On the Omaha Reservation in the late 19th century, access to medical care was often a matter of life or death. As a child, Susan La Flesche witnessed a Native woman die after a white doctor refused to treat her. The injustice of that moment stayed with her. It became her calling.

In Omaha, Rachel Jacobson’s name is closely tied to the spaces where community gathers, stories unfold, and civic life expands.

An Omaha native, Jacobson founded Film Streams in 2005 with a clear conviction: film is not just entertainment, it is art.

Before the prairie was romanticized in American literature, Willa Cather wrote it as she knew it. Wide. Wind-swept. Honest.

She would go on to write enduring novels of the Great Plains, including “O Pioneers!,”“The Song of the Lark” and “My Ántonia.” Her work and widely acclaimed masterpiece explored immigration, exile, nostalgia, and the intimate relationship between people and place.

Before she was breaking down national headlines on cable news, Symone Sanders Townsend was a North Omaha kid with a dream of having her own show.

Every March, when Women’s History Month arrives, I find myself asking a deeper question than simply who do we celebrate?

I ask: Whose stories built the ground we’re standing on?

So this Women’s History Month, I’m honoring Nebraska women not just with posts or quotes, but with storytelling that feels worthy of their impact.

Preston Love Jr. is a pioneering activist, journalist, and political strategist, whose work shaped conversations about race, policy, and civic leadership in Nebraska and beyond. Born in the early 1940s in Omaha to Betty and Preston Love, he grew up in a city with a rich African American community and a history of activism.

Terence Allan “Bud” Crawford (born September 28, 1987) is a retired undefeated professional boxer and one of Omaha’s most celebrated athletes. Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, Crawford grew up as the only son of Debbie and Terence Sr., navigating a challenging environment marked by poverty and crime.

Sen. Ashlei Spivey is an Omaha-born, North Omaha-raised leader whose work spans community organizing, nonprofit leadership, and public policy. Spivey has called Legislative District 13 her home her entire life, growing up in the very community she now represents in the Nebraska Legislature.

In the mid-20th century, when North Omahapulsed with the sound of live jazz pouring from clubs along 24th Street, a young saxophonist named Preston Love Sr. was developing the tone and tenacity that would carry him far beyond Nebraska.

Zanzye H.A. Hill made history in 1929 as the first African American woman admitted to practice law in Nebraska, marking a milestone in the state’s legal history during an era defined by racial and gender exclusion. Although admitted to the Nebraska bar, records from the Office of the Supreme Court Clerk indicate that Hill did not actively practice law in the state.

The Black Student Leadership Council’s Ninth Annual Black History & Heritage Showcase delivered an unforgettable evening of culture, education, and excellence at Omaha Burke High School last night.

Johnny Steven Rodgers (born July 5, 1951) remains one of the most electrifying players in college football history, a homegrown Omaha talent whose speed, precision, and instinct helped define an era of Nebraska dominance.

Gabrielle Monique Union-Wade (born October 29, 1972) is an award-winning actress, bestselling author, and outspoken advocate whose career has spanned more than three decades in film and television. Born in Omaha, Union’s journey from the Midwest to Hollywood reflects both talent and tenacity. 

Born in Omaha on November 24, 1956, Terry Lewis helped shape the sound of modern R&B and pop music for more than four decades. As one half of the legendary songwriting and production duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, he has influenced generations of artists and defined eras of American music.

When Brenda Smith joined the Omaha Police Department in 1980, she stepped into history. She became the first African American female police officer in Nebraska, entering a profession where few women, and no Black women in the state, had served before her.

In an effort to increase visibility, volunteerism, and charitable investment, SHARE Omaha has curated and elevated a list of more than 30 Black-led and Black-benefiting nonprofits serving the Omaha metro.

Reverend Livingston Wills (1916–2008) spent more than six decades walking the streets of Omaha, a bundle of brooms across his shoulders, dressed in a suit and brimmed hat, becoming one of the city’s most recognizable and enduring figures. Blind from birth, Wills navigated downtown and surrounding neighborhoods independently, memorizing routes and storefronts long before modern accessibility protections were in place.

Linda Brown (February 20, 1943 – March 25, 2018) made history in 1987 when she became the first African American female firefighter in the Omaha Fire Department, breaking barriers in a profession long dominated by men and white men in particular.

Gale Eugene Sayers (May 30, 1943 – September 23, 2020) was one of the most electrifying players in professional football history, a generational talent whose speed, vision, and agility redefined what was possible on the field. Though born in Wichita, Kansas, Sayers was raised in Omaha, Nebraska, where his athletic gifts first took shape and where his legacy remains deeply rooted. 

Marcia Carol Martin Anderson (born 1957) made history in 2011 when she became the first African American woman promoted to the rank of major general in the United States Army Reserve, a milestone that expanded representation at the highest levels of military leadership.