By Pauline Dulang, Reporter
Ernie Chambers’ daughter officially named a street and building in honor of her father on Friday on the corner of Ames and Florence Boulevard.
Gayla Lee-Chambers, Chambers’ daughter and president of North Omaha non-profit Together We Achieve Miracles, Inc., recently announced the development of the Ernie Chambers Arts, History, and Humanities Museum.
After writing proposals to the city council and grants to multiple foundations, Lee-Chambers said she was grateful for all the support in her past and future endeavors.
North Omaha resident Dalamar McTizic said this museum will be a game changer for the Omaha metro, and for it be made in honor of Ernie Chambers, is a huge win for North Omaha.
“Ernie Chambers is from North Omaha and it’s rare that anyone from [here] gets to see someone from this particular part of town actually shine and get recognized,” said McTizic.
According to city-data.com, North Omaha has a population of over ninety-thousand residents, making up approximately 19 percent of the Omaha metro. The development will be a resource center for the underrepresented and underserved parts of Douglas County and beyond.
The North Omaha museum will act as a working base for local aspiring artists. It’ll feature a television studio, a dance studio, a two-level theater, a ballroom, an eatery, and two art galleries highlighting work from underrepresented communities. The full rendering of the building can be found on Ernie Chambers’ Facebook page at the Ernie Chambers Show.
North Omaha royalty such as former Nebraska football player Johnny Rodgers and American actor and jazz pianist John Beasley are partnering with Lee-Chambers to help open the doors of the Ernie Chambers Arts, History and Humanities Museum.
Chambers said his daughter means the world to him and that this project means a lot to her. For that reason, the progress of the museum means something to him.
All ceremonies and buildings aside, he said there are other ways someone can honor his legacy.
“If somebody really wants to do something that would please me,” Chambers said, “it would be to adopt the attitude that I have of not being comfortable in the presence of other people’s suffering if there’s something that can be done to alleviate it.”
Ernie Chambers is currently posting videos on his YouTube, @ Ernie Chambers Show, to stay connected and update Omaha residents on himself and the developments of the museum.
