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1970 United States Grand Prix

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United States  1970 United States Grand Prix
Race details
Race 12 of 13 in the 1970 Formula One season
Watkins Glen International Track Map-1960-1970.svg
Date October 4, 1970
Official name XIII United States Grand Prix
Location Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course
Watkins Glen, New York
Course Permanent road course
3.78 km (2.35 mi)
Distance 108 laps, 408.2 km (253.8 mi)
Weather Cloudy and dry with temperatures reaching up to 50 °F (10 °C); winds gusting up to 15.9 miles per hour (25.6 km/h)[1]
Pole position
Driver Belgium Jacky Ickx Ferrari
Time 1:03.07
Fastest lap
Driver Belgium Jacky Ickx Ferrari
Time 1:02.74 on lap 105
First Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi Lotus-Ford
Second Mexico Pedro Rodríguez BRM
Third Sweden Reine Wisell Lotus-Ford

The 1970 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 4, 1970, at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York.

Twenty-three-year-old Lotus rookie Emerson Fittipaldi captured his first Grand Prix win in only the fourth start of his Formula One career.[citation needed] The dominating performance of Jackie Stewart's brand new Tyrrell went by the boards when his engine failed, and the Brazilian inherited the lead with eight laps to go when Mexican Pedro Rodríguez had to stop for a splash of fuel. Fittipaldi came home thirty-six seconds ahead of Rodríguez, while his Lotus teammate Reine Wisell finished third in his Formula One debut.[citation needed]

Jochen Rindt, whose first career victory came at Watkins Glen in 1969, took charge of the 1970 Driver's Championship with five wins, including four in a row at mid-season in the revolutionary Lotus 72. When Rindt was killed during practice for the Italian Grand Prix, the team was devastated, and they withdrew from that race and the next one in Canada. With two new drivers for the last two races of the season, the team were determined to clinch a posthumous title for their late team leader.

Tragically, Bruce McLaren and Piers Courage were also absent from the grid, as both had been killed in June: McLaren while testing his CanAm car, and Courage during the Dutch Grand Prix.[citation needed]

Though the Ferrari of Jacky Ickx was fastest in the initial practice session on Friday with a time of 1:03.07, all eyes were on the Tyrrell 001 of Jackie Stewart, which had nearly won in its first outing in the previous race in Canada.[citation needed] The final session on Saturday was marred by a downpour that left only fifteen minutes of dry track time, and it was not enough for Stewart to knock Ickx off the pole. Fittipaldi, who spent the first half of the season in European Formula Two, was just five hundredths behind Stewart in third.

On Sunday, with a crowd exceeding 100,000 for the second straight year,[citation needed] black clouds and a brief sprinkle 20 minutes prior to the race caused a lot of excitement among the crews on the grid, as many teams changed to rain tires and back again.[citation needed] By the start, however, all but Clay Regazzoni and Derek Bell had reverted to slicks. Stewart took the lead off the grid, ahead of Rodríguez, as Fittipaldi erred on the side of caution[citation needed] and dropped to eighth behind Ickx, Regazzoni, Chris Amon, John Surtees and Jackie Oliver.

By lap 17, the Ferraris of Ickx and Regazzoni had moved by Rodríguez, but by that time, Stewart's lead was nearly twenty seconds. Graham Hill, in a privately entered Lotus 72, came into the pits on lap 30 with fuel sloshing around in the cockpit,[citation needed] as a fitting had come loose under the seat. The team took 10 minutes to fix the leak, threw some water on Hill, whose overalls were soaked in fuel, and sent him back out. Several laps later, Hill returned to request they find him some dry overalls, as the gasoline was burning his skin. When he stopped again to change clothes, the team said they had not been able to locate any new ones. Hill, however, saw John Surtees, who had retired on the seventh lap, sitting on the wall, and promptly stripped him of his overalls and undergarments. The two former World Champions were naked in the pits as Hill was doused with water before donning Surtees' clean clothes and returning to the track, only to retire on lap 72 with a broken clutch.

At half-distance, Stewart was in a class by himself, nearly half a lap ahead of Ickx, with Rodríguez in third and Fittipaldi about to be lapped in fourth. Ickx suddenly pitted on lap 57 to repair a broken fuel line, and he rejoined in twelfth place. A heroic drive back up the charts, including the race's fastest lap just three laps from the finish, would earn him a well-deserved fourth place. That meant that Ickx could not reach Rindt's total of 45 points and, as he was the only one who could beat Rindt, the Austrian driver would be the first posthumous Formula One World Champion.

On lap 76, with a one-minute cushion, the leading Tyrrell began trailing smoke from the left-hand exhaust pipe. The smoke slowly grew worse, as Rodríguez tore into Stewart's lead, taking off five seconds a lap, and the Lotus teammates unlapped themselves. On lap 83, with its oil gone, the Cosworth engine in the Tyrrell seized, leaving Rodríguez with an 18.8 second lead over Fittipaldi, who led Wisell by another 46 seconds.[citation needed]

The BRM crew were nervously pacing up and down in the pits, hoping the thirsty engine could go the distance without stopping.[citation needed] At the end of his 100th lap, however, Rodríguez coasted into the pit lane with a dry tank. BRM quickly poured in a few gallons of fuel, as Fittipaldi crossed the line, leading the richest race of the year.[citation needed] Rodríguez rejoined ahead of the second Lotus of Wisell, but he had lost 38 seconds to Fittipaldi and could do nothing about the Brazilian's lead.

Years later, Fittipaldi would remember:

"I took the lead and, going over the finish line, I saw for the first time Colin [Chapman] jumping and throwing his hat, something I'd seen him do for Jim Clark and Graham Hill and Jochen, and I kept saying to myself, 'He's doing that for me. I won the race. I won the US Grand Prix!' It was unbelievable."

His victory was the seventh American win for Lotus, and it clinched the Driver's Championship for the team's fallen leader, Jochen Rindt, and the Constructor's Championship for Lotus and Colin Chapman.[citation needed]

Pos No Driver Constructor Laps Time/retired Grid Points
1 24 Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi Lotus-Ford 108 1:57:32.79 3 9
2 19 Mexico Pedro Rodríguez BRM 108 + 36.39 4 6
3 23 Sweden Reine Wisell Lotus-Ford 108 + 45.17 9 4
4 3 Belgium Jacky Ickx Ferrari 107 + 1 Lap 1 3
5 12 New Zealand Chris Amon March-Ford 107 + 1 Lap 5 2
6 18 United Kingdom Derek Bell Surtees-Ford 107 + 1 Lap 13 1
7 8 New Zealand Denny Hulme McLaren-Ford 106 + 2 Laps 11
8 7 France Henri Pescarolo Matra 105 + 3 Laps 12
9 11 Switzerland Jo Siffert March-Ford 105 + 3 Laps 23
10 15 Australia Jack Brabham Brabham-Ford 105 + 3 Laps 16
11 29 Sweden Ronnie Peterson March-Ford 104 + 4 Laps 15
12 16 West Germany Rolf Stommelen Brabham-Ford 104 + 4 Laps 19
13 4 Switzerland Clay Regazzoni Ferrari 101 + 7 Laps 6
14 9 United Kingdom Peter Gethin McLaren-Ford 100 + 8 Laps 21
Ret 1 United Kingdom Jackie Stewart Tyrrell-Ford 82 Oil Leak 2
Ret 14 United Kingdom Graham Hill Lotus-Ford 72 Clutch 10
Ret 2 France François Cevert March-Ford 62 Wheel 17[2]
Ret 30 Australia Tim Schenken De Tomaso-Ford 61 Suspension 20
Ret 27 Sweden Jo Bonnier McLaren-Ford 50 Water Pipe 24
Ret 6 France Jean-Pierre Beltoise Matra 27 Handling 18
Ret 31 United States Gus Hutchison Brabham-Ford 21 Fuel Leak 22
Ret 20 United Kingdom Jackie Oliver BRM 14 Engine 7
Ret 21 Canada George Eaton BRM 10 Engine 14
Ret 17 United Kingdom John Surtees Surtees-Ford 6 Engine 8
DNQ 32 United Kingdom Peter Westbury BRM
DNQ 28 United States Pete Lovely Lotus-Ford
DNQ 10 Italy Andrea de Adamich McLaren-Alfa Romeo

  • The following winter, for the second time, the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Corporation was honored by the Grand Prix Drivers Association with the "Best Organized Race Award," shared this time with the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim.
  • This was the final year in which the Grand Prix was held on the 2.35 mile layout of the track. Watkins Glen International underwent extensive revisions over the course of 1971, and by that year's race, the track had been lengthened to 3.377 miles. An interim layout was adopted for the Six Hours, as the new section on the exit of the Loop-Chute had not been completed.

Championship standings after the race[edit]

  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

  1. ^ "Weather information for the 1970 United States Grand Prix". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2013-11-17.
  2. ^ Lang, Mike (1982). Grand Prix! Vol 2. Haynes Publishing Group. p. 137. ISBN 0-85429-321-3.
  • Doug Nye (1978). The United States Grand Prix and Grand Prize Races, 1908-1977. B. T. Batsford. ISBN 0-7134-1263-1
  • Rob Walker (January, 1971). "U.S. Grand Prix". Road & Track, 84-88.
  • Gordon Kirby (October, 1995). "Emerson Who?". RACER, 70-72.
  • "The Official Formula 1 website". Retrieved 2009-11-30.

Previous race:
1970 Canadian Grand Prix
FIA Formula One World Championship
1970 season
Next race:
1970 Mexican Grand Prix
Previous race:
1969 United States Grand Prix
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1971 United States Grand Prix


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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Adam Anderson (musician))
Jump to: navigation, search
Hurts Press Photograph, March 2014.png
Hurts in March 2014
Background information
Origin Manchester, England
Genres Synthpop, new wave, soft rock
Years active 2009–present
Labels Major Label, RCA

Hurts are an English synthpop duo formed in 2009, consisting of singer Theo Hutchcraft (born 30 August 1986 in Richmond) and synthesist Adam Anderson (born 14 May 1984 in Manchester). Their first two albums, Happiness and Exile, both reached the top ten in the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland and Finland.

