Is the race "thing" a huge part of Nebraska? (Omaha: appointed, unemployment rate)

[EagerLibra]

Hey there! I'm originally frm NJ. I dated a guy frm Kearny, of irish / italian backround back n 2007. Myself am tri-racial. 50% african american 25% dominican 25% native american. i actually really loved it!!! I found the ppl i interacted with to be super polite, kind &, genuine. I was a little uncomfortable about the acceptance of interracial dating. I'll admit i was paranoid and expecting dirty looks and prejudice. Even though my ex assured me prior to visiting that the city was pretty liberal. Being from new jersey where even here in this huge city, interracial couples still get the common dirty looks and ill treatment i did not believe him. I was only there for about 2-3 wks & it was mid feb. so the weather was cold n there was lots of snow. I am interested in moving to Kearny in the next year or two. My fiance and I, are looking for a place to settle down and start a family. Kearny seems like the ideal place for us. I jus want to be sure. My reason for posting this thread is jus to get some opinions and honest views about the city tht maybe as a visitor you wouldn't know. One thing i did notice is tht it's definitely college oriented. I guess u can say wht really drew me in was the strong sense of community, school spirit and, pride. C'mon Nebrask-ians! Is the race thing really a big deal in Kearny? Omaha? n Nebraska @ all?? Pls fill me in.

[Omahahonors]

Not at all. As a matter of fact the minority population in Nebraska is exploding in growth. Grand Island has seen a 750% increase in the Black population in the last ten years and similar growth in hispanic growth. Kearney is only 35 miles to the west of GI and is a fast growing, liberal community. Omaha right now is the big minority community with Bellevue following close behind, but GI is really catching up in a quick way.

[EagerLibra]

Thts awesome 2 hear. I was really afraid 2 love the city and be disappointed @ something as over rated as the whole hang up about race. Personally, I love anyone who is kind-hearted, open minded, genuine &, comfortable in their own skin. I was just raised to love and care sincerely or not at all, that love doesn't have color and, to never judge. Life's just 2 short 2 waist precious minutes on crap like someone's ethnicity. The world needs a hug!!!!!

[Radical347]

This is correct -- nobody is going to be hung up. It's far from liberal and most people are white, but nobody cares what the color of your skin is.

[Photostic]

I can only speak on the Omaha side of things. Please understand, I am not trying to be racist, only reporting my observations.

I was born and raised in Camden, NJ, but have been living in Nebraska for the past 3 years. Also, I am biracial (black and white) and my girlfriend is white.

The first thing you notice about the race situation in NE, is that there is a distinct seperation of races. Whites have most positions of power. I'm not saying that this doesn't occur in NJ, but it is more noticeable here. But, it could just be a demographical phenomenon. Just look at the numbers from this site. It's very very white here.

Like people have already said, most people are nice and I've never personally met a racist. You might get weird looks, but it won't be as bad as if you were a guy, I'm sure.

[JustMe_T3K]

I to was raised on the fact that the color of your skin did not show if you were good or bad.
But when I first moved to Omaha I saw the separation.
I was friendly but was called a "cracker" (had to ask what it meant lol)
I was given a hard time by black men if I made an observation about a beautiful black woman.

[Wyomama2]

From what I've seen, growing up in Aurora NE and having lived in southern DE, the race "thing" is much bigger on the east coast. I'm amazed that people talk the way they do in DE about others of different race, it's not something I ever experienced growing up in NE. Now not to say that there aren't a few bad apples but for the majority you're not going to experience anything like what you do in Jersey.

[HydrangeaHeaven]

Kearney is a university town. It will be accepting. If you venture out, you may get glances or pulled over. Omaha has a large minority populations that tend to live in areas of the city, for example North Omaha is more African American, and South Omaha has more Latinos. In Omaha, there's a much larger unemployment rate amongst the minority populations. And don't mention that you agree with or even appreciate Ernie Chambers in any area of Nebraska other than North Omaha -- where Chambers is a rock star.

The Nebraska state legislature is the only unicameral in the country. Term limits were implemented, many believe, to force Chambers out of office. The people in Chambers' district attempted to name a park after him, and the Omaha City Council veto'd that small measure.

Don't discuss politics at all. If you like Obama, don't mention it.

[Ron.]

Originally Posted by Radical347

This is correct -- nobody is going to be hung up. It's far from liberal and most people are white, but nobody cares what the color of your skin is.

People care....don't fool yourself.

[pheaton]

The whole race thing really messed me up while I was growing up. I had the "don't touch the red button" syndrome for a number of years.

Instead of teaching people to just treat everyone the same, I was taught how bad it was to be racist and how you shouldn't be racist. Well that doesn't work, you spend all your time trying not to be racist that you end up liking or disliking people for all of the wrong reasons anyways.

It took me a long time to realize that fact and overcome it, but finally I did. Now people are just people. This is how it should have been all along. Now I know which method doesn't work, so that when I have kids I can avoid this whole mess.