Creighton University is included among Omaha landmarks as a stop on the Anti-Defamation League’s Walk Against Hate: History Horrors and Hope. This citywide event highlights places of civil rights triumphs and struggles in the city of Omaha.
From Nov. 22-29, participants can visit designated spots across the city, in-person or virtually. Creighton’s stop is at the visitor parking lot on the corner of 24th and Cass streets. There, visitors can scan a QR code to learn about social justice and anti-racism efforts at Creighton across the years, highlighting the leadership of Creighton Jesuit the Rev. John Markoe, SJ.
Fr. Markoe dedicated his life to fighting racial injustice and, up until his death in 1967, advised friends, colleagues and students to “never give an inch” in the struggle against racism. He helped galvanize the De Porres Club of Omaha, which, four years before the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott, launched a similar campaign against the Omaha and Council Bluffs Street Railway Company.
In addition to the work of Fr. Markoe, Creighton’s stop features stories of the first Black and female students to attend the University.
Other sites include Boys Town, Omaha Central High School, The Omaha Star, and the Douglas County Courthouse.