2005–08: Beginnings[edit]

Theo Hutchcraft and Adam Anderson met outside the 42nd Street nightclub in Manchester in November 2005, whilst their friends got involved in a fight. Too drunk to join in, they got talking about music instead, and realising they had similar tastes, decided to start a band. Over the next few months they exchanged music and lyrics via e-mail, before forming Bureau in March 2006. They performed their first gig as a quintet in May at The Music Box in Manchester, and were shortly afterwards signed to independent record label High Voltage Sounds.[1] They released their first double A-side single "After Midnight"/"Dollhouse" in November, which was made Single of the Week on Xfm.[2] In 2007, Bureau disbanded and soon after Hutchcraft and Anderson formed the band Daggers. They signed to Label Fandango and in October released another double A-side single, "Money"/"Magazine", which despite failing to chart, was nominated for the Popjustice Twenty Quid Music Prize.[3]

Throughout 2008, Daggers continued to build a following and began working with successful producers Biff Stannard and Richard X, but after a disastrous A&R showcase in London in September, Theo and Adam returned to Manchester to reflect on the band's future. They recorded a mournful ballad called "Unspoken" together and they immediately realised that this was the sound that they wanted to develop as a duo. After informing the rest of the band that it was finished, they went on a short break to Verona in Italy, where they claim they discovered a musical genre called "Disco Lento".[4] Daggers announced on their Myspace page on 30 January 2009 that they had split up.[5]

2009: Birth of Hurts[edit]

Now called Hurts, the duo recorded an amateur music video for a song called "Wonderful Life", with a female dancer who had responded to an advert in a shop window and was paid £20 for her time.[6] After uploading the video to their YouTube channel on 21 April 2009, it quickly went viral. The video has since had over 21 million views on YouTube, putting it in the Top 200 Most Watched Videos in the history of the website. In July the band was signed to Sony subsidiary RCA Records as well as RCA imprint Major Label Records, run by their old friend Biff Stannard.[7][8][9]

Although Theo and Adam had decided to not to do any gigs until they had enough songs, they began to steadily build a fanbase throughout 2009 by uploading demos to their Myspace page, and on 27 July, they were named Band of the Day by The Guardian.[10] This helped to grow a buzz around the new band, and on 7 December, it was announced that they had made the longlist of the Sound of 2010, an annual poll of music critics and industry figures conducted by the BBC.[11] Following spot plays on BBC Radio 1 of "Wonderful Life", Hurts were invited to record at London's Maida Vale Studios on 9 December for Huw Stephens' radio show, where they performed "Illuminated" and "Silver Lining".[12]

2010–12: Happiness[edit]

Hurts at a special performance during Michalsky's StyleNite of Berlin Fashion Week, January 2010
Hurts performing in Milan, 24 October 2010.

2010 began with Hurts finishing fourth on the Sound of 2010 poll, behind Ellie Goulding, Marina and the Diamonds and Delphic.[13] On 7 January, Zane Lowe premiered the song "Blood, Tears & Gold" as his "Hottest Record in the World",[14] and another self-made music video debuted online three days later. Having released a limited edition 12" vinyl picture disc of the Arthur Baker remix of "Wonderful Life" on 18 January, Hurts performed their first ever gig as Hurts on 22 January at the Michalsky Stylenite in Berlin, followed by St Phillips Church in Salford on 22 February.[15] This was quickly followed by gigs at Wiltons Music Hall, London, and in Berlin and Cologne in Germany.

In March, "Wonderful Life" was released to radio in various European territories; as manager Matt Vines explained to Music Week, the aim was to launch the band simultaneously across Europe and Asia. "It's an internationally focused campaign. We're looking at tours across Europe to back up the work we are doing in the UK." The single became a big radio hit in countries such as Denmark, Cyprus and Russia throughout the spring. On 10 March, their first UK single "Better Than Love" was premiered on Huw Stephens' show on BBC Radio 1.[16] After a nationwide tour with the NME Radar tour, the song was released on digital download, CD and vinyl formats on 24 May, and debuted at number 50 on the UK Singles Chart.

Following massive success on Greek radio, Hurts were invited to perform at the MAD Video Music Awards ceremony in Athens in front of 11,000 people on 15 June.[7] Also in June, it was announced that Kylie Minogue was recording with the band. She recorded a verse and backing vocals for the song "Devotion", which was to be included on the band's album. Hurts recorded a performance of Kylie's 1994 hit "Confide In Me" for newspaper The Sun's website,[17] and has since been a regular inclusion on their gig setlists. Kylie later returned the compliment by recording a performance of "Wonderful Life" in Radio 1's Live Lounge.

Throughout the summer, Hurts performed at several music festivals including V Festival and T in the Park in the UK, Pukkelpop in Belgium, and SWR3 New Pop Festival in Germany. "Wonderful Life" was released in Germany on 6 August and it debuted at number two on the German Singles Chart. It was released in the UK on 23 August, where it debuted at number 21, becoming their first UK top 40 hit. The album Happiness, which had been recorded at Sunshine Dance Studios in Manchester and Pellerin in Gothenburg with producer Jonas Quant, was released on 6 September. It debuted at number four in the UK Albums Chart, selling 25,000 copies in its first week on sale, which made it the fastest selling debut album by a band in 2010.[18]

In October, Hurts embarked on their first full headline UK tour, performing in Brighton, Leeds, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and London. Their third UK single "Stay" was released in November, reaching number 50 in the chart. Meanwhile in Germany, "Wonderful Life" was certified platinum for sales in excess of 500,000 copies, and they were awarded the BAMBI award for Best International Newcomer. They were also nominated at the MTV Europe Music Awards in the Best Push Artist category. Hurts ended 2010 by supporting Scissor Sisters on their UK arena tour in December, and released a Christmas single called "All I Want for Christmas Is New Year's Day" for free download on iTunes.

Happiness climbed back into the UK Top 30 albums chart in February 2011 following a second nationwide headline tour, several TV appearances including on The Graham Norton Show, and winning Best New Band at the NME Awards on 23 February, where they also performed "Wonderful Life". A fourth single from the album, "Sunday", was released in the UK on 27 February and it debuted at number 57, whilst the second single in Germany, "Stay", reached number three. In March, Hurts were awarded Best International Newcomer at the ECHO Awards in Germany. A fifth single, "Illuminated", was released in the UK on 9 May, entering the chart at number 159, though it had already reached number 68 in September 2010, following its use on trailers for television channel Sky1.

On 26 June, Theo and Adam performed on the John Peel stage at the Glastonbury Festival, and their full set was broadcast on a loop on the BBC Red Button channel. Readers of music magazine NME voted their performance as the best of the festival, putting them ahead of headliners U2, Coldplay, and Beyoncé.[19] They were later voted "Band of the Summer" by the same magazine. In June 2011 they announced on their Facebook the production of a remix for the track "Lonely Lisa" by French singer Mylène Farmer.

"Blood, Tears & Gold" was released as the third single in Germany on 7 October, peaking at number 39. A deluxe CD/DVD edition of Happiness was released on 31 October. The album eventually sold 400,000 copies in Germany, earning it double platinum status. It sold 150,000 copies in the United Kingdom, and spent an entire year on the UK Top 200 albums chart.

Hurts embarked on their first full European tour in October 2011, performing in Ukraine, Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Russia, Belarus, Serbia, Croatia, Italy, Greece, Austria, Switzerland, Republic of Macedonia and the UK.[20] They said in interviews that they planned to start writing and recording for their second album after they have completed the tour, but that they might find it more difficult than their first.[21] On 4 November 2011, Hurts played their last show of their 'Happiness Tour' at Brixton Academy where Kylie Minogue joined them on stage to perform "Devotion" and "Confide in Me".[22] Hurts have confirmed more festival shows for summer 2012. In 2012, Hurts played the Summerwell Festival, Romania (11 August), Open Air Zofingen, Switzerland (12 August) and the Pildyk Friends Festival, Lithuania (14 August).

2012–present: Exile[edit]

In September 2012, Hurts confirmed that recording of their next album was underway. One month later, they posted on their Facebook page that they were deep into the process of completing the album. They once again worked with producer Jonas Quant.[23] On 14 December 2012, Hurts announced that their second studio album, Exile, would be available on 11 March 2013 and was available to pre-order through iTunes, which was accompanied by a video advertising the new album. This video-teaser for an upcoming album contained a new track from Exile called "The Road", and was released on 14 December 2012 on YouTube. In autumn 2013 this video got a nomination for UK Music Video Awards as the Best Music Ad - TV or Online.[24] An audio-only video of "The Road" was also uploaded.

The lead single from the album, "Miracle", premiered on BBC Radio 1 on 4 January 2013. A music video directed by Chris Turner was uploaded to YouTube on 4 February, but was permanently removed shortly after for mysterious[citation needed] and controversial[citation needed] reasons which have never been confirmed. A second video was shot and appeared online on 28 February. The single reached number 23 in Germany and number 120 in the UK.

February 23, it was confirmed that Elton John took a part in recording the track «Help» for the new album.[25] Exile was released on 8 March 2013, achieving a top ten position in ten countries worldwide, debuting at number three in Germany and number nine in the UK. "Blind" was released as the second single on May 20th, and "Somebody to Die For" was followed as the third on July 21st. With the release of "Somebody to Die for" they included a cover version of "Ohne Dich" from the German band Selig. The band continued their 'Exile Tour' across Europe in October and November 2013 and in March 2014.

Concert tours[edit]

Opening act

Main article: Hurts discography

Awards and nominations[edit]

  1. ^ "Bureau". High Voltage Sounds. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  2. ^ O'Brien, Paul (11 October 2006). "Bureau - After Midnight/Doll House (High Voltage Sounds)". Greater Manchester's CityLife. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  3. ^ "Twenty Quid Music Prize: tonight!". Popjustice. 9 September 2008. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  4. ^ "Hurts". RCA Label Group (UK). Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  5. ^ "Goodbye". Daggers' blog. Myspace. 30 January 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  6. ^ Lamunu, Von Von (8 July 2010). "Hurts Interview". The Collective Review. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Hurts' locker offers emotional rescue". The Independent (London). 11 June 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  8. ^
  9. ^
  10. ^ Lester, Paul (27 July 2009). "New band of the day – No 593: Hurts". Guardian (London). Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  11. ^ "BBC Sound of 2010: Hurts". BBC News. 7 December 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  12. ^ "Radio 1 Programmes - Huw Stephens, Hurts in session and the nations unite!". BBC. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  13. ^ "BBC Sound of 2010: Hurts". BBC News. 5 January 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  14. ^ "Hottest Record - Hurts - Blood Tears & Gold". Zane Lowe's Hottest Records blog. BBC. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  15. ^ "Hurts live: HIGHLY AMAZING". Popjustice. 23 February 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  16. ^ "Radio 1 Programmes - Huw Stephens, James Yuill and Hurts exclusives!". BBC. 15 March 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  17. ^ "Hurts spread the word". The Sun (London). 24 August 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  18. ^ "'Happiness' fastest selling debut by a band in the UK this year!". Hurts blog. Myspace. 13 September 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  19. ^ "Hurts top NME poll to find this year's best Glastonbury performance". NME. 2 July 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  20. ^ "Hurts to play European tour in Autumn 2011". 8 June 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  21. ^ "Hurts at Glastonbury: 'We need to get depressed before we can write new songs'". NME. 26 June 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  22. ^ "Kylie A Surprise Guest At Brixton Academy | Kylie Minogue". 2011-11-07. Retrieved 2013-05-25.
  23. ^ "Photo by jonasquant". Instagram. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  24. ^ "UK Music Video Awards 2013 shortlists" (in English). 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  25. ^ Gordon Smart (2013-02-23). "Elton John to feature on Hurts track Showbiz Bizarre". The Sun (London). Retrieved 2013-02-23.
  26. ^ "Hurts, Everything Everything, Darwin Deez for NME Radar Tour 2010". NME. 2010-03-02. Retrieved 2010-03-02.
  27. ^ "ART ON ICE 2014: Hurts ja Sotchin Olympialaisten tähdet muodostavat kaikkien aikojen mukaansatempaavimman kokoonpanon Tiedote". STT Info (in Finnish). 2013-10-22. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
  28. ^ "Scissor Sisters with special guests Hurts Newcastle". Metro Radio Arena. Metro Radio Arena. 2010-12-10. Retrieved 2013-09-03.

