Friday mornings on 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning have a particular kind of energy, and this week’s “Love Supreme Friday” edition delivered exactly that — a grounding, community-rooted conversation that moved from the weight of election results to the promise of what Omaha’s North Side can become. Hosts Paul B. and Buddy the God set the tone early, choosing intention over anxiety in the wake of Nebraska’s midterm primary.
“We have to make a decision,” Paul B. told viewers. “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.” The viewer chat responded in kind. Viewer Judy Princ offered a simple piece of wisdom that landed perfectly: “If you are sad or angry, go out and help others. Your attitude will change.”
Still, the hosts didn’t shy away from the civic moment. Buddy the God underscored the tension many in the community feel between local action and national stakes. “We got to do both,” he said. “We have to build our own ecosystems and continue to do the things we’re about to talk about. But in the long run, we do got to figure this out as a nation.” Paul B. echoed that urgency by reading from a Facebook post by community voice Raquel Henderson: “Posting on Facebook is not enough. Awareness without action changes nothing. We cannot keep sitting out the process and then feeling powerless when decisions are made without us.”
The conversation then turned to something hopeful — and to a guest who is quite literally building the future, one young musician at a time.
Dana Murray, founder and director of the North Omaha Music Academy (NMA), joined the show from his home on the North 24th Street corridor, the stretch Paul B. has long called “the most important black corner in Nebraska.” Murray, a musician and educator who spent 11 years in New York City before returning home to Omaha, spoke with quiet conviction about what this corridor once was — and what it needs to become again.
“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. “We’ve been so far removed from that.” His vision for the “Deuce” is practical and ambitious in equal measure: enough housing, services, and infrastructure to make the area self-sustaining, layered with destinations — restaurants, lounges, entertainment venues, and eventually a hotel — that would make it a true cultural anchor for the entire city.
Viewer Pops added a personal note that gave the conversation historical texture: “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 was candid about the missed opportunities, too, even ones rooted in community pride. “One of the things that holds us back is this false sense of security with pride as it pertains to North Omaha,” he said. “At every opportunity, we fail at taking advantage of showcasing our culture.” He pointed to Native Omaha Days as an example of an event beloved at its core but not yet leveraged to draw broader Omaha — or visitors from across the river in Iowa — into experiencing the richness the community has to offer. NMA, he said, has been a test case for something different. “People don’t have any problem coming from wherever they are in Omaha or Iowa to come down and hear jazz music.”
At NMA, Murray and his team are teaching youth far more than how to play an instrument. The academy doubles as a performance venue, a broadcast lab, a live sound training facility, and a podcast studio — where students don’t just learn about careers, they step into them. “It’s not just teaching them ‘oh, you can be this’ — no, you can be this right now,” Murray said. The deeper purpose, he explained, is the development of critical thinkers. As Paul B. framed it, there’s a “secondary matrix” at work: “He teaches kids music — but the secondary matrix is to create critical thinkers.” Viewer Pops connected immediately: “I experienced my secondary matrix in junior high when I took algebra. I was gaining proficiency and noticed I was suddenly able to think outside the box on several different levels. Music the same.”
Looking ahead, Murray laid out an ambitious growth plan that includes a $20 million first-phase capital campaign toward a full NMA campus. His reference point is instructive: Omaha Performing Arts generates $40 to $50 million in annual economic activity for downtown. “That’s what we’re trying to be for North Omaha,” he said simply. “Our culture is equity. Our brilliance, our artistic genius is equity — and the sooner we understand that, the better off we’re going to be.”
Those interested in teaching at NMA can reach Murray at dmurray@northomahamusic.org or his assistant Andrew Bailey at abailey@northomahamusic.org. The academy’s upcoming NMA Fest, a four-night celebration, is on the horizon — details to come.
The show also lifted up several other community bright spots: Charell Shelton’s Core Science Bio Diagnostics lab, Omaha North High School’s nationally recognized engineering program, and the Heart Ministry Center’s forthcoming neighborhood grocery store — small but mighty signs of a North Omaha that is building, investing, and believing in itself.
The morning closed, as the best Fridays do, with gratitude. Viewer Aeros 402 shared the kind of news that reminds everyone what it’s all for: “My only daughter gave birth to my second granddaughter. They are both new and good. I feel blessed.” And viewer Senator KML offered a note to Dana Murray that said it plainly: “Thank you, Uncle Dana. You’re changing lives in big ways. We are the students.”
That’s the spirit of Love Supreme Friday — and it’s why this show keeps showing up every morning for Omaha. Join Paul B., Buddy the God, and the whole Chat Chimer community next week for another conversation worth waking up for.
