It was a Love Supreme Friday on 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning, and hosts Paul B and Buddy the God brought exactly the energy that name promises — part civic accountability, part community celebration, and a whole lot of heart. From primary election results to a deeply inspiring conversation about the future of North 24th Street, the May 15th episode reminded listeners why local voices and local vision matter more than ever.
The show opened with a candid look at Nebraska’s primary turnout numbers, and the mood was sobering. Paul B shared a post from Raquel Henderson of the mayor’s office that stopped the room cold:
“Only 339,000 out of more than 1.2 million registered voters in Nebraska showed up yesterday. Posting on Facebook is not enough. Awareness without action changes nothing.”
The chat lit up. Viewer Mark Manor weighed in on the competitive Denise Pal and Brinker Harding race, writing, “People are going to let Brinker in unfortunately if this all continues. You may not like some things about Pal or believe some things about her, but to let Harding in because of that is wild.” Viewer Kimber Snipes offered a different angle: “I’ve been having conversations with people between the ages of 20 and 35. What I hear the most is most of them don’t really know what to do and know nothing about the candidates. I don’t think we should be slamming people for not voting when the system is really what has caused this. I think we need to have more education and deep dive discussions.”
Buddy the God acknowledged the political fatigue many viewers were feeling and made a deliberate pivot: “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 we’re going to change our mindsets.” That shift set the tone for everything that followed — a conscious choice to pair accountability with inspiration.
Before bringing on their guest, the hosts paused to celebrate Charell Shelton, a local entrepreneur who recently won a $52,000 diagnostic lab prize. Paul B was beaming: “This is a great example of somebody who is diving into an industry that can’t be denied because everybody needs it — and making that grow and build.” The hosts also shouted out Omaha North High School’s nationally recognized engineering program — another reminder that excellence is alive and well right here at home.
The heart of the show, though, belonged to Dana Murray — founder and executive director of the North Omaha Music Academy (NMA), located on the historic North 24th Street corridor. Murray, a musician who spent eleven years in New York City before returning to Omaha, carries a vision for the Deuce that is equal parts practical and electrifying.
Murray laid out what the North 24th Street corridor could and should become with the clarity of someone who has thought long and hard about it. “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. “A lot of the community within can’t relate to the power of what was.” He described the full infrastructure a thriving district needs — housing, grocery stores, parking, transportation — and then raised the ceiling: “It would be great to have a hotel. With a hotel, now you can throw larger attractions, music festivals, conferences right in the community.”
Murray grew up in South Omaha, and Paul B pressed him on what draws him so deeply to the Deuce. His answer was both personal and political: “If you’re black and you’re in Omaha, especially in the 70s and early 80s, everyone had a shared relationship with North Omaha. That was the Mecca for us.” He spoke frankly about what he called a “false sense of pride” that sometimes keeps the community from inviting the rest of Omaha in. “At every opportunity, we fail at taking advantage of showcasing our culture,” he said. “One of the things I’ve tried to do was reach out and be a beacon for all of Omaha to come down to North 24th Street. People told me that was going to be very hard — and people don’t have any problem coming from wherever they are in Omaha or Iowa to come down to hear jazz music.”
Viewer Pops connected the dots beautifully from the chat: “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.”
When Murray described what NMA is building, the ambition was unmistakable. He drew a direct comparison to Omaha Performing Arts — a downtown institution that generates an estimated $40 to $50 million in revenue annually — and said plainly: “That’s what we’re trying to build for North Omaha.” But the mission runs deeper than economics. “We’re not only raising musicians — more importantly, we’re raising more critical thinking human beings,” he said. “Some will become doctors, some lawyers, some business owners — whatever they choose, they’re going to be better because they were aligned with artistry.” Students at NMA don’t just learn instruments; they learn live sound, broadcasting, and live streaming, and they interview working artists. “It’s not just teaching them ‘oh you can be this’ — no, you can be this right now.”
Murray also named brain drain as one of the most damaging forces working against North Omaha’s growth. “Brain drain is a killer for Omaha period,” he said. “Juxtapose that with North Omaha — that’s devastating to our community. We’re far more adversely affected. We’re not retaining any talent usually.” His answer to that challenge is NMA itself — a place designed to give young people a reason to stay, grow, and invest in the community that raised them.
As for what comes next, Murray was clear: this is just the beginning. NMA is planning a capital campaign with a first phase goal of $20 million, with a full campus on the horizon. “Money is not our issue really in North Omaha,” he said. “It’s transformative ideas. What we have to sell in most black communities is our culture. The sooner we understand that our culture is equity, that our brilliance and artistic genius is equity, the better off we’re going to be.”
For anyone interested in becoming a music instructor at NMA, Murray encouraged reaching out directly. Prospective educators can contact him at dmurray@northomahamusic.org or assistant Andrew Bailey at abailey@northomahamusic.org. Murray was characteristically thoughtful about who they’re looking for: “The instructors we bring in have to have in their arsenal the ability to inspire another human being.”
Buddy the God brought the show home with a line that felt like the episode’s thesis: “We got to do both — build our own ecosystems and continue to do the political work. In the long run, we do got to figure this out as a nation.”
Before signing off, the hosts also highlighted the upcoming screening of I Love Boosters at Film Streams — another community event worth putting on the calendar.
It was exactly the kind of Friday morning Omaha needed — grounded, honest, hopeful, and full of the kind of local wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. Join Paul B, Buddy the God, and the whole 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning family when they’re back on Monday — because the conversation is always better when you’re part of it.
