Ernie Chambers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ernie Chambers
Ernie Chambers as a Nebraska Senator
Member of the Nebraska Legislature from the 11th district
In office January 9, 2013 – January 6, 2021
Preceded by	Brenda Council
Succeeded by	Terrell McKinney
In office January 6, 1971 – January 7, 2009
Preceded by	George W. Althouse
Succeeded by	Brenda Council
Personal details
Born	Ernest William Chambers (1937-07-10) July 10, 1937 (age 87) Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Political party	Independent
Other political affiliations	New Alliance (1988)
Residences	Omaha, Nebraska, US
Alma mater	Creighton University (BA, JD)

Ernest William Chambers (born July 10, 1937) is an American politician and civil rights activist. He represented North Omaha's 11th District in the Nebraska State Legislature. He served from 1971 to 2009 and again from 2013 to 2021. He couldn't run in 2020 because of rules about how long someone can serve.

Chambers is the longest-serving state senator in Nebraska's history. He represented North Omaha for 46 years. For most of his time in office, Chambers was the only non-white senator. He was also the only openly atheist member of any state legislature in the United States for many years.

Early Life and Education

Chambers was born in the Near North Side neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska. His father, Malcolm Chambers, was a local minister. His mother was Lillian Chambers. His family came from Mississippi and Louisiana. He has six brothers and sisters, all born in Omaha.

In 1955, Chambers finished high school at Omaha Tech High School. In 1959, he earned a bachelor's degree in history from Creighton University. He also studied Spanish and philosophy. He later went to Creighton University School of Law and finished his law degree in 1979.

He chose not to join the Nebraska State Bar Association. This meant he couldn't practice law. In 2015, he explained that he felt he had earned the right to practice by passing law school. He believed he shouldn't have to pay extra fees to the Bar Association.

Early Career and Community Work

Working at the Post Office

In 1963, when Chambers was 25, he worked for the Omaha Post Office. He said he was fired for speaking out against how the management treated Black staff. He even protested a speech by the Postmaster General in Omaha. His sign read, "I spoke against discrimination in the Omaha Post Office and was fired."

Community Leader in 1966

During the summer of 1966, there were some community disturbances in Omaha. Chambers became a key spokesperson for the community. He met with Mayor A.V. Sorenson and helped calm things down.

During this time, Chambers became an important leader in North Omaha. He successfully worked with city leaders to get changes for African-American youth. He led a committee that collected complaints about the police. He presented these issues to city officials. Chambers was also a barber at the time. He appeared in a 1966 documentary film called A Time for Burning. In the film, he talked about race relations in Omaha.

Time in the Nebraska Legislature

In 1968, Chambers tried to get on the Omaha School Board but wasn't elected. He also didn't win a spot on the Omaha City Council in 1969. But in 1970, he was elected to represent North Omaha's 11th District in the Nebraska State Legislature.

Chambers was reelected many times until 2004. On April 25, 2005, he became Nebraska's longest-serving state senator. He couldn't run for reelection in 2008 because of a rule passed in 2000. This rule limits state legislators to two terms in a row. However, senators can run again after taking four years off. So, Chambers ran again in 2012 and won by a lot against Brenda Council.

Chambers also ran for the United States Senate in 1988. He ran as a candidate for the New Alliance Party. He also tried to run for governor in 1974 and ran again in 1994.

Fighting Apartheid in South Africa

In 1980, Chambers introduced a special resolution. Because of this, Nebraska became the first state to stop investing in South Africa. This was a protest against apartheid, which was a system of racial segregation. Chambers found out that the University of Nebraska owned gold Krugerrands. He wanted the state to stop investing in companies that did business with South Africa. He argued that apartheid went against Nebraska's ideas of human rights and equality.

Nebraska's action didn't change things right away. But other states and later the U.S. government followed Nebraska's lead. This helped to end apartheid. Chambers pushed for an even stronger law in 1984. This law made Nebraska's public employee pension funds stop investing $14.6 million in companies linked to South Africa. Archbishop Desmond Tutu later visited Lincoln. He said that Nebraska had helped end apartheid.

Marsh v. Chambers Lawsuit

In 1980, Chambers filed a lawsuit to stop the Legislature from starting its sessions with a prayer. The prayer was given by a chaplain paid by the state. He argued this was against the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. This clause separates church and state. The Supreme Court eventually decided that both practices were constitutional. They said this was because of the United States' "unique history."

Supporting Student Athletes

Chambers has supported the idea of recognizing NCAA student athletes as state employees since the 1980s. He argued that these athletes make money for their universities. But they don't get legal benefits for it. This can lead to illegal payments. A bill on this topic passed the Legislature. However, the governor didn't sign it. Later, the bill was changed. It allowed universities to pay players a stipend. This bill passed and was signed in 2003.

LGBT Anti-Discrimination Bill

Nebraska's LGBT community has seen Chambers as a supporter since the 1970s. In 1993, he helped create a bill to stop job discrimination based on sexual orientation. This bill faced strong opposition. People who were against the bill formed a group. They held rallies outside the Capitol building.

