DePorres Club facts for kids

The DePorres Club was an important group that helped start the Civil Rights Movement in Omaha, Nebraska. Their actions and goals were similar to what other civil rights groups across the nation would do later in the 1960s. The club was connected to a larger organization called the CORE.

History of the DePorres Club

The DePorres Club began in 1947. It was formed by African American high school students and white college students. They worked with Father John Markoe from Creighton University, a Catholic university in Omaha. At first, the club wanted to improve how different races got along on the Creighton campus. Their special helper, Martin de Porres, was from Peru and had mixed ancestry. He was made a saint by the Catholic Church in 1962.

Fighting Racism in Omaha

Within a year, the DePorres Club started to do more. They began to challenge the long history of racism in Omaha. A club member named Bertha Calloway, who later started the Great Plains Black History Museum, said the group carefully chose places to protest. They targeted businesses like Reid’s Ice Cream, the Coca-Cola bottling plant, Dignotti’s Doughnut Shop, Harry’s Tea Club, the Greyhound Bus station, the Hotel Fontenelle, the Paxton Hotel, and Eppley Air Field. These places were chosen because they did not hire Black workers.

Moving Their Meetings

The group first met at Creighton University. But their work became too controversial, and they were asked to leave the campus. Mildred Brown, who published the Omaha Star newspaper and was a friend to the community, offered her office for the club to meet.

Early Protests and Boycotts

In 1948, about 30 members of the DePorres Club held their first sit-in. This happened at a restaurant near the Douglas County Courthouse in Downtown Omaha. When the group arrived, the owner said that white customers would stop coming if Black people were served. The DePorres Club members stayed until the owner agreed to serve African American customers.

The Club also asked people to stop using the Omaha and Council Bluffs Street Railway Company. They did this because the company treated people differently based on their race. The company also offered poor service to the Near North Side neighborhood. This boycott happened four years before the famous Montgomery bus boycott in Alabama.

Other Activities of the Club

Besides their protests, the DePorres Club also held many other activities. They organized events to raise money for their work. They also had their own dances and picnics. They helped poor families by painting their houses. They also spent time stuffing many envelopes for various causes.

In the years that followed, the club opened a community center called the Omaha DePorres Center. This center helped low-income families in the area. Eventually, the DePorres Club even started new branches in Denver and Kansas City.

See also

• Timeline of the civil rights movement in Omaha, Nebraska
• History of North Omaha, Nebraska
• History of Omaha, Nebraska