External links[edit]

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African Americans in Omaha, Nebraska

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

African Americans in Omaha, Nebraska are central to the development and growth of the 43rd largest city in the United States. The first free black settler in the city arrived in 1854, the year the city was incorporated.[1] In 1894 black residents of Omaha organized the first fair in the United States for African-American exhibitors and attendees.[2] The 2000 US Census recorded 51,910 African Americans as living in Omaha (over 13% of the city's population). In the 19th century, the growing city of Omaha attracted ambitious people making new lives, such as Dr. Matthew Ricketts was the first African American to graduate from a Nebraska college or university, and Silas Robbins was the first African American to be admitted to the bar in Nebraska. In 1892 Dr. Ricketts was also the first African American to be elected to the Nebraska State Legislature.[3] Ernie Chambers, an African American barber from North Omaha's 11th District, became the longest serving state senator in Nebraska history in 2005 after serving in the unicameral for more than 35 years.[4]

Because of its industrial jobs with the railroads and meatpacking industries, Omaha was the city on the Plains that attracted the most African-American migrants from the South in the Great Migration of the early 20th century. By 1910 it had the third largest black population among western cities after Los Angeles and Denver. From 1910 to 1920, the African-American population in Omaha doubled to more than 10,000, as new migrants were attracted by jobs in the expanding meatpacking industry. More than 70 percent were from the South.[5] Of western cities, in 1920 only Los Angeles had a greater population of blacks than Omaha, with nearly 16,000.[6] Reflecting the concentration of people and vital community, in 1915 the Lincoln Motion Picture Company was founded in Omaha. It was the first film company owned by African Americans.[7] Like several other major industrial cities during the "Red Summer of 1919", Omaha suffered a race riot. It was marked by the lynching of Will Brown, a black worker, and deaths of two white men. The violence erupted out of job competition and postwar social tensions among working class groups, aggravated by sensational journalism in the city. In the aftermath of the riot, the city's residential patterns became more segregated. By the 1920s, a vibrant African-American musical and entertainment culture had developed in the city.

While African Americans were already concentrated in North Omaha, in the 1930s redlining and race restrictive covenants reinforced their staying there without options for years to move to newer housing. In the 1930s and 1940s African Americans were part of successful interracial organizing teams in the meatpacking industry. They succeeded in creating the integrated United Meatpacking Workers of America union and gained an end to segregated jobs in the industry. The union helped support integration of public facilities in the 1950s and the civil rights movement in the 1960s. During this period, activists worked both for local and national changes; they contributed to improving conditions for African Americans in Omaha. Mid-century massive restructuring in railroads and the meatpacking industry cost the city more than 10,000 jobs. African Americans were particularly affected by the loss of industrial jobs. Those who could migrated for work in other areas and problems increased among the remaining population in North Omaha.

Omaha has the fifth-highest African American poverty rate among the nation's 100 largest cities, with more than one in three black residents in Omaha living below the poverty line.[8] The percentage of black children in Omaha who live in poverty rank ranks number one in the United States, with nearly six of 10 black kids living below the poverty line. Only one other metropolitan area in the U.S., Minneapolis, has a wider economic disparity between blacks and whites.[9]

Population history[edit]

The first recorded instance of a black person in the Omaha area occurred in 1804. "York" was a slave belonging to William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition.[10] The presence of several black people, probably slaves, was recorded in the area comprising North Omaha today when Major Stephen H. Long's expedition arrived at Fort Lisa in September 1819. They reportedly lived at the post and in neighboring farmsteads.[11]

19th century[edit]

After a short history of slavery in Nebraska, the first free black person to live in Omaha was Sally Bayne, who moved to Omaha in 1854.[1] A clause in the original proposed Nebraska State Constitution from 1854 limited voting rights in the state to "free white males", which kept Nebraska from entering the Union for almost a year. In the 1860s, the U.S. Census showed 81 "Negroes" in Nebraska, ten of whom were accounted for as slaves.[12] At that time, the majority of the population lived in Omaha and Nebraska City.

Some of the earliest African-American residents of the city may have arrived by the Underground Railroad via a small log cabin outside of Nebraska City built by Allen Mayhew in 1855. It is honored today as the Mayhew Cabin Museum. One report says, "Henry Daniel Smith, born in Maryland in 1835, still living in Omaha in 1913 and working at his trade of broom-maker, was one escaped slave who entered Nebraska via the Underground Railroad."[13]

By 1867 enough blacks gathered in community to found St. John's African Methodist Episcopal Church in the Near North Side neighborhood. It was the first church for African Americans in Nebraska.[14] The first recorded birth of an African American in Omaha occurred in 1872, when William Leper was born.[15]

Before Omaha's African-American residents gathered in North Omaha, they lived dispersed throughout the city. By 1880 there were nearly 800 black residents, many recruited by Union Pacific Railroad as strikebreakers. By 1884 there three black churches had been founded. By 1900 there were 3,443 black residents, in a total city population of 102,555.[16]

Black men and women quickly formed social and community organizations, such as the Women's Club in 1895, devoted to education, respectability and reform. In addition, the community began to create its own newspapers, such as the Progress, the Afro-American Sentinel and The Enterprise in the 1880s and 1890s.

Blacks also quickly distinguished themselves in public life: in 1892 Dr. Matthew Ricketts was the first black person elected to serve in the Nebraska Legislature and in 1895 Silas Robbins was the first black lawyer admitted to the Nebraska State Bar Association.

20th century[edit]

At the turn of the 20th century, two African-American physicians, doctors Riddle and Madison, opened a hospital for African Americans. Citizens could not afford the facility and it failed financially.[17] Reared in Omaha, Clarence W. Wigington was the first black architect to design a home in Nebraska as a student of the noted Thomas Rogers Kimball. He also designed churches in Omaha. Wigington gained a national reputation after moving to St. Paul, Minnesota in 1914, where he soon became the senior architectural designer for the city. His legacy includes 60 surviving buildings, among which four are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1912 the Omaha chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded, the first NAACP chapter west of the Mississippi.[18] George Wells Parker, a founder of the Afrocentric Hamitic League of the World, was instrumental in recruiting African Americans from the Deep South to Omaha during the 1910s.[19]

Railroads and the meatpacking industry recruited African American workers from the South. From 1910 to 1920, the African-American population of Omaha doubled from 4,426 to 10,315, making up five percent of Omaha's population. Of the western cities which were new destinations for blacks of the Great Migration, in 1920 Omaha had the second largest black population, after Los Angeles. The rapid pace of growth alarmed some people in the city, which was also absorbing thousands of new eastern and southern European immigrants. People were concerned about social problems: labor unrest following strikes in 1917, and the return of veterans looking for work after World War I.

During the first week of August 1919, the Omaha Bee newspaper reported that as many as 500 "Negro" workers, mostly from Chicago and East St. Louis, arrived in Omaha to seek employment in the packinghouses. The Bee tended to sensational journalism, adding to tensions in the city as it highlighted alleged crimes committed by blacks. The migration of African Americans to Omaha and the hiring of black workers created a source of friction in the local labor market. Blacks had been hired as strikebreakers in 1917, and there was a major strike among white workers in 1919. The immigrant workers in the meatpacking industry resented the strikebreakers. Economic pressure exacerbated hostilities.

From 1910 to the 1950s, Omaha was a destination for African Americans during the Great Migration from the American South. An African-American cultural expansion flourished beginning in the 1920s, part of a larger boom time in the Prohibition era. A late 20th-century documentary reported about the 1940s, "On the surface the black community appeared quite stable. Its center was a several-block district north of the downtown. There were over a hundred black-owned businesses, and there were a number of black physicians, dentists, and attorneys. Over twenty fraternal organizations and clubs flourished. Church life was diverse. Of more than forty denominations, Methodists and Baptists predominated."[20]

Early African American neighborhoods in Omaha included Casey's Row, a community of housing for African-American families, most of whose men worked as railroad porters at the nearby Union Pacific Railroad. The steady jobs on the railroads were considered good work, even if some men had greater ambitions.[21] In the 1880s, Omaha's original "Negro district" was located at Twentieth and Harney Streets.[22] The Near North Side, located immediately north of Downtown Omaha, is where the majority of African Americans have lived in Omaha for almost 100 years. Originally the community had mostly European immigrants: Germans, Italians and Jews and gradually drew more African Americans. In pre-1900 Omaha, the city's cemetery was always integrated.[21]

The community became more racially segregated soon after the Omaha Race Riot of 1919. During that event an African-American worker named Will Brown was lynched by a white mob outside the Douglas County Courthouse. After the mob finished with Brown, they turned against the entire population of African Americans in the Near North Side; however, their efforts were thwarted by soldiers from Fort Omaha. In the following years the city began enforcing race-restrictive covenants. Properties for rent and sale were restricted on the basis of race, with the primary intent of keeping the Near North Side "black" and the rest of the city "white". These agreements were held in place with redlining, a system of segregated insuring and lending reinforced by the federal government. These restrictions were ruled illegal in 1940.[23]

During the 1930s, the Federal government built housing projects for working families: the Logan Fontenelle Housing Projects in North Omaha and a similar project in South Omaha. Both were intended to improve housing for the large working-class community, whose majority then were immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe and their descendants. With job losses and demographic changes accelerating in the late 1950s and 1960s, the project residents in North Omaha became nearly all poor and low-income African Americans. By the early first decade of the 21st century, each of these facilities was torn down and replaced with public housing schemes featuring mixed-income and supporting uses.

