Racial Justice

Though generations of civil rights activism have led to important gains, our country has yet to break free from a system of racial injustice that has been with us ever since our nation's founding. Our work is grounded in our firm commitment to racial justice principles, requiring us to identify the ways in which racial injustices have been woven into the fabric of our institutions, societies, histories, and present-day realities. Racial justice is embedded in all of our 2025-2028 Strategic Plan, and shapes our integrated advocacy strategy: advancing justice through impact litigation, policy advocacy, and being in and with communities across Nebraska.

Omaha Protest

What you need to know

24%

Census numbers show about a quarter of all Nebraskans are people of color. According to Flatwater Free Press, all of Nebraska's counties have grown more diverse in recent years.

2-3x

Since Nebraska began collecting traffic stop data in 2001, Black, Latine, and Native American drivers have consistently been two to three times more likely to be pulled over or searched by law enforcement than white drivers.

2.52

The disparity index for student resource officer calls made against Black students in Lincoln Public Schools' 2023-24 school year. Black, Indigenous and multiracial students were most overrepresented in these calls.

From our public schools where students of color are too often overrepresented in disciplinary actions to our criminal legal system that disproportionately targets and incarcerates people of color, the dream of full equality remains an elusive one. The ACLU of Nebraska aims to preserve and extend constitutionally guaranteed rights to people who have historically been denied their rights on the basis of race.

In pursuit of a future free of discrimination and a Nebraska that is true to the state motto of “Equality Before the Law,” the ACLU of Nebraska works in coalition with other civil rights groups and advocates in Nebraska to lobby in communities and the Capitol and to authentically support grassroots movements. Through these efforts, we strive to educate and empower the public on a variety of issues, including how race relates to the criminal legal system, economic justice, immigration and more.

The Latest

Press Release
Makayla Townsell

Omaha Mother Settles Case Challenging Thanksgiving Arrest

Makayla Townsell said the agreement will help her family address the harm of the traumatic arrest.
News & Commentary
An Omaha billboard explains that Black Nebraska students are 3x more likely to be arrested than their white peers.

Invest in our Kids and our Futures, Not the School-to-Prison Pipeline 

In Nebraska, students of color are far more likely to be disciplined, suspended, or expelled than their white peers. Police interactions in schools also show clear racial divides. 
Press Release
Jason Storrs sits outside in Omaha. Photograph taken by Abiola Kosoko.

Couple Files Lawsuit Challenging Excessive Force in Traffic Stop, Tasing

The lawsuit seeks to hold Papillion police officers accountable.
News & Commentary
Senator Ernie Chambers speaks at a press conference announcing the special sesison.

We Called for a Special Session

Along with Academy of Equity, Black and Pink, Black Leaders Movement, Change Now, Change of Omaha, Educators for Black Lives, I Be Black Girl, the Lincoln Branch of the NAACP, and the UNL Black Student Union, the ACLU of Nebraska issued an Aug. 17 public call for the Nebraska Legislature to reconvene for a special session dedicated to police reform and racial justice. More organizations have signed on since.