Omaha’s systemic racist barrier against Black people serving as official city leaders finally crumbled in 1981. That year, one man became the first African American elected to the Omaha City Council. Throughout his career, this man has represented the bridge between the grassroots activism of the civil rights era and the formal legislative power of the modern age. This is a biography of Omaha’s Fred Conley.

Early Life

Fred Conley was born into North Omaha when it was both culturally vibrant and politically marginalized. Growing up along North 24th Street corridor, he witnessed the transition from the “Street of Dreams” to an era of benign neglect following the 1960s riots. Like many Black leaders of his generation, Conley’s character was forged in the fires of service and scholarship. As a veteran of the Air Force he learned the discipline and global perspective necessary for high-stakes leadership. When he came back to Omaha, Conley went to Creighton University and eventually earning a degree from the School of Law.

Emerging Into Politics

Before his landmark election to the Omaha City Council, Conley was a community activist who fought for district-based voting. He worked alongside Ernie Chambers and others to dismantle Omaha’s “at-large” election system, which had held back the Black vote by allowing the white majority to determine every seat in the Omaha City Council. In the 1980s, Conley was involved in reviews of police-community relations and the 1980 consent decree aimed at increasing minority recruitment within the police division.

Conley’s entry into politics was a study in persistence. Under the city’s old at-large voting format, In 1973 and 1977, he ran for the City Council twice and finished 18th both times. This echoed past Black political campaigns where previous candidates also finished in that place. Since, he has said that without this transition to district elections, it is doubtful any Black leader could have achieved the representation seen in Omaha today.

The city’s political landscape changed in 1981 when Omaha transitioned to district-based elections. This shift was the result of decades of advocacy by leaders like Senator Ernie Chambers and groups who argued that North Omaha deserved a dedicated voice that was not beholden to the city’s wider, white-dominated electorate. In May 1981, running in the newly formed District 2, Fred Conley secured a historic victory. His election shattered a 97-year cycle of exclusion, making him the first Black councilman since the city’s incorporation.

That year, Conley stood against construction of the North Freeway, which served to cut Omaha’s Black community in two with a physical boundary. Later, he stood against the Sorenson Parkway too, saying “If it wasn’t for the North Freeway I don’t think they’d plan to build a northwest connector.”

A 1982 report said Omaha’s first Black city council member Fred Conley said the office “is the only thing the police division was willing to give the community.” He called it “window dressing” and a “placebo.”

Conley’s tenure on the council was characterized by a focus on professionalizing municipal policy and addressing the economic scars of the previous decade. He was not merely a symbolic representative; he was a strategic policymaker who understood the mechanics of the law. His peers recognized this, electing him as City Council President. This leadership role led to another historic milestone: when the city’s mayor died in office in 1988, Conley served as Omaha’s first African American acting mayor. For a brief, shining moment, the son of North Omaha sat in the highest seat of municipal power, proving that the “seeds of segregation” could indeed be replaced by the fruits of representation.

Conley’s work on the council laid the groundwork for future leaders. He advocated for more rigorous enforcement of fair housing laws during an era when gentrification and “urban renewal” threatened to price Black residents out of their traditional neighborhoods. In 1990, he served on a committee to rename Kountze Park in honor of Omaha’s native son Malcolm X.

He also stood as a mentor and contemporary to figures like Brenda Council, who would follow in his footsteps on the council in 1994, and Thomas Warren, who would eventually become the city’s first Black police chief.

Beyond the council chambers, Conley’s legacy is visible in the physical reclamation of North Omaha. He was a vocal supporter of honoring the community’s history, participating in efforts to establish the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial at 24th and Lake Streets. He understood that for a community to move forward, it must be rooted in a visible, respected past.

Civic Action

Conley’s public service is marked by several historic “firsts” and a focus on essential community needs. After becoming the first African American ever elected to the Omaha City Council, he served from 1981–1989. In 1988, he was serving as the City Council president when he became Omaha’s first African American acting mayor following the death of the elected mayor.

Conley’s civic involvement extends to a variety of boards and organizations focused on housing, youth, and small business. Since 1999, he has served on the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District Board, and is currently the vice president. He was a founding member of 100 Black Men of Omaha, helping establish the org to provide mentorship and support for Black youth in the city. He has served on the boards of Family Housing Services Inc., the Omaha Small Business Network, and the Omaha Housing Authority, and was a board member for the Butler-Gast YMCA.

Conley served as legal counsel for Metropolitan Community College, leveraging his legal expertise to support the institution’s administrative operations. After serving on the MCC Board of Governors for some time, in 2016, he resigned from following a high-stakes standoff involving federal oversight. A HUD investigation into Conley’s role on the Omaha Housing Authority board led to his debarment over an undisclosed conflict of interest. Because the federal government prohibits doing business with debarred individuals, the U.S. Department of Education threatened to withhold all federal funding and student aid from the college. To protect the institution from financial collapse, Conley stepped down during an emergency meeting on August 6, ending his tenure while continuing his long-term service on the Papio-Missouri River NRD Board.

Along with the organizations already listed, Conley has been involved with Greater Omaha Workforce Development, Air Force Association Aksarben Chapter, Military Officers Association of America, Youth Emergency Services, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Nebraska AIDS Project, Stephen Center, Open Door Mission, Boy Scouts of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Nebraska State Federation of Labor.

Today, Conley continues to advocate for North Omaha with a focus on voter protection, insisting that “our vote is our voice.” His priorities include building safe, affordable housing and establishing a tuition-free two-year technical school program to help local students learn trades.

Conley’s Impact

Today, the political infrastructure of Omaha looks vastly different than it did in when Fred Conley began his service. With the 2025 election of John Ewing Jr. as Omaha’s first Black mayor, the journey that Fred Conley began in District 2 has reached new heights.

Conley remains a titan in Omaha, a man who refuses to be discouraged by defeats and who used his legal acumen to ensure that North Omaha was no longer a place talked about by the city, but a community that speaks for itself.

His biography is a testament to the reality that when the doors of opportunity are forced open, leaders will not only walk through them—they will lead the way for everyone who follows.

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MY ARTICLES ABOUT BLACK HISTORY IN OMAHA
MAIN TOPICS: Black Heritage Sites | Black Churches | Black Hotels | Segregated Hospitals | Segregated Schools | Black Businesses | Black Politics | Black Newspapers | Black Firefighters | Black Policeman | Black Women | Black Legislators | Black Firsts | Social Clubs | Military Service Members | Sports
PIONEER BLACK OMAHA: Black People in Omaha Before 1850 | The First Black Neighborhood | Black Voting in Omaha Before 1870 | Racist Laws Before 1900 |
EVENTS: Stone Soul Picnic | Native Omahans Day | Congress of Black and White Americans | Harlem Renaissance in North Omaha
RELATED: Race and Racism | Civil Rights Movement | Police Brutality | Redlining
NEBRASKA BLACK HISTORY: Enslavement in Nebraska | Underground Railroad in Nebraska | Grand Island |
TIMELINES: Racism | Black Politics | Civil Rights | The Last 25 Years

RESOURCES: Book: #OmahaBlackHistory: African American People, Places and Events from the History of Omaha, Nebraska | Bibliography: Omaha Black History Bibliography | Video: “OmahaBlackHistory 1804 to 1930” | Podcast: “Celebrating Black History in Omaha”