It was a Friday morning full of heart, honesty, and hope on 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning, as hosts Paul B. and Buddy the God kicked off what they declared a “Love Supreme Friday” — a deliberate choice to redirect energy toward community building at a moment when it would have been easy to do otherwise.
The Nebraska primary results were fresh on everyone’s mind, and the hosts didn’t shy away from the conversation. Paul B. set the tone early, acknowledging the emotional weight of the moment before steering the ship toward something more constructive. “We have to make a decision. It’s going to be Love Supreme Friday today. And we’re going to change our mindsets over to something else — because it’s real easy to let your emotions take over when there’s so much to be emotional about,” he told viewers. The chat was buzzing with responses. Viewer Kimber Snipes offered a grounded perspective on low voter turnout, writing, “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.” Paul B. also shared a post from Raquel Henderson of the mayor’s office, which noted that only 339,000 of more than 1.2 million registered Nebraska voters showed up to the polls. “Awareness without action changes nothing,” Henderson’s post read — a line that landed quietly but firmly.
From there, the show pivoted to the kind of community-focused conversation that has made 1st Sky a weekly ritual for so many Omahans. The featured guest was Dana Murray, founder and director of the North Omaha Music Academy (NMA) — formerly known as Love’s Jazz — located on North 24th Street. Murray, a musician and educator who spent eleven years in New York City before returning home, sat down for one of the most substantive conversations the show has hosted in recent memory.
Paul B. has long described North 24th Street as “the most important Black corner in Nebraska,” and Murray’s vision for the corridor matched that reverence. “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. He spoke candidly about the gap between what the street once was and where it stands today, calling out a missed opportunity that many locals will recognize. “At every opportunity we fail at taking advantage of showcasing our culture and highlighting the excellence of who we are,” he said, pointing to Native Omaha Days as one example. “It’s a failed opportunity to showcase our culture because none of that is trying to invite the rest of Omaha down to partake in what we have to offer.” Viewer Pops echoed the sentiment from personal history, sharing in 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.”
Murray’s vision for NMA reaches well beyond music lessons. He drew a compelling comparison to Omaha Performing Arts, which generates $40 to $50 million in revenue annually for its surrounding area. “We’re not only raising musicians, but more importantly we’re raising more critical thinking human beings,” Murray explained, “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 to do, they’re going to be better because they were aligned with artistry.” Paul B. framed it as a “secondary matrix” — the idea that musical discipline quietly rewires young minds for excellence in any field they pursue.
The NMA also runs a broadcast lab where students learn live sound, podcasting, and live streaming, even conducting their own artist interviews. And the ambitions don’t stop there. Murray announced that NMA is preparing to launch a capital campaign with a first phase goal of $20 million, with a full NMA campus as the ultimate target. His argument was direct and uncompromising: “What we have to sell in most Black communities is our culture. Our culture is equity. Every music in America has been built off of our experience — from the hardest rock music to the jazziest jazz music, you trace it all the way back to the music that was brought over from Africa.” The sooner that culture is treated as the economic asset it truly is, Murray suggested, the better positioned North Omaha will be.
For those inspired to get involved, NMA is currently seeking music instructors with one very specific qualification beyond technical skill. “Anyone can have the X’s and O’s of teaching,” Murray said, “but 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.” Interested educators can reach Murray at dmurray@northomahamusic.org or his assistant Andrew Bailey at abailey@northomahamusic.org.
The show also lifted up several other community bright spots, including Charell Shelton’s new diagnostic lab, Heart Ministry Center’s planned neighborhood grocery store, and Omaha North High School’s nationally recognized engineering program — reminders that the work of building a better Omaha is already well underway on multiple fronts. And in a moment of pure joy that anchored the morning in something beautifully human, viewer Aeros 402 shared, “On a love note, my only daughter gave birth to my second granddaughter. They are both new and good. I feel blessed.” The chat erupted in celebration — the perfect Love Supreme Friday moment.
It was, as viewer Pops put it, another great week of shows from a program that has quietly become a true pillar of the Omaha community. Join Paul B., Buddy the God, and the whole 1st Sky family Monday morning — you won’t want to miss what comes next.
