Love Supreme Friday landed a little differently this week on 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning. Hosts Paul B. and Buddy the God made a deliberate call early in the show to steer the conversation away from the political tension that had been simmering in the Friends of First Sky Omaha community group — and toward something more nourishing.
“There’s a lot of chatter going on on Friends of First Sky Omaha,” Paul B. explained with characteristic candor. “There’s a lot of back and forth, friends breaking up, all kinds of stuff happening over politics — and that just is like, okay, well, we have to make a decision. It’s going to be Love Supreme Friday today.”
That didn’t mean the hosts ignored the hard stuff entirely. Paul B. opened with a sobering reality check, reading from a post by Raquel Henderson of the mayor’s office: “Only 339,320 out of more than 1.2 million registered voters in Nebraska showed up yesterday. Think about that for a second. And yet everybody has something to say. Posting on Facebook is not enough. Awareness without action changes nothing.” It was a pointed reminder, but one delivered in the spirit of building something better — not tearing something down.
Buddy the God summed up the show’s dual mission neatly: “We got to do both. We got to do both in the now. 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 a nation.”
With that foundation laid, the show turned its full warmth toward the community — and toward a guest who embodies exactly the kind of ecosystem-building the hosts had in mind.
Dana Murray, executive director and founder of the North Omaha Music Academy (NMA), joined the show for a wide-ranging conversation about music, community infrastructure, and the future of North 24th Street. A South Omaha native who spent eleven years in New York City as a working musician before returning home, Murray has poured that experience into NMA — formerly known as Love’s Jazz — a youth music academy and performance space anchored on what Paul B. calls “the most important Black corner in Nebraska.”
Murray spoke with clarity and conviction about what the North 24th Street corridor could — and should — become. “Really, the area that has the most history and can claim it is a cultural and arts district, for real, is the North 24th Street corridor,” he said. “And we’ve been so far removed from that.” He pointed to the practical infrastructure needed to make such a district thrive: housing, eateries, parking, laundromats, destinations — and even a hotel that could attract larger festivals and conferences directly into the community.
He also didn’t shy away from a harder conversation about civic pride. Though he grew up in South Omaha, Murray pushed back on the notion that geography should determine who gets to invest in North Omaha’s future. “If you’re Black and you’re in Omaha, especially in the ’70s and early ’80s, everyone had a shared relationship with North Omaha,” he said. “That was the Mecca for us.” He went further, challenging the community to rethink how it showcases its culture. “I wish we did more of what South Omaha does with Cinco de Mayo — they invite everybody down to be part of it.”
Viewer Pops echoed the point from lived memory: “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.”
At the heart of the conversation was what Paul B. called the “secondary matrix” — the idea that everything NMA does has a deeper layer of purpose beneath the surface. “He teaches kids music,” Paul B. said of Murray, “but on the secondary level, the real thing is creating critical thinkers who can go further in their fields because of the discipline and mind-expanding benefits of musical training.” Murray confirmed as much: “We’re not only raising musicians, but more importantly we’re raising more critical thinking human beings, because these young kids are not all going to become musicians. Some will become doctors, lawyers, business owners — but whatever they choose, they’re going to be better because they were aligned with artistry.”
NMA’s programming extends well beyond instrument lessons. Students learn live sound engineering, broadcast production, podcasting, and interviewing — skills they practice in real time on working artists who come through the academy. “It’s not just telling them ‘you can be this someday,'” Murray said. “No — you can be this right now.”
Looking ahead, Murray outlined a bold vision: a full NMA campus, anchored by a $20 million first phase of a capital campaign, designed to serve North Omaha the way Omaha Performing Arts serves downtown. “Money is not our issue in North Omaha,” he said. “It’s transformative ideas that are going to allow us to be not only sustainable but gainfully active. The sooner we understand that our culture is equity, that our artistic genius is equity, the better off we’re going to be.”
Music instructors interested in joining NMA’s faculty can reach Murray at dmurray@northomahamusic.org or assistant Andrew Bailey at abailey@northomahamusic.org.
The chat room was alive with community spirit throughout the show. Viewer Aeros 402 brought a beautiful personal moment to the morning: “On a love note, my only daughter gave birth to my second granddaughter. They are both new and good. I feel blessed.” Viewer Derek Higgins added his voice to the appreciation: “Congrats, Dana, and what NMA is doing.” And viewer Mark Manor reminded listeners not to sleep on an upcoming performance: “Mono Neon is bringing one of the last and relevant connections to Prince. I saw Mono Neon a few years ago — he’s awesome. Do not miss that.”
The show also spotlighted several other community wins worth celebrating: Charell Shelton’s Core Science Bio Diagnostics lab, Omaha North’s nationally recognized engineering program, the upcoming NMA Fest, and Boots Riley’s film I Love Boosters screening at Film Streams — proof that on any given Friday in Omaha, there is no shortage of excellence to celebrate.
If you missed this one, make it a point to catch the next — 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning has a way of making you feel like the best of this city is right outside your door.
