Mexicans in Omaha, Nebraska
Encyclopedia
Mexicans in Omaha are people living in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 who have citizenship or ancestral connections to the country Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

. They have contributed to the economic, social and cultural well-being of Omaha for more than a century. Mexicans, or Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...

 people identified incorrectly as being from Mexico, have been accounted for in the history of Omaha, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

 since 1900. The entire Latino population of Omaha increased ninety percent between 1990 and 1997.

Mexican-Americans in Omaha have been extensively studied since at least the late 1920s. In 1998 a Mexican immigrant family in Omaha was featured in a Washington Post article. The article noted reluctance by some immigrants to assimilate, in terms of their thinking they had to give up their language or culture. Studies since then have noted that Latino children, like many immigrant children, have adapted more readily to the United States, but also like many immigrant groups, are proud to maintain traditions.

History

The presence of Mexicans in Omaha was documented to the beginning of the city in 1854, and the first permanent residents arrived with the railroads in 1860.

1900 was the beginning of the first large wave of Mexicans immigrating to the U.S. According to the University of Nebraska at Omaha
University of Nebraska at Omaha
The University of Nebraska at Omaha is a four-year state university located in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. Founded in 1908 as Omaha University, the institution became the public Municipal University of Omaha in 1931. It assumed its current name in 1968 following a merger into the University...

, around 1900, five Mexican-born residents lived in Omaha, and by 1910 there were twenty-nine. In 1920 there were 682 Mexicans in Omaha; in 1923 there were about 1,000. They lived in South Omaha, close to the three packing plants and the stockyards where many worked. In 1950 the population of Mexicans in Douglas County
Douglas County, Nebraska
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 463,585 people, 182,194 households, and 115,146 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,401 people per square mile . There were 192,672 housing units at an average density of 582 per square mile...

 was 450. The loss of jobs in the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

 drove many Mexicans back to Mexico, but approximately 900 stayed in Omaha.

Communities

In the early decades of the 1900s, Mexican families established themselves in colonias
Colonias
In Spanish, colonia means "Colony". The word has been adopted to refer to colonia rural settlements along the U.S.-Mexican border. Colonias in the U.S.-Mexico border region are often characterized by poor housing stock, inadequate physical infrastructure, and a weak social infrastructure...

next to the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad depot south of Little Italy and Little Bohemia
Little Bohemia (Omaha, Nebraska)
Little Bohemia, or Bohemian Town, is a historic neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska. Starting in the 1880s, Czech immigrants settled in this highly concentrated area, also called "Praha" or "Bohemian Town", bounded by South 10th Street on the east, South 16th Street on the west, Pierce Street on the...

. The depot was called Gibson Station, and was located at South First and Hascal Streets near the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...

. Near South 72nd and Q Streets there was another barrio
Barrio
Barrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...

where Mexican families lived in railroad car
Railroad car
A railroad car or railway vehicle , also known as a bogie in Indian English, is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...

s next to the Union Pacific-Santa Fe station. More Mexican families lived among Italian, Polish, Hungarian, and Czech immigrants. Much of the community is said to have lived in the Brown Park
Brown Park
Brown Park is located at 5708 South 15th Street in the Brown Park neighborhood of South Omaha, Nebraska. The baseball field at the park is more than 100 years old, and hosted games played by Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and others.- Baseball :...

 neighborhood, as well.

Other Mexican communities were near the Burlington Train Station
Burlington Train Station
The Burlington Train Station, located at 925 South 10th Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska is a historically and culturally significant landmark, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. When it was opened in 1898, this Italianate style building, designed by Thomas Rogers Kimball,...

 around South Sixth Street; in Carville, near Gibson
Gibson
Gibson may refer to:* Gibson Amphitheatre* Gibson Appliance* Gibson Girl* Gibson Guitar Corporation* Gibson * Gibson Generating Station-Places:In the United States:* Gibson, Arkansas* Gibson, Georgia* Gibson, Iowa* Gibson, Louisiana...

 in South Omaha along the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...

, "where most lived in railroad cars on Burlington Railroad property", and along Spring Street. J.B. Hernández, a railroad worker, was the acknowledged leader of Carville. His family was viewed as the "aristocrats of Carville".

There was also a large community east of the Missouri River in Council Bluffs. The largest concentration of Mexicans and Mexican Americans in Omaha lived near the packing house
Packing house
A packing house is a facility where fruit is received and processed prior to distribution to market.Bulk fruit is delivered to the plant via trucks or wagons, where it is dumped into receiving bins and sorted for quality and size...

s and Union Stockyards
Union Stockyards (Omaha)
The Union Stockyards of Omaha, Nebraska were founded in 1883 in South Omaha by the Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha. A fierce rival of Chicago's Union Stock Yards, the Omaha Union Stockyards were third in the nation for production by 1890. In 1947 they were second to Chicago in the world...

 of South Omaha.

