Friday mornings on 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning have a particular energy, and this past week’s “Love Supreme Friday” edition delivered exactly what that name promises — warmth, vision, and a deep commitment to the community that tunes in every day. Hosts Paul B. and Buddy the God opened the show with a conscious exhale after weeks of heavy political coverage, setting an intentional new tone before diving into one of the most inspiring conversations the show has featured this season.
“We’ve been talking a lot of politics for a while and it’s time for a little break,” Paul B. told viewers. “This is a Love Supreme Friday. We’re going to change our mindsets over to something else.” That said, the hosts didn’t shy away from the civic moment entirely. Buddy the God offered a pointed reminder that community building and civic participation are inseparable: “None of this really matters if the people don’t vote — and if everybody voted, a lot of this wouldn’t matter.”
That thread of civic accountability wove quietly through the morning, punctuated by Paul B. reading aloud a post from Raquel Henderson of the mayor’s office in the wake of Nebraska’s primary results. “Only 339,032 out of more than 1.2 million registered voters in Nebraska showed up yesterday,” he read. “And yet everybody has something to say. Posting on Facebook is not enough. Awareness without action changes nothing.” It was a sobering note, and the chat room felt it. Viewer Kimber Snipes shared a perspective from the ground level: “I’ve been having conversations with people between the ages of 20 and 35. What I hear most is that they don’t really know what to do and know nothing about the candidates. Politics also seems — because it is — very messy to them.”
But the heart of the morning belonged to the guest: Dana Murray, founder and director of the North Omaha Music Academy (NMA), formerly known as Love’s Jazz, situated on the storied North 24th Street corridor. A South Omaha native who spent eleven years honing his craft and his vision in New York City, Murray returned to Omaha with a purpose — and what he’s building is nothing short of a community institution in the making.
The conversation quickly found its depth when Paul B. asked Murray about the significance and the potential of North 24th Street, a corridor he has long called “the most important black corner in Nebraska.” Murray didn’t mince words about the challenges, but he spoke with the steady confidence of someone who has already begun proving the skeptics wrong.
“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,” Murray said. “But we’ve been so far removed from that. The people who are there are so far removed from what that was that it is hard to build momentum from within when a lot of the community can’t relate to the power of what was.”
Murray described a comprehensive vision for what a truly revitalized corridor could look like — one with the full infrastructure of a self-sustaining district: housing, services, eateries, parking, and crucially, destinations. “It would be great to have a hotel,” he said. “With a hotel, now you can throw larger attractions, music festivals, and conferences right in the community.” Viewer Pops added a poignant historical note to the conversation, writing: “Artists like Fats Domino used to stay at your grandfather’s home when he came to town to perform. So yes, more infrastructure for artists around the Deuce corridor would be a godsend.”
On the question of NMA’s broader mission, Murray drew a direct — and ambitious — comparison to Omaha Performing Arts, the downtown institution that generates tens of millions in annual revenue for its surrounding area. “That’s what we want to be for North Omaha,” he said plainly. “We’re not only raising musicians; more importantly, we’re raising more critical-thinking human beings.” Paul B. framed this idea through a concept he called the “secondary matrix” — the deeper purpose operating beneath the surface of any worthy community endeavor. “In Dana Murray’s case, he teaches kids music, but on the surface that’s what it is,” Paul B. explained. “The secondary matrix is to create critical thinkers — people that can go further in their fields because they have the discipline of musical training and the mind-expanding benefits that come with it.”
Murray elaborated on just how wide NMA’s programming reaches. Beyond instruments, students learn live sound engineering, broadcast production, podcasting, and even conduct their own artist interviews. “It’s not just telling them, ‘oh, you can be this someday,'” Murray said. “No — you can be this right now. Once you remove those barriers, the sky’s the limit.”
And the vision doesn’t stop where NMA currently stands. Murray described a forthcoming capital campaign — with a first phase goal of $20 million — aimed at building a full NMA campus. “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.” Those interested in getting involved or teaching at NMA can reach Murray directly at dmurray@northomahamusic.org or his assistant Andrew Bailey at abailey@northomahamusic.org.
The morning ended, as the best Love Supreme Fridays do, on a note of gratitude and connection. Viewer Aeros 402 brought a beautiful personal moment to the chat: “On a love note, my only daughter gave birth to my second granddaughter. They are both new and good. I feel blessed.” It was a perfect reminder of why community matters — not just in policy and infrastructure, but in the small, sacred moments we share with one another.
If you missed this week’s conversation with Dana Murray, do yourself a favor and find the replay. And if you want to be part of the conversation live, join Paul B., Buddy the God, and the Chat Chimers next week — right here on 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning.
