Residents of north Omaha gathered in front of the Union for Contemporary Art Tuesday to have a community discussion about a display on the front of the building that has sparked controversy.
The front window is lined with quotes from author Toni Morrison, but one of the quotes has the “N” word. Now people on both sides on the fence are speaking up about what this means for the community.
Terrell McKinney tells 6 News he believes it should be removed. “I do believe that this should be taken down. In no other community would an offensive word such as the word which is displayed would be able to be displayed and it be acceptable.”
Some say the artwork needs to be taken into context. “When I saw the word, knowing that the artist is black, I gave the situation the benefit of the doubt but, the artist reputation proceeds, so I wanted to see the work because of her,” another resident told 6 News.
Some residents think communication between the Cultural Center and the community needs to be improved, others think the issue is deeper.
Elija Ali has lived in North Omaha for 73 years. “There’s a whole gentrification type of activity going through our community and the population itself has diminished considerably,” Ali says.
The next step is to see if the piece will be taken down or remain until the end of the exibit.