Today the majority of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans live in South Omaha, also called the Southhood or South O. A strong Mexican-American presence thrives there, with numerous public murals and exhibitions of Mexican culture throughout the community. Along with a variety of businesses, churches and community organizations, the area features El Museo Latino
El Museo Latino
El Museo Latino is a museum featuring Latino and Hispanic art and history that is located at 4701 South 25 Street in South Omaha, Nebraska. Established in 1993, it is the first Latino art & history museum & cultural center in the Midwest, and is one of only eleven Latino museums in the United...

. It hosts four visits per year of the Mobile Mexican Consultant of Denver. In 1998, the community was estimated to have 20,000 Latino families.

Workforce

According to one study about the period 1900–1930, "Early censuses report few Mexicans, and existing statistics are ambiguous. Mostly, Mexicans were accounted as 'floaters,' shifting jobs between meat packing plants, section hands on the railroads, and agricultural laborers..."

Jobs in agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

, packing house
Packing house
A packing house is a facility where fruit is received and processed prior to distribution to market.Bulk fruit is delivered to the plant via trucks or wagons, where it is dumped into receiving bins and sorted for quality and size...

s, and railroads drew Mexican laborers to Omaha. Shortly after the beginning of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, the packing houses and Union Stockyards hired Mexicans as strikebreaker
Strikebreaker
A strikebreaker is a person who works despite an ongoing strike. Strikebreakers are usually individuals who are not employed by the company prior to the trade union dispute, but rather hired prior to or during the strike to keep the organisation running...

s during a labor shortage. After the strike broke, several hundred Mexican workers stayed in Omaha. According to the Nebraska State Historical Society
Nebraska State Historical Society
The Nebraska State Historical Society is a Nebraska state agency, founded in 1878 to "encourage historical research and inquiry, spread historical information .....

, there are a few remaining Mexican elders who came to Omaha through Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...

 as railroad workers for the Union Pacific and the BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...

. Across Omaha there "are Mexican American
Mexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...

s whose grandfathers or other male relatives worked as railroad section-hands."

In Omaha in 1924 the average packinghouse paid $3.36 a day, and in 1928 ten railroad companies employed between 800 and 1000 Mexicans in the winter, and less than 250 in the summer. In the 1930s many Mexicans in Omaha traveled back and forth from western Nebraska to work in the agriculture industry.

Religion

A Roman Catholic church called Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe was founded in Omaha in 1919., and has been the "main pivot of the Hispanic community in Omaha, the state and neighboring counties in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

 across the Missouri River." Its first home was in a rented room above a baker's shop.

During the 1960s both Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 and Protestant congregations encouraged Mexican Americans in Omaha "to move forward with a more proactive role in claiming their identity and place in the community."

Crime

In the 1930s crime among Mexican Americans
Crime in Omaha
Crime in Omaha, Nebraska has varied widely, ranging from the city's early years as a frontier town with typically widespread gambling and prostitution, to civic expectation of higher standards as the city grew, and contemporary concerns about violent crimes related to gangs and dysfunctions of...

 ranked "higher than any other immigrant class born in the city." Researchers attributed this to poverty, language barriers, police politics and the lack of political representation. Mexican Americans in Omaha were also the target of racial tension
Racial tension in Omaha, Nebraska
Racial tension in Omaha, Nebraska occurred mostly because of the city's volatile mixture of high numbers of new immigrants from southern and eastern Europe and African-American migrants from the Deep South. While racial discrimination existed at several levels, the violent outbreaks were within...

, with one period report finding, "at social gatherings of the schools and churches, Mexican children were spat upon and called "greaser
Greaser (derogatory)
Greaser was a derogatory term for a Mexican in what is now the U.S. Southwest in the 19th century. The slur likely derived from what was considered one of the lowliest occupations typically held by Mexicans, the greasing of the axles of mule carts. It was in common usage among U.S...

s" by other children."

Population

In the early 1970s a population survey conducted by the Lutheran Ministries of Omaha estimated that there were 6,490 Latinos in Omaha, with two-thirds of the population coming from Mexico. A 1978 study found that Mexican Americans in Omaha felt particular satisfaction with their lifestyle and the services that they received from the U.S. government. The same study found civic engagement
Civic engagement
Civic engagement or civic participation has been defined as "Individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern."-Forms:...

 high among the population. While study participants felt like they generally were not welcomed throughout their community, they were accepted.

Between 1980 and 1990, the Latino population in the Midwest increased by 35.2%. In 1990 Latinos accounted for 2.9% of the population of Omaha with the majority Mexican.

Nebraska's Latino population nearly doubled from 1990 to 2005, largely due to increases in towns with meatpacking operations located within a two hundred mile radius of Omaha. While most of that population is Mexican, the numbers are not available.

Religion

According to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the midwestern region of the United States. Archbishop Elden Francis Curtiss...

, 74 percent of Mexicans and their American-born children in Omaha are Catholic. The streets of South Omaha, particularly the South Omaha Main Street Historic District
South Omaha Main Street Historic District
The South Omaha Main Street Historic District is located along South 24th Street between M and O Streets in South Omaha, Nebraska. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989...

