African American women in North Omaha have built and rebuilt the community repeatedly throughout the history of Omaha. One of them was a committed advocate and systems change agent whose impact is still being felt today, more than 50 years after she finished her career. This is a biography of Edmae Swain (1916-2008) .
Career
Starting as a teacher at Long School in 1947, Ms. Swain later taught at Howard Kennedy School. Both longtime Black schools, these buildings had predominantly African American student populations, and when Ms. Swain was teaching they were the only schools in Omaha where Black teachers were allowed to work. In 1964, Ms. Swain made history when she became the first Black woman principal in Omaha Public Schools at Lake School.
In 1969, she agreed to transfer to Jackson Elementary, a predominantly white school near 31st and Dodge Streets. By doing this, she became the first Black principal assigned to predominantly white school in Omaha. Telling local media that “Education shouldn’t have any color lines,” Ms. Swain was lauded as an advocate for school integration. When she retired in 1977, Ms. Swain spent a total of 44 years as an educator.
After she retired, she and her husband became noted as the first Black residents of the Immanuel Village retirement community in the 2000s.
Legacy
Today, Edmae Swain is remembered as a teaching warrior who was a strong, outspoken advocate for racial justice and belonging. She had a significant impact on OPS and the broader community. In 2000, she was honored at a Black History Month observance and celebration at the Durham Museum. However, today there are no monuments or historical markers in her name.
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MY ARTICLES ABOUT THE HISTORY OF SCHOOLS IN NORTH OMAHA
GENERAL: Segregated Schools | Higher Education
PUBLIC GRADE SCHOOLS: Beechwood | Belvedere | Cass | Central Park | Dodge Street | Druid Hill | Florence | Fort Omaha School | Howard Kennedy | Kellom | Lake | Long | Miller Park | Minne Lusa | Monmouth Park | North Omaha (Izard) | Omaha View | Pershing | Ponca | Saratoga | Sherman | Walnut Hill | Webster
PUBLIC MIDDLE SCHOOLS: McMillan | Technical
PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS: North | Technical | Florence
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS: Creighton | Dominican | Holy Angels | Holy Family | Sacred Heart | St. Benedict | St. John | St. Therese
LUTHERAN SCHOOLS: Hope | St. Paul
HIGHER EDUCATION: Omaha University | Creighton University | Presbyterian Theological Seminary | Joslyn Hall | Jacobs Hall | Fort Omaha
EDUCATORS: Eugene Skinner | Lucinda Williams nee Lucy Gamble | Edmae Swain
COMMUNITY EDUCATORS: George McPherson | Florentine Pinkston | “Professor” PJ Waddle | Christine Althouse | Bertha Calloway | Beverly Blackburn
COMMUNITY EDUCATION ORGANIZERS: Edwin Overall | Lerlean N. Johnson | Nellie Mae Webb | Ernie Chambers | BANTU
MORE: Fort Street Special School for Incorrigible Boys | Nebraska School for the Deaf and Dumb
Listen to the North Omaha History Podcast on “The History of Schools in North Omaha” »
Elsewhere Online
- Edmae Swain, Omaha’s first Black woman principal – YouTube
- Edmae Swain – Leo Adam Biga’s My Inside Stories
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