African-American neighborhoods in Omaha have been studied extensively; the most notable reports include Lois Mark Stalvey's Three to Get Ready: The Education of a White Family in Inner City Schools,[24] and the 1966 documentary film A Time for Burning. This movie featured the opinions of the young Ernie Chambers. A barber, Chambers went on to law school and has been repeatedly elected to represent North Omaha in the Nebraska State Legislature for more than 35 years.[25]

Poster: The Realization of a Negro's Ambition (1916)

The Union Pacific Railroad first introduced large numbers of African American strikebreakers to Omaha during a strike in 1877. Black barbers organized the first labor union in Omaha, and went on strike in Omaha in 1887 after they deemed it "unprofessional to work beside white competitors."[26] Arriving in 1890, Dr. Stephenson was the first African-American physician in Omaha and the start of a substantial professional class. Matthew Ricketts was the first African-American medical student to graduate from the University of Nebraska Medical College and settled in North Omaha to set up his practice. In 1892, Dr. Ricketts was the first African-American elected to a seat in the Nebraska State Legislature.[27] According to the Works Progress Administration, the first African-American fair held in the United States took place in Omaha, July 3–4, 1894. Their study reports: "Only Negro-owned horses were entered in the races, and all exhibits were restricted to articles made or owned by Negroes."[2]

African Americans also built a "Colored Old Folks Home" in North Omaha in the 1910s and sustained it for a long period of time.[22] Clarence W. Wigington was a renowned African-American architect from Omaha. He designed St. John's A.M.E. and the Broomfield Rowhouse, among many others in the city, but built most of his career after 1914 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Miss Lucy Gambol, later known as Mrs. John Albert Williams, was the first African-American teacher in the Omaha Public Schools, teaching there for six years from 1899 through 1905.[28] The first film company controlled by Black filmmakers was founded in Omaha in the summer of 1915.[7] George and Noble Johnson founded the Lincoln Motion Picture Company to produce films for African-American audiences. Noble was a small-time actor; George worked for the post office. Noble Johnson was president of the company; Clarence A. Brooks, secretary; Dr. James T. Smith, treasurer; and Dudley A. Brooks was assistant secretary. Lincoln Films quickly built a reputation for making films that showcased African-American talent in the full sphere of cinema. In less than a year the company relocated to Los Angeles, where the major film industry was located.[29]

Today African Americans own fifty percent of all minority-owned businesses in Omaha.[10]

From a slow start in the late 19th century, in the mid-20th century on, African Americans began to win more seats and appointments in politics, with their participation steadily growing. More people obtained higher education and entered professional middle classes.

In 1892, Dr. Matthew Ricketts became the first African American elected to the Nebraska State Legislature, and was the acknowledged leader of the African-American community in Omaha. After he left Omaha in 1903, Jack Broomfield, proprietor of a notorious bar in downtown Omaha, became the leader of the community. He is criticized for having allowed the community to fall apart under the influence of Tom Dennison.

No African Americans served on the Omaha City Council or Douglas County Board of Commissioners until district elections became law. In 1893 Edwin R. Overall, a mail carrier, ran as a Populist for the City Council. He finished 18th in a field of 23 candidates running at-large for nine of 18 council seats. In 1973 and 1977, Fred Conley ran for the Omaha City Council in the at-large format and each time finished 18th – just as Overall did some 70 years earlier. At-large elections were won by candidates who represented the majority population of the city, which was white.

In 1981, after City Council elections were changed to be based on district representation, Conley became the first African American elected. He served until 1989. In 1992, Carol Woods Harris became the first African American elected to the Douglas County Board and served until 2004.

African Americans have been represented on the Omaha School Board since 1950 when attorney Elizabeth Davis Pittman was elected. De facto school segregation, however, persisted in Omaha long after that date with school boundaries tailored to match residential areas, which had de facto segregation.

Brenda Warren Council, a former member of the Omaha School Board and the City Council, narrowly lost the 1997 mayoral election, losing by 700 votes to Mayor Hal Daub. In 2003 Thomas Warren, Brenda Council's brother, was appointed by Mayor Mike Fahey as the city’s first African-American Chief of Police for the Omaha Police Department.

In 2005, Marlon Polk was appointed by Governor Dave Heineman to serve as a District Court Judge, the first African American to do so in Nebraska. He was assigned to serve in Douglas County.[30] In 1970 Ernie Chambers became the city's second African American elected to the state legislature. Chambers has won every election since then, and in 2007 became the longest-serving Nebraska Senator in history.[31] In 2005 the Nebraska State Legislature approved a term limit law limiting legislators to two terms, forcing Chambers from office in 2008.

African-American firefighters[edit]

Hose Company #12, and later Hose Company #11, hired the first African-American firefighters in the city. One of these two stations was located at 20th and Lake Streets. One of the first African-American fireFighters in Omaha, was James C. Greer, Sr. who was a member of the Omaha Fire Department from 5/5/1906 to 8/1/1933 and was a captain in the department for many years. Horse-drawn wagons were in use when he was assigned to the old No. 11 Station at Thirtieth and Spaulding Streets. He later served at the No. 4 Station at Sixteenth and Izard Streets. He retired as senior captain from the Omaha, NE. Fire Department in 1933. His son Richard N. Greer, (known as Dick)served as a volunteer for Fire Department in the 1950s. The first step towards integration in Omaha's Fire Department came in 1940, when an African-American firefighter was assigned to the city's Bureau of Fire Prevention and Inspection. By the 1950s, the city had two companies of African-American firefighters. Omaha's Fire Department was integrated in 1957.[32] The first step towards integration in Omaha's Fire Department came in 1940, when an African-American firefighter was assigned to the city's Bureau of Fire Prevention and Inspection. By the 1950s, the city had two companies of African-American firefighters. Omaha's Fire Department was integrated in 1957.[33]

African-American culture[edit]

Religious institutions[edit]

The earliest African-American churches in Omaha were St. John's African Methodist Episcopal Church, organized in 1867; St. Phillip the Deacon Episcopal Church, organized in 1878, and; Zion Baptist Church, organized in 1884. The second St. John's building and Zion's current building were notable for being designed by future master architect Clarence Wigington.[34] St. John's current building is lauded for being a notable example of the Prairie School architectural style.[35]

In 1921, the Omaha and Council Bluffs Colored Ministerial Alliance demanded that Tom Dennison's cabarets in the Sporting District "wherein there is unwarranted mingling of the races" be closed indefinitely. It is unknown what their objectives were.[36]

Other influential churches included Calvin Memorial Presbyterian Church, which opened in 1954 as an integrated congregation. Omaha had several interesting examples of integration in its churches, including those featured the documentary film A Time for Burning and Pearl Memorial United Methodist Church, which began integration efforts in the 1970s. Sacred Heart Catholic Church has operated since the late 19th century and has evolved numerous times as different ethnic groups succeeded each other in the neighborhood. North Omaha's Lizzie Robinson founded the first Church of God in Christ congregation in Nebraska in the 1920s. Salem Baptist Church has been particularly important in the city's African-American community, hosting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in a major speaking event in Omaha in 1957.

Historical social clubs[edit]

The African-American community in North Omaha was anchored with numerous important social clubs. According to one report from the 1930s, "There are today in Omaha alone some twenty-five clubs and societies with a total membership of over two thousand."[2] These groups included the Pleasant Hour Club (which was estimated to be 50 years old in the late 1930s), Aloha Club, Entre Nous Club, the Beau Brummels Club, the Dames Club, the Jolly Twenty Club, the Trojan Club, and the Quack Club.[2] Important locations included the North Side YWCA. This influential organization, starting in 1920, was located in a house at 2306 N. 22nd Street[30] The African-American community in Omaha also supported the Old Colored Folks' Home, which was organized in 1913. In 1923 they received funds from the city's "Community Chest" fund, with which they purchased a building.[22]

The Royal Circle was a premier African-American social organization. The Royal Circle held annual cotillions for young African-American women through the early 1960s, at which they were "introduced" to adult society. Formed in 1918, the War Camp Community Service became the local American Legion the following year. The Centralized Commonwealth Civic Club, formed in 1937, promoted community business. Two local Boy Scout troops (Troop 23, Troop 79) were founded for African-American youth.

The community also boasted halls for the Odd Fellows, the Masons, (which had about 550 members in North Omaha in 1936), and the Elks, (with about 250 members in the community in 1936).[2] Perhaps the most elusive organization in North Omaha was the Knights and Daughters of Tabor, also known as the "Knights of Liberty". This was a secret African-American organization whose goal was "nothing less than the destruction of slavery."[37]

Historic entertainment venues[edit]

From the 1920s through to the early 1960s, North Omaha boasted a vibrant African-American entertainment district, featuring both local and nationally known musicians. The most important venue in the area was the Dreamland Ballroom, opened in 1923 in the Jewell Building at 24th and Grant Streets. Dreamland hosted some of the greatest jazz, blues, and swing performers, including Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, and the original Nat King Cole Trio. Whitney Young spoke there as well.[38] Other venues included Jim Bell's Harlem, opened in 1935 on Lake Street, west of 24th; McGill's Blue Room, located at 24th and Lake, and; Allen's Showcase Lounge, which was located at 24th and Lake.

The Ritz Theater was opened in the mid-1930s at 2041 North 24th Street, near Patrick Avenue. It was specifically designated an "African-American theater" with seating for 548 people.[39] It was closed in the 1950s and has since been demolished.

During this period, North Omaha and its main artery of North 24th Street were the heart of the city's African-American cultural and business community, with a thriving jazz and rhythm & blues scene that attracted top-flight swing, blues and jazz bands from across the country. Due to racial segregation, musicians such as Cab Calloway stayed at Myrtle Washington's at 22nd and Willis, while others stayed at Charlie Trimble's at 22nd and Seward. Early North Omaha bands included Dan Desdunes Band, Simon Harrold's Melody Boys, the Sam Turner Orchestra, the Ted Adams Orchestra, the Omaha Night Owls, Red Perkins and his Original Dixie Ramblers, and the Lloyd Hunter Band who, in 1931, became the first Omaha band to record. A Lloyd Hunter concert poster can be seen on display at the Community Center in nearby Mineola, Iowa.[40]

The intersection of 24th and Lake was the setting of the Big Joe Williams song "Omaha Blues". Omaha-born Wynonie Harris, one of the founders of rock and roll, got his start at the North Omaha clubs, and for a time lived in the now-demolished Logan Fontenelle Housing Project.[30] There were innumerable African American churches, social and civic clubs, formal dances for young people, and many other cultural activities.

Several accounts attribute the decline of the African-American cultural scene in North Omaha to the riots of the 1960s and 70s.[23] Television also took away from local entertainment. Since the turn of the 21st century, there has been a resurgence in interest in this vibrant period, with cultural and historical institutions created to honor it, such as Love's Jazz & Art Center,[41] the Dreamland Project,[42] and the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame.

Historic musicians[edit]

Further information: Music in Omaha, Nebraska

Preston Love, who left Omaha to tour nationally, said,

North Omaha used to be a hub for black jazz musicians, 'the triple-A league' where national bands would go to find a player to fill out their ensemble.[43]

The history of African Americans and music in Omaha is long and varied. The black music community was first organized in the early 20th century by Josiah Waddle, one of Omaha's first barbers. After teaching himself to play a number of brass instruments, Waddle pulled together Omaha's first AfricanAmerican band in 1902. In 1917 he brought together the first women's band in Omaha. One of his most famous students was Lloyd Hunter, who ran one of the most popular orchestras' in the United States Midwest.[44] Anna Mae Winburn was a student of Waddle's as well.