, are packed with religious celebrations throughout the year, including the Festival of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the Day of the Dead
Day of the Dead
Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in many cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it attains the quality...

 and many other holidays in the Catholic religious calendar. According to another report, "Mexicans [in Omaha] celebrate Holy Week, one of the most important events in the Catholic liturgy, in remarkable public spectacles."

Culture

Today South Omaha is also home to El Museo Latino
El Museo Latino
El Museo Latino is a museum featuring Latino and Hispanic art and history that is located at 4701 South 25 Street in South Omaha, Nebraska. Established in 1993, it is the first Latino art & history museum & cultural center in the Midwest, and is one of only eleven Latino museums in the United...

, located at 4701½ South 25th Street. Dedicated to Latino arts, the museum includes local, regional, national, and international exhibits. In addition to providing school tours and sponsoring a performing dance group, the museum features exhibits, family activities, art and cultural classes, and special events. It is a local repository for copies of the Omaha-related materials collected through the "Mexican American Traditions in Nebraska" project of the Nebraska State Historical Society. Nebraskans for Peace
Nebraskans For Peace
Nebraskans For Peace, or NFP, is a peace advocacy organization based in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. "Nebraskans for Peace is a statewide grassroots advocacy organization working nonviolently for peace with justice through community building, education and political action."-History:Founded in...

 is another organization that seeks to advocate and assist Mexican Americans and Mexicans in Omaha.

Assimilation

In the 1970s demographers first starting noticing the reluctance of Omaha's Mexican-American population to assimilate
Cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...

 into American culture. Morality and values, food, language, and cultural ties have all been cited as important attributes of Mexican culture that recent immigrants and long-time Mexican Americans in Omaha, Nebraska want to maintain. The lack of participation of Mexican-Americans in Omaha in the administration and reform
Health care reform
Health care reform is a general rubric used for discussing major health policy creation or changes—for the most part, governmental policy that affects health care delivery in a given place...

 of health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...

 has also been noted as further evidence of the absence of desire to assimilate.

Mexican-Americans have begun to exert political influence in Omaha. Spanish-language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

 newspapers sold in Omaha include Nuestro Mundo, El Perico, La Vision Latina, and El Sol de las Americas.

A Mexican Consulate is located in Omaha at 3552 Dodge Street. A 2007 neo-Nazi rally in Omaha drew 65 participants to a protest outside the consulate. Thousands were involved in counter-protests, as well as events celebrating the diversity of the city.

Notable Mexican Americans from Omaha

  • Hector P. Garcia
    Hector P. Garcia
    Hector Perez Garcia was a Mexican-American physician, surgeon, World War II veteran, civil rights advocate, and founder of the American G.I. Forum. As a result of the national prominence he earned through his work on behalf of Hispanic Americans, he was instrumental in the appointment of Mexican...

     (January 17, 1914—July 26, 1996) - physician, surgeon, World War II veteran, civil rights advocate, and founder of the American G.I. Forum. He completed his residency at St. Joseph's Hospital at Creighton University
    Creighton University
    Creighton University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by...

     in Omaha.
  • Edward Gomez
    Edward Gomez
    Private First Class Edward Gomez was a United States Marine from Omaha, Nebraska who posthumously received the Medal of Honor — the United States' highest decoration for valor — for gallantly sacrificing his life to save the lives of four fellow-Marines on his machine gun team...

     (born August 10, 1932–September 14, 1951) - United States Marine who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor
    Medal of Honor
    The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

     during the Korean War
    Korean War
    The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

    .
  • Steve Turre
    Steve Turre
    Steve Turre is a trombonist, recording artist, arranger, and educator. In 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2006 he won the Down Beat Reader's Poll for best trombonist....

     (born September 12, 1948) - internationally renowned trombonist, recording artist, arranger, and educator born in Omaha. He is of Mexican descent.
  • John Trudell
    John Trudell
    John Trudell is a Native American-Mexican author, poet, actor, musician, and former political activist. He was the spokesperson for the United Indians of All Tribes' takeover of Alcatraz beginning in 1969, broadcasting as Radio Free Alcatraz...

     (born February 15, 1946) - author, a poet, musician and a former political activist who was born in Omaha. He is of Mexican descent.
  • Douglas Vincent "SA" Martinez (born October 29, 1969) - vocalist and DJ for the Los Angeles, California-based alternative rock band 311 born in Omaha.

See also

  • History of Omaha, Nebraska
    History of Omaha, Nebraska
    The history of Omaha, Nebraska began before the settlement of the city, with speculators from neighboring Council Bluffs, Iowa staking land across the Missouri River illegally as early as the 1840s. Before it was legal to claim land in Indian Country, William D. Brown was operating the Lone Tree...

  • South Omaha
  • Diaspora politics in the United States
    Diaspora politics in the United States
    Diaspora politics in the United States is the study of the political behavior of transnational ethnic diasporas, their relationship with their ethnic homelands and their host states, as well as their prominent role in ethnic conflicts. This article describes case studies and theories of political...

  • Culture in Omaha, Nebraska
  • History of Mexican-Americans
    History of Mexican-Americans
    The history of Mexican-American people is wide-ranging, spanning more than four hundred years and varying from region to region within the United States...


External links

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