Charles B. Washington (December 1, 1923[1] – April 28, 1986) was an American civil rights activist,[2] journalist, and mentor from Omaha, Nebraska. He is best known for his work in North Omaha from the 1940s until his death.

Career

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Washington was initially the sports editor for The Omaha Star prior to attending Oakwood College and was reportedly the youngest editor of any independent black newspaper in the country.[3] In 1944, he was hired by City Recreation director George Vanous and managed softball and baseball teams in the city.[3] He later returned to the Star as a reporter and interviewed Malcolm X for the publication. When he retired from the paper, he had worked as an editor there for 48 years.

Washington was also a well-known local television personality as host of the Urban League-sponsored program Omaha, Can We Do?, which aired on local NBC affiliate WOWT.

On September 14, 1986, the North Branch of the Omaha Public Library was renamed after Washington.[4]

 
Washington on the set of Omaha, Can We Do?

References

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  1. ^ "A Voice for North Omaha". Making Invisible Histories Visible. Omaha Public Schools.
  2. ^ Lowenstein, Roger (2008). Buffett : the making of an American capitalist (Random House Trade paperback ed.). New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks. p. 348. ISBN 9780812979275.
  3. ^ a b "Recreation Job for Washington". Omaha World-Herald. September 17, 1944.
  4. ^ "Back in the day, Sept. 14, 1986: North branch of library renamed for Charles B. Washington". Omaha World-Herald. 14 September 2022.
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  • Audio Interview with Charles Washington, Nebraska Black Oral History Project, digitized by Archives and Special Collections, University of Nebraska at Omaha Libraries; original held by History Nebraska.