After leading the Cotton Club Boys and several smaller outfits, Winburn led the International Sweethearts of Rhythm to fame during World War II. The Sweethearts were the first integrated all women's band in the United States.[45] Nat Towles also led an important territory band out of Omaha during the swing era, and most of these bands were represented by the National Orchestra Service, which was also based out of Omaha. It was a nationally regarded company which acted as agent for dozens of bands.

International Jazz legend Preston Love was an important figure in Omaha's African-American community. After playing in Towles' and Hunter's bands, Love joined Count Basie as a saxophonist. After traveling the world, Love came back to North Omaha and founded his own band. He also joined the staff of the Omaha Star newspaper. Love toured the U.S. and Europe into the late 1990s and died in 2004.[46]

North Omaha's musical culture gave rise to several influential African-American musicians. Rhythm & Blues singer Wynonie Harris and influential drummer Buddy Miles, who played with guitarist Jimi Hendrix, were friends while they grew up and played together. They collaborated throughout their lives, and while they were playing with the greatest names in Rock and Roll, Jazz, R&B and Funk. Big Joe Williams and funk band leader Lester Abrams are also from North Omaha.

Historic newspapers[edit]

The historic office of the Omaha Star.

There have been numerous African-American newspapers in Omaha. The first was the Progress, established in 1889 by F.L. Barnett. Cyrus D. Bell, an ex-slave, established the Afro-American Sentinel in 1892. In 1893 G.F. Franklin started publishing the Enterprise, later published by Thomas P. Mahammitt. It was the longest lived of any of the early African-American newspapers published in Omaha. The best known and most widely read of all African-American newspapers in the city was the Omaha Monitor, established in 1915, edited and published by Reverend John Albert Williams. It stopped publishing in 1929.

George Wells Parker, co-founder of the Hamitic League of the World, founded the New Era in Omaha from 1920 through until 1926. The Omaha Guide was established by B.V. and C.C. Galloway in 1927. The Guide, with a circulation of over 25,000 and an advertisers' list including business firms from coast to coast, was the largest African-American newspaper west of the Missouri River through the 1930s.[47][48]

Today, African-American culture in Omaha is regarded as being anchored, in large part, by The Omaha Star, founded by the late Mildred D. Brown and her husband S.E. Gilbert in 1938. Brown is believed to be the first female, certainly the first African-American woman, to have founded a newspaper in the nation's history. She managed the paper for the rest of her life. Since 1945 the paper was the only one representing the black community in Omaha and the only black paper being printed in the state. Today the paper has a circulation of more than 30,000; distribution to the 48 continental states, and is being managed by her niece.[49][50]

Other cultural institutions[edit]

The Fair Deal Cafe, located on North 24th Street, was called the "Black City Hall" during its existence from 1954 to 2003.[51] Today, Omaha's African American community celebrates its heritage in numerous ways. The biennial Native Omahans Days is a week-long celebration including picnics, family reunions and a large parade. Also held on a biennial calendar is the induction ceremony for the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame, or OBMHoF. Their inductees include African American contributors to rock and roll, swing, jazz and R&B, as well as other cultural contributions.

Formed by Bertha Calloway in the 1960s, the Negro Historical Society opened the Great Plains Black Museum in North Omaha in 1974. Located at 2213 Lake Street, the museum is home to Omaha's only African American history collection. The annual Omaha Jazz and Blues Festival also promotes African American culture throughout the city.

Race relations[edit]

North Omaha has a contentious history between whites and African Americans that is predicated on racism. In 1891 an African American George Smith was lynched at the Douglas County Courthouse, accused as a suspect for allegedly attacking a young girl. While little is known about Smith, reports of the incident described a mob dragging Smith from his cell, before any court trial, and hanging him from a nearby street post.[52]

In July 1910 racial tension flared towards the African-American community after a tremendous upset victory by African-American boxer Jack Johnson in Reno, Nevada. Mobs of whites roamed throughout Omaha rioting, as they did in cities across the U.S.. The mobs wounded several black men in the city, killing one.[53]

The Red Summer of 1919 caused one Omaha newspaper to run a front page declaration that 21 Omaha women reported that they were assaulted from early June to late September 1919. In an example of yellow journalism, twenty of the victims were white and 16 of the assailants were identified as black, while only one of the victims was black. A separate newspaper warned that vigilante committees would be formed if the "respectable colored population could not purge those from the Negro community who were assaulting white girls."[54] During the ensuing Omaha Race Riot of 1919 in September, a white ethnic mob from South Omaha took over the Douglas County Courthouse. The white rioters lynched Willy Brown, an accused packinghouse worker. They then tried to attack blacks on the street and move against the community in North Omaha. Soldiers from Fort Omaha put down the riot. They reestablished control and were stationed in South Omaha, to prevent any more mobs from forming, and in North Omaha at 24th and Lake streets "to prevent any further murders of black citizens. Orders were issued that any citizen with a gun faced immediate arrest. All blacks were ordered to remain indoors."[55]

A legacy of this terrible summer was the de facto racial segregation of many of Omaha's neighborhoods.[23] Introduced in the 1930s, the practices of redlining by banks and racially restrictive housing covenants effectively ended for decades the ability of African Americans to buy or rent outside North Omaha.[56] Originally built in the 1930s, Omaha housing projects were intended for occupancy without reference to race. A 1937 report from the Omaha Housing Authority reported that residents included "both black and white occupants and there are 284 units. There is no distinct segregation of the whites from the blacks but individual buildings will be confined to either Negro or white."[57] The Logan Fontenelle Housing Project, built during the Depression, with an addition completed in 1941, to improve working class housing in North Omaha, was closed to African Americans through the 1950s. Even in the 1940s, housing was so overcrowded in the area that some families stayed at the projects although their income exceeded the limits, because they couldn't find housing elsewhere.[58][59] With civil rights challenges, the segregation policy that kept African Americans out of public housing changed in the 1960s.

The massive loss of industrial jobs changed the nature of families and the issues in public housing. Although the Logan Fontenelle projects were first built for working families, they came to be dominated by the unemployed. Other public housing projects also reflected later de facto segregation. A concentration of problems here and in other cities led the City of Omaha, along with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to radically rethink public housing in the 1990s. The Logan Fontenelle Housing Project was torn down in 1996. Today public housing is scattered throughout Omaha and often combined with market rate housing and community amenities.[60]

Civil Rights Movement[edit]

The lynching of Willy Brown has been credited for radicalizing Omaha's African-American community. In the 1920s the Omaha chapter of Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association was founded by Earl Little, a Baptist minister and the father of Malcolm X. Malcolm X was born in Omaha in 1925. Malcolm X's mother reported a 1924 incident where her family was warned to leave Omaha by Ku Klux Klansmen. She was told that her husband Earl Little, was "stirring up trouble" through his involvement with Universal Negro Improvement Association was[61] The family moved shortly thereafter.[62]

Another radical leader, Communist spokesman and one-time leader of American forces in the Spanish Civil War Harry Haywood, was born in 1898 in South Omaha as Haywood Hall to parents who were former slaves. In 1913 his father was beaten by a white gang at the South Omaha meatpacking plant where he worked, forcing the family to move from the city.[63] The African Blood Brotherhood, started in Omaha, contributed to radicalizing Haywood when he joined it the group in Chicago, where his family had moved in 1915.[64]

Starting in 1920, the Colored Commercial Club organized to help blacks in Omaha secure employment and to encourage business enterprises among African Americans. The National Federation of Colored Women had five chapters in Omaha.[2] In 1928 the first Urban League chapter in the American West was founded in city.[29] Whitney Young led the chapter in 1950 and tripled its membership. After a few years he left Omaha, taking over the national leadership of the Urban League by 1961.

The Industrial Workers of the World organized African-American workers in the South Omaha Stockyards in the 1920s. Along with the rest of the working class, they suffered setbacks during layoffs in the Great Depression.[65]

In the 1930s, however, an interracial committee succeeded in organizing the United Meatpacking Workers of America, one of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) unions. They worked to end segregation of job positions in meatpacking in the 1940s. Community leader Rowena Moore attacked gender restrictions and organized to expand opportunities in industry for black women. UMPWA helped African Americans extended their political power and gain an end to segregation in retail places in the 1950s. After all this progress, however, the loss of more than 10,000 jobs due to structural changes in the railroad and meatpacking industries in the 1960s sharply reduced opportunities for the working class communities.

As a major western city, Omaha was visited by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1958 and Robert Kennedy in 1968, who helped galvanize the civil rights movement in North Omaha. Local leaders continued to struggle against racism.[66] North Omaha was marred by race-related violence and de facto segregation throughout the 20th century. When the Black Panthers were implicated in a police killing in North Omaha in 1970, the trial highlighted political tensions. The Rice/Poindexter Case continues to highlight Omaha's contentious legacy of racism. A majority of Omaha's African-American population still lives in North Omaha.

Studies have shown starting in the 1950s Omaha's white middle class moved from North Omaha to the suburbs of West Omaha in the phenomenon called "white flight."[67] The inability of government money to solve the problems of Omaha's African American community was accented by white flight. The city's schools were greatly affected by racial unrest. Consequential to the 1971 Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education ruling enforcing Desegregation busing in the United States, Omaha was reputed to have adapted well to integrated busing.[68] However, an analysis of white flight found that public schools in Omaha had enhanced racial discrimination despite their integration attempts. Optional attendance zones, the location of new schools, and feeder patterns were found to enhance segregation. This study found that mandatory busing was required to attain racial balance in every school.[69] Enrollment of white students in the Omaha Public Schools plummeted in the 1970s, while the enrollment of black students during the same period rose from 21% to 30%, primarily due to the loss of white students. In the 1990s the Omaha Housing Authority adopted a scattered site housing plan, eventually destroying several of the housing projects in the city, including the Logan Fontenelle Housing Project.[70]

Race riots[edit]

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Cornerstone Memorial at the NW corner of 24th & Lake St in North Omaha.

