Learn about how the legacy of the Jim Crow era in Omaha continues to affect the city today with several panelists, moderated by Jeannette Jones (Happold Professor of History and Ethnic Studies at UNL).

Panelists:

Chris Dando (UNO, Geography) works with the Omaha Spatial Justice Project, which seeks to examine how redlining and restrictive housing rules shaped the racial make up of mid-Century Omaha into present day.

Eric L. Ewing is the Executive Director of the Great Plains Black History Museum, which has been dedicated to preserving the history and telling the stories of African Americans in the Great Plains for 50 years.

Salvador Lindquist (UNL, Landscape Architecture) has studied the elevated heat island effect in historically redlined areas of Omaha, finding a 10-degree difference in average temperatures in these neighborhoods. His data has been crucial to understanding the effects of heat-related health issues in Omaha.

Featuring Andrew Husa (UNL), Katrina Jagodinsky (UNL), and Gabe Bruguier (UNL) talking on the importance of regional study on the Center for Great Plains Studies' 50th anniversary.

Featuring Emily Rau (UNL), Salvador Lindquist (UNL), and Will Stoutamire (UNK) talking on the importance of regional study on the Center for Great Plains Studies' 50th anniversary.

This panel of scientists and artists explored why humans are so connected to our feathered friends and what the future may hold for them. Panelists: Daizaburo Shizuka, Associate Professor in Biology specializing in ornithology and behavioral ecology at UNL; Jacob Cooper, Assistant Professor of Biology specializing in ornithology at UNK; Allison Johnson, Avian Biologist, Research Assistant Professor and artist, UNL; Jude Martindale, artist focused on Sandhill cranes. Moderated by Mary Harner, Professor of Communication and Biology specializing in ecosystem ecology and science communication, UNK.

On May 16, Otoe-Missouria tribal members and Lincoln-area volunteers joined together to plant the second year of the Sarah Grace (Hudson) and George Kihega Garden at Prairie Pines Nature Preserve in Lincoln, Neb. as part of the Walking in the Footsteps of our Ancestors Project.

The project named the garden for two renowned Otoe-Missouria gardeners and is growing heirloom varieties of bean, squash, sunflowers, watermelon, and other Indigenous crops and medicines that are similar to what the tribe would have grown in southeast Nebraska in the 19th Century. The garden is a tangible means of enacting the project’s goals to reconnect the Otoe-Missouria with their ancestral lands and to engage current southeast Nebraska residents with the tribe’s long history and return to the region.

Walking in the Footsteps of our Ancestors is a joint initiative that aims to promote healing and reconciliation in southeast Nebraska by reconnecting the Otoe-Missouria to their homelands and educating non-Native people about the history and ongoing presence of the Tribe and other Indigenous peoples in our region.

Featuring David Vail (UNK), Angel Hinzo (UNL), and Mark Brohman (Wachiska Audubon) talking on the importance of regional study on the Center for Great Plains Studies' 50th anniversary.

20 Great Plains Fellows chose the works in the "With a Little Help from Our Friends: New Perspectives on the Collection" exhibition, on view through Aug. 8 at the Great Plains Art Museum.

Featuring Laurinda Weisse (UNK), Steve Rossi (Saint Joseph's University), and John Carroll (UNL) talking on the importance of regional study on the Center for Great Plains Studies' 50th anniversary.

2026 Great Plains Futures conference keynote Ness Sándoval, talk titled "Demography as an Analytic Lens: Latino Population Growth and the Demographic Transformation of the Midwest." Dr. Sándoval focuses his research on integrating demography with spatial data science. His work primarily explores the use of big data to analyze socio-economic and demographic trends in American cities.

Carol Graham is the Conservation Program Manager with Manitoba Habitat Conservancy, her talk is titled "Success in Conservation; Partnering with Producers and Private Landowners"