical training and the mind-expanding benefits of musical training.” Murray echoed that framing without missing a beat: “We’re not only raising musicians but more importantly we’re raising more critical thinking human beings, because all these young kids are not going to become musicians by choice. Some will become doctors, some lawyers, some business owners — whatever they choose, they’re going to be better because they were aligned with artistry.”
As for where NMA is headed, Murray’s answer was simple and sweeping. “Absolutely not,” he said when asked whether the current space was NMA’s final form. A capital campaign — with a first phase of $20 million — is in the works, with the long-term goal of an NMA campus that functions the way Omaha Performing Arts functions for downtown: as a cultural anchor and an economic engine. “What we have to sell in most Black communities is our culture,” he said. “The sooner we understand that our culture is equity, that our brilliance and our artistic genius is equity, the better off we’re going to be — because then it’s going to be respected.”
The show also touched on Charell Shelton’s award-winning North Omaha diagnostic lab and an upcoming Film Streams screening of Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters — which Paul B. described as another work with a “secondary matrix,” noting that Riley “is not just making an entertaining film, he’s making a film that’s going to teach you a lesson.”
The chat was lively throughout. Viewer Mark Manor chimed in to affirm what Murray was saying about NMA drawing real crowds: “When I go there it is the same people at shows at Waiting Room, Slow Down, and the Jewels. So people are coming from all around town and getting down at NMA.” And on a purely joyful note, viewer Aeros 402 brought some Love Supreme Friday energy of his own: “My only daughter gave birth to my second granddaughter. They are both new and good. I feel blessed.”
NMA is currently seeking music instructors. Murray emphasized that technique alone isn’t enough — the right candidate must be able to inspire. “Unless you’re able to inspire a young person, they don’t really have the attention span for the X’s and O’s of music,” he said. Interested educators can reach Dana Murray at dmurray@northomahamusic.org or assistant Andrew Bailey at abailey@northomahamusic.org. NMA’s upcoming four-night festival is also on the horizon — stay tuned for details.
It was the kind of morning that reminds you why community television matters — neighbors talking to neighbors about the work that doesn’t make headlines but makes a neighborhood. Tune in next week to 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning for more of the conversations Omaha needs to be having.