The civil rights movement brought calls for black power and against racism to Omaha. While youth throughout the city were being drafted to fight in the Vietnam War, funding for education and youth programs were being cut, and policing tactics were targeting African-American youth. This led to a series of protests and riots, the repercussions of which are still felt today in some communities.[71]

On July 4, 1966, the temperature soared to 103 degrees. A crowd of African Americans gathered at the intersection of North 24th and Lake Streets in the evening. When police requested their dispersal they responded violently. After demolishing police cars, the mob roamed the North 24th Street business corridor for hours, throwing firebombs and demolishing storefronts. After three days of rioting[72] millions of dollars of damage was reported by affected businesses.[73]

Riots erupted again on August 1, 1966 after a 19-year-old was shot by a white, off-duty policeman during a burglary. The Omaha World-Herald and local television stations blamed African Americans for the conditions they faced in their deteriorating neighborhoods during this period. Three buildings were firebombed, and 180 riot police were required to quell the crowds.[74]

On March 4, 1968 a crowd of high school and university students were gathered at the Omaha Civic Auditorium to protest the presidential campaign of George Wallace, the segregationist governor of Alabama. After counter-protesters began acting violently toward the youth activists, police brutality led to the injury of dozens of protesters. An African-American youth was shot and killed by a police officer during the melee, and fleeing students caused thousands of dollars of damage to businesses and cars.[75] The following day a local barber named Ernie Chambers helped calm a disturbance and prevent a riot by students at Horace Mann Junior High School. Chambers was already recognized as a community leader. After finishing his law degree, Chambers was elected to the Nebraska State Legislature, and served a total of 38 years, longer than any of his predecessors.[74]

African-American teenager Vivian Strong was shot and killed by police officers in an incident at the Logan Fontenelle Housing Projects on June 24, 1969. Young African Americans in the area rioted in response to the teenager's death, with looting along the North 24th Street business corridor. During this initial surge, eight businesses were destroyed by firebombing or looting.[76] Rioting went on for several more days.[77] This is the last noted riot in Omaha.

The effects of these riots is still evident in the North 24th Street district, with high numbers of vacant lots and general economic depression still prevalent.

Commemorations and recognitions[edit]

There have been several different organizations formed to commemorate the history of Omaha's African Americans. In the 1960s Bertha Calloway founded the Nebraska Negro Historical Society, and in 1974 the Society opened the Great Plains Black History Museum. It includes material related to the history of black homesteaders on the plains, as well as the more numerous urbanites based chiefly in Omaha, the major city of the state.

In 1976 the community began Native Omaha Days, devised as a series of activities to celebrate black history in the city. In addition to being a labor organizer in meatpacking in the 1940s, Rowena Moore led an effort to recognize the Malcolm X House Site in the 1970s. A monument to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was placed along North 24th Street in the late 1990s. The Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame was founded in 2005 to celebrate the city's musical history.

Further information: Economics in Omaha

The director of a statewide poverty advocacy group was quoted as saying in 2007, "In Omaha, you start talking about low-income issues, people assume you’re talking about minority issues..."[78] As of October 2007, the city of Omaha, the 42nd largest in the country, has the fifth highest percentage of low-income African Americans in the country.[8] Census data from 2000 in Douglas County show more than 7,800 families live below the poverty line, about 6.7 percent of families. The percentage of black children in Omaha who live in poverty rank ranks number one in the United States, with nearly six of 10 black kids living below the poverty line. Only one other metropolitan area in the U.S., Minneapolis, has a wider economic disparity between blacks and whites.[9]

African Americans from Omaha[edit]

Being born in Omaha doesn't make me an American any more than being born in an oven makes a cat a biscuit. – Malcolm X
Notable African Americans from Omaha (Alphabetical)
Name Image Role Era
Lester Abrams Funk musician 1970s
Houston Alexander
Mixed Martial Artist, hip hop artist and radio DJ 1980s-present
John Beasley Television and film actor 1980s-present
Bob Boozer Former National Basketball Association player, gold medalist at the 1960 Summer Olympics 1950s–1960s
Frank Brown (politician) City of Omaha City councilmember 1970s-present
Mildred Brown Founder, Omaha Star newspaper 1930s–1980s
Willy Brown Local worker lynched by white mob 1919
Bertha Calloway Founder of the Great Plains Black History Museum 1960s–1990s
Ernie Chambers Longest-serving Nebraska State Senator in history 1960s-present
Brenda Council City of Omaha councilmember, school board member 1970s-present
Alfonza W. Davis Captain in the Tuskegee Airmen, first black military aviator from Omaha to receive his wings from Tuskegee Field 1940s
Bob Gibson National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher for St. Louis Cardinals
Ahman Green
Ahman green.jpg
Professional football player 1990s-first decade of the 21st century
Wynonie Harris Rhythm & Blues singer 1960s-present
Harry Haywood High profile international Communist Party leader 1940s–1970s
Cathy Hughes Founder and president of Radio One 1970s-present
Lloyd Hunter Big band leader 1920s–1950s
Kenton Keith Professional football player
Preston Love Jazz player 1950s–1990s
Lois "Lady Mac" McMorris Guitarist 1970s-present
Buddy Miles Musician 1960s–1990s
Rowena Moore Labor activist in meatpacking industry. Also Founder of the Malcolm X House Site 1940s for union. 1970s–1980s as civic activist
Sandra Organ Longtime Houston Ballet soloist 1980s-present
George Wells Parker Co-founder of the Hamitic League of the World 1910s–1930s
Ron Prince
Ron Prince.jpg
Head football coach at Kansas State University 1980s-first decade of the 21st century
Dr. Matthew Ricketts First African American elected to the Nebraska State Legislature in 1892. 1880s–1900
Joe Rogers Colorado Lieutenant Governor, 1999–2003 (R) 1990s
Johnny Rodgers 1972 Heisman Trophy Winner, College Football Hall of Fame Inductee and voted University of Nebraska's "player of the century" 1960s–1980
Gale Sayers
Gale Sayers.jpg
Professional football player, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee 1960s
Gabrielle Union Television and film actress 1990s-first decade of the 21st century
Luigi Waites
Luigi Waites plays vibraphone.jpg
Musician 1960s-present
Clarence W. Wigington Architect 1910s–1950
Big Joe Williams Musician
Anna Mae Winburn Big band leader 1930s–1960
Helen Jones Woods, Big band trombonist 1930s–1960
Malcolm X
Malcolm X NYWTS 2a.jpg
Civil rights leader (grew up elsewhere) 1930s–1960s
Whitney Young
Whitney Young at White House, January 18, 1964.jpg
Former head of Omaha Urban League 1930s–1960s
Herman Cain
Herman Cain by Gage Skidmore 4.jpg
Former CEO of Godfather's Pizza (1986–88), Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Omaha Branch (1989–91), depty Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City (1992–94), Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City (1995–96), and was among the Republican Party presidential candidates, 2012 1980s-1990s

[Dr. Catherine Grace Pope, Ed.D.,] First African-American to enter and win a title in the Miss America Pageant. The year 1969

See also[edit]

