Rodrigo Ramirez Sanchez in the Stanley and Dorothy Truhlsen Lecture Hall at the Durham Museum
OmahaNebraska.com here with…
Rodrigo Ramirez Sanchez.
Tell me a little bit about yourself, how you came to work on the project, and your project.
So a little bit about myself: I’m a junior now. I worked on this project about three years ago. In middle school, certain people got chosen to be part of this program going into freshman year, and I was one of the lucky ones to get elected for this. My project was the Walker Hotel. That’s the one I researched about. Being a part of this program made me realize how much history Omaha has. And growing up in North Omaha, knowing all this stuff happened in my neighborhood, and now as a junior taking Omaha history, I see that all this history in Omaha is pretty interesting, more that I live in North Omaha. So I’m really fortunate to be able to be a part of this exhibit.
How did you do the research?
I didn’t really know a lot about the history of Omaha until this program. and we researched it on websites and stuff, and we went on a field trip to visit where the Blackburn is right now, where the Walker Hotel was, and we’ve seen different sites and all this. And after we finished our little project, and then, yeah, that’s pretty much how I finished the whole project.
You mentioned earlier that this changed your life and had an impact. What was that?
It really did, because now I know everything back then, it wasn’t easy for colored people and stuff. And North and South Omaha just have a lot of history, and that’s places I’m always around. So yes, and it made me realize there’s a lot of history in Omaha and there’s still more for me to learn about Omaha.
It’s amazing how much the history is in the city. I’ve been delving into it a little bit. But wow, you just keep going and keep going. What are you thinking of for maybe a future project to work on?
Future project? I would have to see and learn a little bit more about Omaha and maybe write a little something about another project or something.
What takeaway can you give people for the project that you worked on? And what would you like people to know or remember?
The Walker Hotel was one of the most popular in the Green Book traveling guide. It was one of the more popular ones. It was a motel and a restaurant, I believe. Downstairs it was a restaurant and then upstairs was the motel. I hope all this history keeps on going forward for other kids to learn about it and stuff.
Kristine Gerber seated in auditorium before her talk in the Stanley and Dorothy Truhlsen Lecture Hall at the Durham Museum
OmahaNebraska.com here with…
Kristine Gerber.
Tell me a little bit about what you’ve done before and then about your involvement in the project.
I’m a local historian, so for the past 25 years, I have worked to tell Omaha’s stories. I’ve worked at the Omaha World Herald doing books. I’ve worked at Restoration Exchange Omaha, trying to save old buildings. And so now for the last five years, I’ve worked for Omaha Public Schools, helping students and teachers uncover and share Omaha’s diverse history.
Something I’ve been very interested and excited about is following the history of people here, the area, the buildings, what happened and then what’s going on and then where maybe the future is going. Tell me about your involvement in this project…how you got involved.
I’ve been working with ¨¨Making Invisible Histories Visible¨¨ for five years now, and every year we have a different subject or project and I get to pick it, which is always fun.
Wow.
So in 2023, I decided to do the Green Book project. And I picked that because I had seen the Green Book movie, but I also knew the Smithsonian had a Green Book exhibit going around and I had seen it and it was amazing. and I just was curious. I’m, like, well, I’m sure Omaha had some Green Book sites, but where were they and how many? And I thought this would be a good project for our kids and our teachers to do.
I understand Omaha’s Green Book sites had some unusual pieces to it compared to the rest of the country.
Candace C. Taylor, who’s a national scholar of the Green Book, will say that in most communities, 80% to 85% of the properties were African American owned. But in Omaha, only 60% of the properties were African American owned. And the reason for that is in North Omaha, where a majority of African Americans live, there was also a large Jewish community. These Jewish-owned businesses included delis and liquor stores that were open to African Americans. And so there was some Jewish, but then there were also just some also European immigrants, that knew that they should be open and welcoming to African Americans. And there were Green Book sites in North Omaha, but there also was an African-American community just across from the stockyards around the 30th and Q area, so there were three sites in that area.
Do you have a favorite section or exhibit or something that people should not miss when they go visit?
You know, what I really like is the trunk. So the trunk shows what an African American family had to pack for a trip. Unlike white Americans who could just go and not think about these things, African Americans had to think about “What if we can’t get something? We have to be prepared.” So in the trunk is a gas can filled with gas in case they couldn’t find a place to stop. They had things to cook with, like a big pot and some food. They had tents or sleeping bags in case they couldn’t find a place to stay. And they had a big cooler with food that they had made in case they couldn’t find a restaurant. So all of these things they had to think through. One of the lessons that we had our kids do is we gave them a Green Book, and we said, “You need to plan a two-day trip, but you can only stop at Green Book sites.” I had them start in New York because I wanted to give them a fair chance and have it so there would be lots of places. So they had to take a two-day trip starting from New York and going in any direction, okay? And they could only stay, gas up, go to Greenbook sites. Within like 5 to 10 minutes, they’re, like, “Oh, my God, Mrs. Gerber, this is really hard.” I’m, like, “I know.” They’re, like, “I’m going to run out of gas.” I’m, like, “Well, you have to think ahead. And when you can find gas, you’ve got to fill up your gas can, you know?” I think I could just see the light bulbs going off. And it just was a key moment for my students to realize how unfair it was and how hard it was. It shouldn’t have been so hard.
