Charting Our Path: Celebrating 50 Years of Black Studies (1971-2021)
The Department of Black Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha is proud to celebrate its 50th anniversary in the 2021-22 academic year. Since 1971, Black Studies' faculty and staff have focused our teaching, research, and service on the analysis, critique, and discussion of African continental and diasporic experiences, and the systems of oppression and resistance that characterize those experiences. Through our strategic goals of academic excellence, student centeredness, and community engagement, we continue the long, strong, focused determination of the discipline of Black Studies to counter the narrative of white supremacy and African inferiority.
UNO's Department of Black Studies brings expertise of sociology, history, communication, race, political science, law and criminology, psychology, education, literature, business and economics, and ancient and contemporary African histories and political experiences. As Africa is the home of humanity, civilization, and society, we believe the knowledge of these is central to the understanding of the whole human experience. We invite you to join us and become part of this great academic adventure as we celebrate our 50th year as the Department of Black Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
2022 Events
2021 Events
Charting a Path: From 'Omaha 54' to 50 Years of Black Studies
A peaceful protest in 1969, organized by Black students seeking equal treatment, helped set the stage for five decades of Black Studies at UNO. Despite being one of the oldest departments of its kind in the U.S., the story of UNO's Department of Black Studies is just beginning.
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Descendants of DeWitty NE exhibit comes to UNO Libraries’ Osborne Gallery
The 25-photo exhibit shares the history of the people of DeWitty, the largest African American homestead settlement in Nebraska. The traveling exhibit is on loan from the Descendants of DeWitty NE organization. The exhibit will run September 1- November 7, 2021.
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Charting Our Path: Celebrating 50 Years of Black Studies (1971-2021) Exhibit Opens to the Public
The exhibit celebrates the 50 years of Black Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, sharing both the triumphs and turbulent history of one of the oldest Black Studies departments in the nation.
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Historical Resources
- Historical records from the Department of Black Studies
- Historical records on the Omaha 54
- Other resources are available in UNO Libraries Digital Collections and UNO Libraries' Archives and Special Collections.
Celebrating the Omaha 54 and 50 Years of the Department of Black Studies
The Department of Black Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha is proud to celebrate its 50th anniversary in the 2021-2022 academic year. The Department of Black Studies and UNO Libraries kicked off this important year by honoring the Omaha 54 students in an event held on July 28th.
In November 1969, the activism and personal sacrifices of the Omaha 54 students played a pivotal role in the creation of the Department of Black Studies at UNO.