  1. ^ a b Pipher, M. (2002) "Chapter One," The Middle of Everywhere: Helping Refugees Enter the American Community. Harcourt.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Nebraska Writers Project (n.d. est 1938) Negros in Nebraska Workers Progress Administration. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
  3. ^ Peattie, E.W. (2005) "Omaha's Black Population: The Negroes of this City: Who are they and where do they live?", Impertinences: Selected Writings of Elia Peattie, a Journalist in the Gilded Age. University of Nebraska Press. p. 58.
  4. ^ "For the Record". Associated Press. April 25, 2005. Retrieved 2006-05-24.
  5. ^ Quintard Taylor, In Search Of The Racial Frontier: African Americans in the American West, 1528–1990, New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1998, p. 204
  6. ^ Note: Denver then had only 6,075. This definition excludes cities in Texas with blacks, as the state population was 25 percent black, mostly enslaved, before the Civil War. Quintard Taylor, The Forging of a Black Community, Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994, p. 223, Google Book Search, accessed Aug 20, 2008
  7. ^ a b "The Lincoln Motion Picture company, a first for Black cinema!" The African American Registry. Retrieved 8/4/07.
  8. ^ a b Kotock, C.D. (2007) "Big plans in store for north Omaha", Omaha World-Herald, October 3, 2007. Retrieved 10/4/07.
  9. ^ a b Cordes, H.J., Gonzalez, C. and Grace, E. "Omaha in Black and White: Poverty amid prosperity", Omaha World-Herald. April 15, 2007. Retrieved August 19, 2008.
  10. ^ a b Multiethnic Guide. Greater Omaha Economic Partnership. Retrieved October 28, 2007.
  11. ^ Federal Writers Project. (1939) "The Negro comes to Nebraska", Negroes in Nebraska. Retrieved May 13, 2008.
  12. ^ (1938) Authur Goodlett. American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936–1940. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
  13. ^ (2003) The Negroes of Nebraska: Immigration. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
  14. ^ (2003) The Negroes of Nebraska: The Negro goes to church. Memorial Library. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
  15. ^ (1895) "Negroes in Omaha," Omaha Progress February 21, 1895. Retrieved from the Great Plains Black History Museum on May 6, 1998.
  16. ^ Quintard Taylor, In Search Of The Racial Frontier: African Americans in the American West, 1528–1990, New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1998, pp. 193 and 205
  17. ^ Works Progress Administration. (1939) "Negroes in the professions," Negroes in Nebraska. Retrieved September 20, 2007.
  18. ^ (n.d.)Timeline: Omaha's 150th Birthday.
  19. ^ Rashidi, R. "George Wells Parker: Race Man and Pioneer to the Past", Retrieved May 25, 2008.
  20. ^ History 313: The History of African Americans in the West Manual, – Chapter 7: "The Black Urban West, 1880–1940". University of Washington. Retrieved October 29, 2007.,
  21. ^ a b (1981) Project Prospect: A youth investigation of blacks buried at Prospect Cemetery Girls Club of Omaha. Retrieved October 28, 2007.
  22. ^ a b c (1936) Henry Black: Life Histories from the Folklore Project, WPA Federal Writers' Project, 1936–1940; American Memory. U.S. Library of Congress.
  23. ^ a b c (1992) A Street of Dreams Nebraska Public Television. Information on the video here [1].
  24. ^ "Three to Get Ready: The Education of a White Family in Inner City Schools", University of Wisconsin Press. Retrieved September 21, 2007.
  25. ^ (n.d.)History 313: Manual – Chapter 9: Black Omaha: From Non-Violence to Black Power. University of Washington. Retrieved October 28, 2007.
  26. ^ Taylor, Q. (1999) In Search of the Racial Frontier: African Americans in the American West. W. W. Norton & Company. p 205.
  27. ^ Vignette: Matthew Ricketts University of Washington. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
  28. ^ November 27, 1938. "Mrs. John Albert Williams," American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936–1940. U.S. Work Projects Administration, Federal Writers' Project (Folklore Project, Life Histories, 1936–39); Manuscript Division, Library of Congress. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
  29. ^ a b (2007) African American History in the American West: Timeline. University of Washington. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
  30. ^ a b c Dreamland Historical Project. (2005) From whence we came: A historical view of African Americans in Omaha. Retrieved from the Project, August 10, 2006.
  31. ^ (April 25, 2005) "For the record", Lincoln Journal-Star. Retrieved May 27, 2006.
  32. ^ History of African American Firefighters: Omaha.
  33. ^ History of African American Firefighters: Omaha. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
  34. ^ Taylor, D.V. (2002) Cap Wigington, An Architectural Legacy in Ice and Stone. Minnesota Historical Society Press. p 28.
  35. ^ Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska: Douglas County. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
  36. ^ Suggs, H.L. (2006) The Black Press in the Middle West, 1865–1985. p 107.
  37. ^ Moses Dickson. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
  38. ^ (n.d.) Dreamland Ballroom City of Omaha. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
  39. ^ "Ritz Theater" Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 7/2/07
  40. ^ Collins, T. (1994) Rock Mr. Blues: The Life & Music of Wynonie Harris. Big Nickel Publications.
  41. ^ "About Us" Love's Jazz and Art Center. Retrieved 9/1/07.
  42. ^ "History of Dreamland Project", Dreamland Project, Retrieved 9/1/07.
  43. ^ Preston Love describing the North Omaha jazz scene, as quoted in McMahan, T. (2000) "Sharing the Love: An interview with Omaha Jazz great Preston Love."
  44. ^ (1938) "Interview with Josiah Waddle." December 5, 1938. U.S. Work Projects Administration, Federal Writers' Project (Folklore Project, Life Histories, 1936–39); Manuscript Division, Library of Congress. Retrieved 7/4/07.
  45. ^ Liz, S. (1987) "The International Sweethearts of Rhythm," Sage: A Scholarly Journal on Black Women. 4(1). p 59-60.
  46. ^ (nd) Preston Love profile. Retrieved 7/1/07.
  47. ^ Federal Writers Project. (1939) "The Negro Press", The Negroes of Nebraska. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
  48. ^ Suggs, H.L. (1996) The Black Press in the Middle West, 1865–1985. Greenwood Press.
  49. ^ The Omaha Star website. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
  50. ^ Mildred Brown – Founded the Omaha Star newspaper in 1938. Nebraska Studies. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
  51. ^ Gonzalez, C. (Sept 15, 2012) "New 'Fair Deal Urban District' hailed as 'kick-start project' for North O", Omaha World Herald.
  52. ^ Bristow, D.
  53. ^ "Omaha negro killed", The New York Times. July 5, 1910. Retrieved April 20, 2008.
  54. ^ "African American Migration," NebraskaStudies.Org. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
  55. ^ NebraskaStudies.Org Lesson Plans for Omaha Race Riot of 1919. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
  56. ^ Omaha's Riot in Story and Picture – 1919. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
  57. ^ Coulibaly, M., Green, R.D. and James, D.M. (1998) Segregation in Federally Subsidized Low-income Housing in the United States. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998. p. 68.
  58. ^ (1947) Omaha From the Air: Gallery Number Three. Retrieved June 25, 2007.
  59. ^ Flott, A. (nd) "Reading the signs." University of Nebraska at Omaha. Retrieved June 25, 2007.
  60. ^ Angus, J. (2004) Black and Catholic in Omaha: A Case of Double Jeopardy. iUniverse. p. 57
  61. ^ Malcolm X. (1992 reprint) The Autobiography of Malcolm X. p 92.
  62. ^ Malcolm X Timeline. Retrieved 9/6/06.
  63. ^ Carroll, P.N. (1994) The Odyssey of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade: Americans in the Spanish Civil War. Stanford University Press. p 28.
  64. ^ "Harry Haywood", Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives, accessed Jan 15, 2009
  65. ^ Larsen, L. and Cottrell, B.J. (1997) The Gate City: A History of Omaha. p 129.
  66. ^ Distilled in Black and White Omaha Reader. Retrieved July 26, 2007.
  67. ^ Caldas, S.J. and Bankston, C.L. (2003) The End of Desegregation? Nova Science Publishers. p. 12.
  68. ^ Luebke, F.C. (2005) Nebraska: An Illustrated History. University of Nebraska Press. p. 335.
  69. ^ Caldas, S.J. and Bankston, C.L. (2003) The End of Desegregation?. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. p. 12.
  70. ^ Larsen, L.H. and Cottrell, B.J. (1997) The Gate City: A History of Omaha. University of Nebraska Press, 1997. p. 310.
  71. ^ Larsen and Cotrell. (2002) Omaha: The Gate City. University of Nebraska Press. p 277.
  72. ^ Levine, B.J. (2004) Resolving Racial Conflict: The Community Relations Service and Civil Rights. University of Missouri Press. p 105.
  73. ^ Luebtke, F.C. (2005) Nebraska: An Illustrated History. University of Nebraska Press. p. 334.
  74. ^ a b Olson, J.C. and Naugle, R.C. (1997) History of Nebraska. University of Nebraska Press. p 371.
  75. ^ "Peaceful protest turns violent", The Creightonian Online. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
  76. ^ Luebtke, F.C. (2005) Nebraska: An Illustrated History. University of Nebraska Press. p. 372.
  77. ^ "Firebombings in Omaha", the New York Times. June 26, 1969. Retrieved April 21, 2008.
  78. ^ Piersol, D. (2007) "Deeper pockets", Lincoln Journal-Star. Retrieved 4/1/08.

External links[edit]

Additional reading[edit]

  • Angus, J. (2004) Black and Catholic in Omaha: A Case of Double Jeopardy: The First Fifty Years of St. Benedict the Moor Parish. iUniverse, Inc.
  • Bish, James D. (1989) The Black Experience in Selected Nebraska Counties, 1854–1920. M.A. Thesis, University of Nebraska at Omaha.
  • Mihelich, Dennis. (1979) "World War II and the Transformation of the Omaha Urban League," Nebraska History 60(3) (Fall 1979):401–423.
  • Paz, D.G. (1988) "John Albert Williams and Black Journalism in Omaha, 1895–1929." Midwest Review 10: 14–32.
  • Johnson, T. (2001) African American Administration of Predominately Black Schools: Segregation or Emancipation in Omaha, NE. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History in Charlotte, NC.


text:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Municipal Town
Ambur Trade Center
Ambur Trade Center
Nickname(s): Leather City, Dollar City
Ambur is located in Tamil Nadu
Location in Tamil Nadu, India
Coordinates: 12°47′N 78°42′E / 12.78°N 78.7°E / 12.78; 78.7Coordinates: 12°47′N 78°42′E / 12.78°N 78.7°E / 12.78; 78.7
Country  India
State Tamil Nadu
District Vellore
 • Total 17.97 km2 (6.94 sq mi)
Elevation 316 m (1,037 ft)
Population (2011)
 • Total 162,521
 • Density 9,000/km2 (23,000/sq mi)
 • Official Urdu,Vellore Urdu&Tamil
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 635 802
Telephone code 91 - 4174
Vehicle registration TN-83
Sex ratio 1031 /

Ambur (Tamil: ஆம்பூர்) Urdu: آمبور) is a town and state Assembly Constituency in the Vellore District of Tamil Nadu, India. It is located on the banks of the Palar River on the Chennai-Bangalore National Highway.

Ambur is home to a major part of India's leather tanning industry, thus earning it the nickname Leather City of South India. A few of India's largest and finest tanneries are located here, making it one of the leading exporters of finished and unfinished leather goods (such as shoes, garments, and gloves) in the country. Due to this production, the leather industry occupies a pride of place in the industrial map of Tamil Nadu and places it high among the rankings of the nation's exports.

It is also known for Biryani, a tasty rice dish; varieties of chicken dishes; non-vegetarian curries, etc., sweet dishes like Gulab Jamun, Gajar ka halwa and Mutanjan, a dessert in Muslim weddings after the feast, have become popular since the reign of Nawabs of Arcot.

The words 'Amb' (our) and 'ur' (place) together became Ambur which means "Ourplace". There is also a belief that Am is derived from mangoes, Aam in Urdu.And its also told that Ambur is 'AA'ur which means the place where Cows seen more. Ambur is in existence since the period of Pallava's. However, there are no protected or notified monuments at present to reveal the past history and perhaps they might have been ruined due to successive wars held in the past. During the 15th and 16th centuries, the North Arcot District which included Ambur was under the control of rulers of the Vijaya Nagar which in 1687 was brought under the control of the Nawabs of the Carnatic. On 20 May 1740, the Nizam of Hyderabad incited the Marathas to invade Carnatic. Nawab Dost Ali Khan and Chanda Sahib met the Maratha army under Chattrapati Shahu at Ambur. The Marathas won the battle by killing Dost Ali Khan and capturing Chanda Sahib.

The Battle of Ambur on August 3, 1749 was the first major battle of the Second Carnatic War resulting as the decisive in the struggle between the English and the French for Supremacy. It marked the end of Mughal centralized power and the initiation of European influenced powers. During this battle Nawab Anwaruddin Muhammed Khan supported by the English, met the French army at Ambur and was killed by his rival Chanda Sahib.

In 1767 during the First Anglo-Mysore War to invade Carnatic, a combined force of Mysore and Hyderabadi troops under the command of Hyder Ali of Mysore conducted the Siege of Ambur. The town was successfully defended by a small force of British East India Company troops along with a garrison of local troops and at the beginning of 18th century, it came under the control of British.

Ambur is geographically located at 12°47′N 78°42′E / 12.78°N 78.7°E / 12.78; 78.7. It has an average elevation of 316 metres (1036 feet).

It lies exactly between IT hubs Chennai and Bengaluru. It is at a distance of 180 km from these two cities both Ambur has a tropical wet-and-dry climate, reaching high temperatures during summer and experiences wet winters. The maximum rainfall occurs during October and November, with the northeast monsoon. The area experiences rainfall during the southwest monsoon as well.

Due to its tropical and sub-tropical climate, mangoes, groundnuts, coconut and jasmine have been cultivated in and around the town for hundreds of years. on roads via National Highway 46 and on rails. The district headquarters, Vellore is about 52 km from the town towards Chennai. The proposed development of "Chennai-Bengaluru industrial corridor of excellence" is expected to stimulate the industrial growth which will improve the socio economic condition of the town.

Extremely hot and dry during summer when temperature soars to as high as 43 degree C (110 F). Winter is cold and dry with temperature dipping to 10 degree C during the night.

Climate data for Ambur (2000–2012)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 35.3
Average high °C (°F) 29.2
Average low °C (°F) 18.2
Record low °C (°F) 10.2
Precipitation mm (inches) 9.0
Avg. precipitation days 0.8 0.5 0.4 1.3 4.7 5.3 6.6 7.8 7.6 9.4 7.7 3.9 56
Source: India Meteorological Department,[1]

Municipal administration[edit]

Ambur is a selection grade municipality and headquarters of Ambur taluk which is an administrative division comprising 79 Revenue villages in the district of Vellore. The municipal council has 36 elected members. It represents Ambur assembly constituency.

Ambur Municipality is situated in Vellore district under the control of Regional Director of Municipal Administration, Vellore. Manager is the head of Administration next to Commissioner in the branch of General Administration and he is responsible for general supervision and administration of Office. All Establishment matters are dealt with in the General Administration.

