There’s something special about a Friday morning that feels like it was made for good conversation — and this past Friday’s edition of 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning delivered exactly that. Hosts Paul B. and Buddy the God declared it “Love Supreme Friday,” a deliberate exhale after weeks of primary election coverage, and filled the hour with the kind of talk that reminds you why community matters in the first place.
Before fully pivoting away from politics, the hosts acknowledged the sobering reality of Nebraska’s primary turnout. Viewer Raquel Henderson set the tone when her message was read aloud on air: “Only 339,000 out of more than 1.2 million registered voters in Nebraska showed up yesterday. Think about that for a second. And yet everybody has something to say. Posting on Facebook is not enough. Awareness without action changes nothing.” Viewer Kimber Snipes offered a gentler counterpoint, writing that many people between 20 and 35 simply don’t know enough about candidates or the process — and that the answer is more education and deeper conversation, not shaming. It was a measured, honest exchange that felt true to Omaha.
With that, Paul B. made the pivot official. “We’ve been talking a lot of politics for a while and it’s time for a little break after the primaries — it’s going to be Love Supreme Friday today,” he announced. Buddy the God framed the shift perfectly, reminding listeners that civic engagement and community building aren’t competing priorities. “We have to build our own ecosystems and continue to do the things that we’re about to talk about,” he said. “In the long run, we do got to figure this out as far as a nation — whether you want to be engaged in it or not, you’re a part of it. Don’t pay taxes and see what happens.”
That ecosystem-building conversation found its anchor in the show’s featured guest: Dana Murray, executive director and founder of the North Omaha Music Academy (NMA), located on the storied North 24th Street corridor. A South Omaha native who spent eleven years in New York City before returning home, Murray has poured his energy into creating something Omaha’s North Side hasn’t had in a long time — a destination.
Murray was candid about the challenges facing the corridor. “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. “And we’ve been so far removed from that.” He outlined the practical building blocks any thriving district needs — housing, eateries, laundromats, parking — alongside the cultural magnets that make people want to show up: restaurants, lounges, music festivals, and ideally, a hotel. “With a hotel, now you can throw larger attractions, music festivals, conferences right in the community.”
When Paul B. raised the question of Murray’s South Omaha roots — something some listeners had noted — Murray didn’t sidestep it. He pointed to a shared history that transcended neighborhood lines. “If you’re black and you’re in Omaha, especially in the 70s and early 80s, everyone had a shared relationship with North Omaha,” he said. “That was the Mecca for us.” But he also issued a challenge to the community he loves, expressing frustration with missed opportunities to invite all of Omaha in. “I wish we did more of what South Omaha does with Cinco de Mayo — they invite everybody down to be part of that,” he said, noting that his own jazz programming had already proved the skeptics wrong. “People don’t have any problem coming from wherever they are in Omaha or Iowa to come down North 24th Street to hear jazz music.”
The conversation deepened when Murray turned to the mission at the heart of NMA. Paul B. had introduced the concept of what he calls the “secondary matrix” — the deeper transformation that happens beneath the surface of any meaningful work. “In Dana Murray’s case, he teaches kids music — on the surface that’s what it is — but we all know that when you learn music, your brain starts firing in different ways,” Paul B. explained. “The secondary matrix for him is to create critical thinkers.” Murray echoed that idea with passion. “We’re not only raising musicians but more importantly we’re raising more critical thinking human beings,” he said, “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.”
Murray also spoke plainly about brain drain — a quiet crisis that hits North Omaha harder than most. “We’re not retaining any talent usually, and that’s not a winning proposition,” he said. His vision for NMA’s future is ambitious: a $20 million first phase of a capital campaign aimed at building a full campus, something he described as a North Omaha equivalent of Omaha Performing Arts — an institution that generates economic energy while preserving and celebrating culture. “Our culture is equity,” Murray said. “Every music in America has been built off of our experience. From the hardest rock music to the jazziest jazz music to the poppiest of pop music, you trace it all the way back to the music that was brought over here from Africa. And that’s equity for us to build and monetize for our community.”
NMA is also actively recruiting music instructors, and Murray made clear the bar is high — not just for technical skill, but for the ability to inspire. “They don’t need us for the ‘what’ — they can go to YouTube and see anything we’re trying to teach them,” he said. “The ‘why’ they’re doing it is everything.” Interested instructors can reach Murray at dmurray@northomahmusic.org or his assistant Andrew Bailey at abailey@northomahmusic.org.
The warmth in the chat room matched the energy on air. Viewer Aeros 402 opened the morning on a personal high note: “On a love note, my only daughter gave birth to my second granddaughter. They are both new and good. I feel blessed.” It was the kind of moment that reminded everyone listening why a show called “Love Supreme Friday” makes all the sense in the world.
The episode closed with a look ahead at upcoming community events, including NMA Fest and a Film Streams screening of Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters — a film Paul B. connected to a broader conversation about the stories our culture tells and who gets to tell them. “Why not put the message out there that you need to put out there?” he said. “That’s what Boots Riley is doing.”
It was, by every measure, a Love Supreme Friday well spent. If you missed it, make sure to catch 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning next week — your community is waiting for you there.
