It was a Love Supreme Friday on 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning, and hosts Paul B. and Buddy the God were determined to keep it that way — even with the week’s Nebraska primary election results fresh on everyone’s mind. Rather than dwell in frustration, Paul B. set the tone early. “We have to make a decision,” he 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.” That spirit of grounded optimism carried the entire show.
The chat room was buzzing from the jump, with viewers weighing in on civic engagement and what it will take to move the needle in local politics. Buddy the God put it plainly: “None of this really matters if everybody voted. It’s the missing piece. The reality is, until we do that, we’re going to have to keep building our own ecosystems — and we got to do both.” Viewer Kimber Snipes echoed a concern heard across many communities: “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. Politics also seems — because it is — very messy to them.” Viewer Sean McCarthy added another layer to the conversation, noting, “One huge problem is so many of these positions don’t pay a living wage, so only those who can afford to hold those positions run.” It was the kind of honest, community-level dialogue that makes the show feel less like a broadcast and more like a kitchen table conversation.
Before long, the show pivoted to what may have been its most inspiring segment of the week — a deep, wide-ranging conversation with Dana Murray, founder and executive director of the North Omaha Music Academy (NMA). A South Omaha native who spent eleven years in New York City before returning home, Murray has poured that experience into building something transformative on the North 24th Street corridor — a stretch of Omaha that Paul B. has long held close to his heart. “I’ve always called it the most important black corner in Nebraska,” Paul B. said. “We got to serve it. We have to be of service to it.”
Murray’s vision for what that corridor — affectionately called “the Deuce” — could become is ambitious, specific, and deeply rooted in community pride. “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 mapped out what a truly self-sustained district would look like: adequate housing, eateries, laundromats, gas stations, transportation access, and — perhaps most boldly — a hotel. “With a hotel, now you can throw larger attractions, music festivals, conferences right in the community.”
Murray was candid about something he hears occasionally — that as a South Omaha native, he might be seen as an outsider to North Omaha’s story. He addressed it directly and without defensiveness. “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 went on to challenge what he sees as a missed opportunity during events like Native Omaha Days. “I love Native Omaha Days at its core — anything that brings us together — but it’s a failed opportunity to showcase our culture because it doesn’t invite the rest of Omaha down to partake in what we have to offer. I wish we did more of what South Omaha does with Cinco de Mayo, where they champion their culture and invite everybody.” Viewer Pops added a beautiful historical footnote to the conversation: “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 Murray’s work is the North Omaha Music Academy itself — part youth music school, part performance venue, and part economic engine in the making. He drew a purposeful comparison to Omaha Performing Arts, which generates an estimated $40 to $50 million in annual revenue for the downtown area. “That’s what we’re trying to be for North Omaha,” he said. But Murray was quick to clarify that the mission runs deeper than producing musicians. “We’re not only raising musicians but, more importantly, raising more critical thinking human beings — because all these young kids are not all going to become musicians. Some will become doctors, lawyers, business owners — whatever they choose, they’re going to be better because they were aligned with artistry.”
Paul B. framed it as what he calls the “secondary matrix” — the idea that what looks like a music program on the surface is actually an engine for developing discipline, curiosity, and expanded thinking. Murray’s standards for the instructors he hires reflect that same philosophy. “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,” he said. “They don’t need us for the what — they can go to YouTube and see anything we’re trying to teach them. The instructors we bring in have to have in their arsenal the ability to inspire another human being.”
NMA is actively seeking music instructors and is in the early stages of a capital campaign with an initial phase of $20 million — with a full campus as the long-term goal. Those interested in joining the team can reach Murray directly at dmurray@northomahamusic.org or his assistant Andrew Bailey at abailey@northomahamusic.org.
The show also spotlighted several other community wins worth celebrating: entrepreneur Charell Shelton’s new diagnostic lab, Omaha North High School’s nationally recognized engineering program, and Heart Ministry Center’s forthcoming grocery store — a welcome development for a neighborhood long considered a food desert. Each story, on its own, would be noteworthy. Together, they painted a picture of a community that is quietly, steadily building something.
The morning wrapped on a warm note, with viewer Aeros 402 sharing some personal joy: “My only daughter gave birth to my second granddaughter. They are both new and good. I feel blessed.” On a Friday like this one, that felt like exactly the right way to close.
If you missed this week’s episodes of 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning, do yourself a favor and catch the replay — and then make sure you’re tuned in Monday morning, when Paul B., Buddy the God, and the Chat Chimers will be back at it, keeping the community informed, inspired, and connected.
