I ushered into fruition and application the term "Empowerment" in the early part of the 21st century and used it to sponsor a number of "Self-empowerment community forums" where information and awards were shared. The goal was to teach residents about how to enter into vocations where they could earn money on their own, at their own pace, no matter where they decided to live: auto mechanic, barber, beautician, contractor and many more. The reason was that the unemployment rate was high for a non-stop reason: white folks were hesitant to hire black people. My approach was, quite simply, the creation of an alternative. When I left Omaha in 2006 to go to Dallas, the term was immediately pounced upon by the powers that be, the word "Network" was added and then a subsidiary was created with the preface of "African American." When I got back there were newly arrived "negroes" with the self-proclaimed pretension of power holding meetings and sharing meaningless ideas. In a word, a pacification effort headed by this new Network and its leader, the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the world. The goal was to re-define the ghetto area and relocate the residents. Therefore this book is a primer for those who want to save what little of North Omaha remains. Keys include avoiding external definition, defining what "empowerment" actually is, avoiding pacification/placation approaches, defining "development" in the image and interests of the inner city residents, and connecting community work with "re-education." Along the way are critiques of past "studies," "initiatives" and "projects" aimed at the black community, but which really do more than attract grant money from the government. A discussion of past "shill corporations" that were set up by the city to "represent" the black community will be shared, as will an analysis of a "state of the city" speech by a former mayor. Three approaches for neighborhood development will be shared: the neighborhood maintenance approach, the social work approach and the political activist approach. Urban models will be explained to the reader as well as the most recent "black male initiative." An indictment of the National League of Cities and the "partners" involved in this most recent initiative will be shared. The turning and control of the key to saving North Omaha should be in the hands of African-American people; the turning of that key may call for the collective resources of everyone.
About the Author: Matthew C. Stelly is a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee working on a degree in Urban Education and Community Policy. He holds three Master's degrees: Urban Studies (1982), Urban Education (1983) and Political Science (2000). He is working toward his doctorate in Community Policy/Urban Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is the former editor of the Milwaukee Courier newspaper, former director of the Great Plains Black Museum and the Plano (TX) African American Museum, and lead archivist for The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL) in Dallas, Texas. Stelly has more than 2,500 articles in print and has won two national essay competitions. He is the founding director of the largest African-American neighborhood group in Nebraska, the Triple One Neighborhood Association and Parents Union. He is publisher and editor of the Triple One News, a two-time nationally recognized newsletter. He is the father of five children - Mandla, Malik, Clariece, Charisse and Shannon -- and remains actively involved in community organizing and neighborhood development in several cities, including Milwaukee and Omaha.