Despite this, Chambers continued to support similar bills. He sponsored another LGBT anti-discrimination bill in 1995. He kept supporting these measures throughout his career. However, none of them have passed.

Lawsuit Against God

In 2007, some lawmakers wanted to ban lawsuits that seemed silly. Chambers believed that everyone should have access to the court system. To show his point, Chambers filed a lawsuit against God in September 2007. He argued that God had caused "widespread death, destruction, and terrorization."

Some news reports said Chambers's lawsuit was a joke against silly lawsuits. But Chambers said his lawsuit showed that the courts must be open to everyone. He said that trying to stop any lawsuit would go against the Nebraska Constitution. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2008. This was because a notice couldn't be delivered to God, who has no listed address. Chambers joked that God knew about the lawsuit because God knows everything. But he didn't continue the case.

Against the Death Penalty

Chambers strongly opposes the death penalty. He introduced a bill to end Nebraska's capital punishment law at the start of almost every legislative session. He did this 36 times over 40 years. In 1979, the bill passed the legislature. But the governor stopped it. Ending the death penalty remained a main goal for him.

In 2015, Chambers introduced the bill again. This time, the measure passed the legislature, even though the governor tried to stop it. However, people gathered enough signatures to put the issue on the ballot in 2016. In that election, 60% of voters chose to keep the death penalty.

Other Important Legislation

• Chambers has often spoken up for David Rice and Ed Poindexter. These men were convicted of killing an Omaha police officer.
• He has also worked on issues important to people in rural Nebraska. These include a bill about managing black-tailed prairie dogs. He also opposed a plan to allow casino gambling in Nebraska.
• Chambers has always supported goals that help women.
• In 2006, Chambers stopped supporting two tax bills. These bills would have funded building projects in Omaha and Lincoln. He felt that Omaha business leaders had disrespected the legislature and the North Omaha community. He was also upset that the Omaha City Council wouldn't name a park in North Omaha after him.
• In 2015, Chambers introduced a bill against the Keystone XL pipeline.
• In 2016, Chambers worked to stop a bill that would have changed how Nebraska's electoral college votes are given out. Because of his efforts, Nebraska kept its system of splitting votes. This allowed one district in Nebraska to give an electoral college vote to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

Community Involvement

• On November 4, 2008, Chambers was elected to the new Learning Community Board for Douglas and Sarpy Counties. He started this role in 2009.
• Chambers hosted a weekly call-in TV show on Omaha's Community Telecast, Inc. (CTI22).
• In 2014, after ending his regular column in the Omaha Star newspaper, Chambers said he would start writing a blog.
• Chambers sends "Erniegrams" to other lawmakers. These are typed poems and comments about recent events. They also include articles and political cartoons. Other lawmakers sometimes share these on Twitter, even though Chambers doesn't use computers.

Legacy and Awards

The Ernie Chambers Memorial Hearing Room in the Nebraska Capitol

Chambers is a longtime civil rights activist. He is the most well-known and outspoken African-American leader in Nebraska. People have called him "the Maverick of Omaha" and the "angriest black man in Nebraska." He calls himself a "Defender of the Downtrodden."

In the 1990s, an apartment complex called Strehlow Terrace was renamed Ernie Chambers Court. In 2008, a room at the Nebraska Capitol used for meetings was named the Ernie Chambers Memorial Hearing Room.

Awards and Recognition

The Freedom from Religion Foundation gave Chambers an award in 2005. They called him a "Hero of the First Amendment." This was at their yearly meeting in Orlando.

Chambers was offered a Distinguished Service award from the American Humanist Association in 2007, but he didn't accept it. However, he did accept a Lifetime Achievement Award from the association in 2016. This was at their 75th anniversary conference in Chicago.

Personal Life

Chambers has lived in Nebraska his whole life, except for serving in the United States Army. He is known for wearing casual clothes like blue jeans and short-sleeved sweatshirts, even when working in the Legislature. He often brings his dog with him to work. Chambers is also a sketch artist. He uses drawing as a way to relax during long legislative sessions.

Chambers was married to Jacklyn Adele (née Lee) Chambers (January 31, 1940 – July 15, 2000). They had four children before they divorced.

Views on Religion

Chambers is an atheist. He believes that Christianity has sometimes been used to oppress Black Americans. For example, in 1965, he called the shooting of Malcolm X a "brutal, American-Christian style assassination." Chambers knows a lot about the the Bible and often quotes from it, jokingly calling it "the Bibble."

For many years, Chambers was the only openly atheist member of any state government in the country. A 2015 survey confirmed this. In 2019, another atheist, Megan Hunt, joined Chambers in the Nebraska legislature.

Even though he isn't religious, Chambers became a non-denominational minister in 2009. This allowed him to perform weddings.

See also

• African Americans in Omaha, Nebraska
• Civil rights movement in Omaha, Nebraska
• List of riots and civil unrest in Omaha, Nebraska
• History of North Omaha, Nebraska
• Timeline of racial tension in Omaha, Nebraska
• Timeline of North Omaha, Nebraska history
• History of Omaha, Nebraska
• List of African-American United States Senate candidates