The leather town has been maintaining communal amity in the civic elections for over 60 years.[2] There is an unwritten agreement between the Hindu and the Muslim communities that is being meticulously followed. Accordingly, when a Muslim candidate gets elected for one term, the next term will be held by a Hindu candidate. The Vice-Chairperson would be a Hindu if the chairperson is a Muslim and vice versa.

According to 2011 census, Ambur had a population of 114,608 with a sex-ratio of 1,033 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929.[3] A total of 13,235 were under the age of six, constituting 6,716 males and 6,519 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 16.83% and .57% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the city was 76.08%, compared to the national average of 72.99%.[3] The city had a total of 25,009 households. There were a total of 40,654 workers, comprising 163 cultivators, 519 main agricultural labourers, 982 in house hold industries, 35,411 other workers, 3,579 marginal workers, 27 marginal cultivators, 174 marginal agricultural labourers, 306 marginal workers in household industries and 3,072 other marginal workers.[4]

Ambur is one of the most literate towns in Tamil Nadu. It has an average literacy rate of 76.69%, higher than the national average of 59.5%, with 80% of the males and 73% of females literate. The town does not have any Engineering or Medical college but the district of Vellore has several notable educational institutions. Most students after their schooling head to Chennai for higher education.

A few societies like AMES (Ambur Muslim Education Society), Anaikar Shukoor Trust and Hindu Education Society lead students from primary education to graduation by providing free education.

Notable Institutes[edit]

  • Bangi Hayath Basha Sahib school
  • Shakespeare Ideal Nursery & Primary School
  • Concordia Higher Secondary School
  • TAW Matriculation & Higher Secondary School
  • Mazharul-uloom Higher Secondary School
  • Takshila School
  • Anaikar Rafeequl-Uloom (Islamic Madrassa)
  • Madrasa-e-Jamiul Uloom, Jamiya Mosque - A first one of the Islamic Madrasa which imparts Hifz to the College students.
  • Jamia Darussalam - One of the largest and renowned Arabic institution in south India located in Oomerabad at a distance of 7 km from Ambur.
  • Mazharul-uloom College (established in 1969) - Affiliated under Thiruvalluar University
  • KAR Polytechnic College
  • As-Shukoor Matriulation School
  • Anaikar Oriental (Arabic) Higher Secondary School
  • Bethel Matriculation & Higher Secondary School
  • Bethesda School of Nursing
  • Gracious Matriculation School
  • Habibia Girls Higher Secondary School
  • Hasnath-e-jaria Girls Higher Secondary School
  • Hindu Higher Secondary School
  • Seventh-Day Adventist Matriculation School
  • Vidhya Vihar Matriculation & Higher Secondary School
  • AMES B.Ed. College
  • Sri Vivekananda Matriculation School, A-Kaspa, Ambur
  • Blesso Matriculation, Ambur

Ambur has a diversified population. People here most predominantly are Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Jains and others forming the population; living in areas adjacent to one another. The vast diversity of religion doesn't hinder in the harmony of the place. The town is known for its Hindu-Muslim integrity. People invite each other to their special occasions and weddings.

Tamil is largely spoken by all community people ; Muslims speak Urdu. Telugu and Kannada are also spoken by a section of people who frequent neighboring states.

Ramzan[Eid ul Azha][Milad un Nabi] for Muslims, Diwali and Pongal are the festival for Hindus. Christians celebrate Easter and Christmas.

Muslims observe fasting in the month of Ramadan. Eid ul-Fitr and Bakrid [Milad un Nabi] are the most important festivals celebrated by them. People from both communities share and greet one another in their respective festivals.

Ambur houses hundreds of leather tanning and manufacturing facilities. It is a leading cluster for export of finished leather, shoe uppers, full shoes and is a major contributor to India's leather and leather-related products. Factories here manufacture shoes for world's leading footwear brand names like Effegi, Florsheim Shoe, Lumberjack, Cole Haan, Gabor, Primigi, Caterpillar,Lambhoraghini, Cl

Ambur Trade Center Conference Hall

arks, Sioux, Fretzmen, Hi-Line, Hugo Boss, Marc, NunnBush NXT and many more. Some of the prominent names that have set up manufacturing units here are Farida Group, Safura Group,SSC Group, Bonaventure Shoes, NMZ Group of Industries, TAW Group, KAR Group, NMH & Co., Florence, Irbaz Shoes, Mohib Shoes, ESAAR Group, Harmain Leather Exports, etc., and now FDIs (Foreign Direct Investments) have become very common, to name a few establishments ITARES (Italy Renzi Shoes) of Italy, Allen Solly of Switzerland etc. These companies provide a major chunk of employment to the local population which is skilled. Traders who supply shoe materials, chemicals to these companies have huge business opportunities over here.

Ambur has been recognized as 'Town of Export Excellence' for leather products by Government of India. "Ambur Trade Centre" has been constructed with financial contribution from Indian government and the leather industry which provides a platform for holding international exhibitions, conferences, workshops, and Leather Testing Services TUV has their Sample Collection office at this premises.

One of the problems that Ambur faces is polluted ground water which is not potable due to the chemicals released by the leather tanneries directly into the most-of-the-time-dry Palar River traversing across Ambur before the Common Effluent Treatment Plants that use Reverse Osmosis process were installed. However, with strict measures taken by the State Government in the interest of public and to preserve the water table pollution-free, most of the companies have now installed effluent treatment plants to treat the water from harsh chemicals such as hexavalent chromium, trivalent chromium, etc.

Ambur is also emerging as an IT Hub with many startups showing excellent growth in the field. ETrendz IT Solutions, for example, is famous for Web Designing, Web Application Development and search engine optimization.

Ambur was mostly forest surrounded by hills hundreds of years ago. It is only after the arrival of Muslims, development of the town started. Ambur has a renovated model Railway Station, Bus Terminus, Police Stations, combined court complex, all major banks, colleges, and several government and private schools. There is an old commercial market which helps in promoting economic activities of the town. Also, plenty of retail and wholesale stores are found here which sell genuine leather footwear, garments and other products.

Christian missionaries from U.S.A. offered a comprehensive medical care in Ambur as early as 1907. Bullock cart was used as a mobile clinic to provide medical services to the areas surrounding Ambur. Later in 1921, a hospital was started by the efforts of Dr. Doederlein, an eminent Chicago physician and two American nurses which in 1986 was envisaged as a multi-speciality hospital known as Bethesda hospital providing secondary level health care to majority of poor and middle class society in & around the town.

A Government of Tamil Nadu run hospital is set up here to provide free medical care to the people of the town and its surrounding villages. Today we could find a lot of private clinics across the town. The most prominent one being K.M Hospital, in the heart of town that provides high standard of medical care to the people of the town and the surrounding villages. Many doctors specialized in different department from reputed hospitals in Chennai visit Ambur during weekends for consultation.

Jamia Masjid
Chicken Dum Biryani

Rice is the staple food of the people in this region. This place is famous for its spicy non-vegetarian cuisine made with Chicken, Mutton or egg in the form of gravy or kebab. Biryani and sweet dishes are native to the people here.

Ambur Biryani is one of the famous food recipes of South India which emerged during the Nawab of Arcot's regime. This was served for the army of Carnatic as it was difficult to prepare Rotis or Parathas to cater to the need of lakhs of jawans. Today, it is served in all Muslim weddings along with Chicken Kebabs & sweet dishes.

Legend has it that the biryani business here was started in 1890. Prepared mainly using Basmati a variety of rice, biryanis are non-vegetarian as they are mostly made with Chicken, Mutton, Beaf or Fish. However, Egg and Veg biryani are also prepared here. A full plate of Biryani with Brinjal curry (Khatta Baigan or Yennai Kathrika) and Onion Raitha (Cachumber or Vengayam Pachidi) makes the feast a delightful one. Its delicious taste makes hundreds of highway travellers on this Golden Quadrilateral track of Chennai-Bengaluru highway to stop and taste it. Apart from this, Pakaathees (Biriyani cooks, as known in this region), the people who indulge in large scale biryani preparation are hired to many places of South India for Biryani preparation. Of late, it has become a popular fast-food in hundreds of eateries in Chennai, Bengaluru and few other cities under the name "Ambur Biryani".

Yelagiri is a hill-station at a distance of 30 km from Ambur by road towards Tiruppattur, midway between Chennai and Bengaluru. Located at an altitude of 1,410 metres above sea level and spread across 30 km2, the Yelagiri village (also spelt Elagiri at times) is surrounded by lakes, orchards, rose-gardens and green valleys. Though this is not as developed as other hill stations but the road to Yelagiri is well constructed.

The Javadi Hills are located about 17 km from Ambur. The "Seven Falls" lies near by. In the middle of this hill, lies the Kavalur Observatory, which has several optical and reflective telescopes run and governed by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics.

Oottal Devasthanam is the Temple of Saraswathi devi which is located in Mittalam panchayath. The UN dried pond water which is cure the many of diseases. Vishnu, Nandi, Navagraha and other temples are there. It is a week end pooja and as well as Chithra pournami and Aadi perukku is famous in this temple.

Major National Highways passing through Ambur is NH46 which connects Bengaluru and Chennai. The Golden Quadrilateral (the largest express highway project in India) makes the town easy to reach from Bengaluru and Chennai (on average, 3 hours).

Ambur is well connected by road to most of important cities of Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states. Regular bus service is available to Chennai, Coimbatore, Ooty, Bengaluru, Tirupathi, Salem, Chittoor, Hosur, Thiruvannamalai, Arani, Madurai, Kanchipuram, Kalpakkam, Gudiyatham, Dharmapuri, Erode, Tirupur, Palakkad, Krishnagiri, Tiruppattur and other major towns and cities in South India.

Ambur being a commercial center has a major railway station on the Chennai-Jolarpettai line with a number of express / superfast trains to Chennai, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Salem, Erode, etc.,

Several Superfast Express trains namely Lalbagh Express, Chennai - Bangalore AC Double Decker Express, Brindavan Express, Kovai Express, Chennai - Bangalore Express, Chennai - Coimbatore Intercity Express, Yercaud Express, Tirupati Express, Yelagiri express, Chennai - Bangalore mail, etc., run regularly via Ambur between Chennai and Bengaluru / Coimbatore / Mysore.

The nearest international airports are Chennai International Airport (190 km) and Bengaluru International Airport (180 km);

Notable Personalities[edit]

  1. ^ "Climatological Information for Tirupattur,India". India Meteorological Department.
  2. ^ V., Narayana Murthy (12 October 2011). "Hindus, Muslims to rule Ambur Municipality". IBNLive. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
  3. ^ a b "Census Info 2011 Final population totals". Office of The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  4. ^ "Census Info 2011 Final population totals - Ambur". Office of The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2014.