It’s important that history becomes something more than just you read.
Yeah.
That however it is, you can try to experience it, that you can.
Yeah.
And this is a very clever idea.
Yeah, exactly.
Is there a question you would have liked me to ask that I haven’t asked?
Let’s see.
Because I feel like I’m missing…
Well, no, no, no. So one really fun thing is when we found out the Smithsonian had an exhibit, as part of my programming, the Smithsonian actually was involved. I got to know their education person, and she gave us some lessons, and they have the exhibit online because they developed it during COVID so you could look at it online. And I kept saying, “You need to bring the exhibit to Omaha.” And I am really involved in the Durham…have been forever. I’m, like, “You need to bring it to the Durham.” And they’re, like, “No, no, it’s already full. And we’re retiring it, and blah, blah, blah.” So after we were done with the project, I sent all the kids’ projects to the Smithsonian. And they were like, “We have never known someone so persistent,” and they decided to send their exhibit to Omaha, and this is the last place it’s going to be shown, and then it is going to be retired.
And then there’s a whole Omaha section.
Yeah.
So more livable moments connecting with the actual area we live in.
Yeah, because we were able to share all this great information with them.
Please tell me a little bit about things that you’ve done before in your life and then how this project started.
Well, I’ve been having the honor of serving as the executive director for the Great Plains Black History Museum for the last nine years. I come from a health care background, having served in the military for 20 years where I worked in healthcare. I currently still teach health care management. I’ve been having the fortunate opportunity to work here for the Great Plains Black History Museum and serving as its executive director where we’ve had an opportunity to tell some stories that may have either never been told or have been undertold through others. And so we’ve been having an opportunity to bring more awareness to the rich history of African Americans and what it brings not only to the city of Omaha, but throughout the Great Plains and throughout America.
Thank you. Tell me a little bit about how this project got started and then your involvement here.
Well, Ms. Kristine Gerber worked for “Making Invisible History Visible” a few years ago. That project works with high school students. Back in 2023, she had a group of students who did some research to locate the Green Book sites that were here in Omaha. There were a total of 30 Green Book sites here in Omaha. The students found those spots and researched them, and they found old pictures of the buildings and then newer pictures of those buildings that were still standing. The interesting thing about it is that with other Green Book sites throughout America, maybe 20% of the buildings are still standing. But here in Omaha, it’s unique, where 36% of the buildings that served as Green Book sites are still standing. And also, not all the Green Book sites were located in North Omaha. There were three Green Book sites in South Omaha on Q Street.
I know you’re going to talk some more about those later, but tell me some of your favorite ones for the area.
My favorite two, as far as hotels, is the Broadview Hotel, also referred to as the castle, because it does look like a castle. It was in the Green Book a few years. It’s one of the more noticeable places in North Omaha. And also, even though it’s no longer standing, the other place that was really intriguing was the Patton Hotel, because the Patton Hotel served as a place where the black porters could stay, musicians would stay as they were traveling throughout America and had any time to spend overnight, as well as the chefs that worked for Union Pacific. So those are my two favorites.
Your involvement in the project here… tell us a little bit about that.
When the Durham got an opportunity to get the Smithsonian’s Green Book story, we collaborated with them to be able to tell the Omaha story. That way, Omaha folks could see that while all these things were happening throughout history, they also got a chance to see that Omaha wasn’t just on the sidelines: Omaha was a part of that history.
So, you brought Omaha to life within this exhibit.
Yes.
Please tell us a little bit about why this is so important and everyone should come see the exhibit or learn more about the Green Book.
Well, I think it’s important because it’s a part of history. Again, it’s a part of history that a lot of times goes untold, and it’s an opportunity for folks to see, as I mentioned earlier, as things were happening throughout America, they were also happening here. So it’s important for folks to know these things because it helps them see their role, in particular, in history.
Is there a question you would have liked me to ask that I didn’t ask?
“How can folks learn more about the Great Plains Black History Museum?”
I was going to ask you a separate one on that later, but yes, go for it. Tell me more about the…
Well, the Great Plains Black History Museum has been in existence…this year we’re celebrating our 50th anniversary. It was started by Mrs. Bertha Callaway, and it started in the old historic Webster Building. We’re now currently operating out of the historic Jewel Building, which was the home of the Dreamland Ballroom and other venues. We currently occupy part of the first floor, and we’ve had the fortunate opportunity to be there for almost nine years. We’re open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 1 to 5 pm.
