News & Commentary

This Pride, we are celebrating the contributions and resilience of LGBTQIA+ Nebraskans. At the ACLU of Nebraska, we work every day for a future where expressing your authentic self doesn’t have to be an act of courage. One way we get there is through inclusive and comprehensive health education. 

We sat down with Ashlei Spivey, director of I Be Black Girl and ACLU of Nebraska board member, to talk about what a new bill means to Black Nebraskans and Nebraskans with textured hair. If passed, LB 451 would end natural hair discrimination in the workplace.

Housing is about so much more than the walls that make up the house or apartment we call home. Housing is a source of safety, stability and economic opportunity. That's why we need to protect people who have experienced domestic violence, sexual assault, harassment and other forms of gender-based violence from the added harm of eviction or a penalty for breaking a lease.

State Senator Rita Sanders, Nebraska’s only sitting legislator of Asian American heritage, graciously made time to discuss LB 442, a new bill that would create a Commission of Asian American Affairs. Nebraska currently has similar commissions in the Nebraska Latino-American Commission, the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs, and the newly created Commission on African American Affairs. These groups advocate for the needs of Nebraskans and coordinate with similar groups in other states. This interview has been lightly edited for length.

As we welcome spring, it’s vitally important to recognize that March is Women’s History Month. While the origins of Women's History Month are relatively new, the contributions and achievements of women are as longstanding as the origins of America itself. As we honor and recognize the women who have shaped Nebraska and our country as a whole, looking at this history with an intersectional lens ensures we are able to honor the contributions of all women who have shaped our society. Rather than compartmentalizing gender and what it means to be a woman, intersectionality recognizes that a person’s individual identities are not separate from one another. Intersectionality gives a name to what we all know to be true: gender is inherently intertwined with race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status and many other identities.

A string of public records requests led us to discover Omaha Police were closely monitoring Black activists and allies. In Nebraska, the law protects our right to access most emails and other records written by government employees.

With a unanimous City Council vote and Mayor Jean Stothert’s signature, Omaha’s municipal code will now better protect the right to meet in public streets and parks to call for change.

Kevin Abourezk is a journalist, vice chairman of the Lincoln Indian Center Board of Directors, and a friend of the ACLU of Nebraska. We invited him to share his perspective on the community dialogue about Thanksgiving's roots and he graciously agreed. Originally published in 2020, we are resharing it for 2021.

The killing of George Floyd sparked outcry nationally and in Nebraska, adding new energy to calls for police reform.