Skip to main content

Descendants of DeWitty NE exhibit comes to UNO Libraries’ Osborne Gallery

The 25-photo exhibit shares the history of the people of DeWitty, the largest African American homestead settlement in Nebraska. The traveling exhibit is on loan from the Descendants of DeWitty NE organization. The exhibit will run September 1- November 7, 2021.

art gallery with photos on the walls and a stand and sign describing the exhibit

H. Don and Connie J. Osborne Family Gallery, Criss Library – UNO Libraries is hosting the 25-piece photo exhibit, Descendants of DeWitty NE, which shares the history of the 1860s Black homesteaders through the voices of their descendants. DeWitty was located in the Sandhills of Nebraska and was a haven for formerly enslaved and freed Blacks. Photos and text explore the lives of individual homesteaders and their families, the community of DeWitty, and the legacy of the land, the last piece of which was sold in 1993.

The exhibit will be on display in the Osborne Gallery from September 1- November 7, 2021. The gallery is open during Criss Library’s regular hours of operation.

Learn more about the Descendants of DeWitty NE organization and history through their website, and by visiting the gallery exhibit.

Descendants of DeWitty NE is on display as part of the year-long programming to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the UNO Black Studies department. Events and outreach for the Department of Black Studies anniversary is funded by the UNO Strategic Investment Grant, awarded to the UNO Libraries and the Department of Black Studies for the project “Charting our Path” Celebrating 50 Years of Black Studies, 1971-2021.” Additional funding is provided by UNO Libraries and the Department of Black Studies. For more information about the department and future events, please see the Black Studies department website.

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha Libraries

UNO Libraries fulfill the UNO mission through dynamic services, highly qualified and adaptive personnel, unique and extensive collections, and accessible learning spaces and environments. With its two locations, Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library on UNO’s Dodge Campus and in KANEKO-UNO Library located in Omaha’s Old Market, UNO Libraries provides UNO students, faculty and staff, and the Omaha community with the resources and materials needed to excel academically and professionally.

About Charting Our Path

Charting Our Path: Celebrating 50 Years of Black Studies is a cooperative project of the Department of Black Studies and UNO Libraries. The project will honor the 50th anniversary of the Department of Black Studies in 2021-2022 through campus and community speakers, exhibits, and events as well as supporting expanding research, creative activity, and open access instructional resources. Support is provided by UNO’s Strategic Investment in Social Justice, Inequality, Race, and Class initiative. Charting Our Path is one of the ‘Telling Our Story’ proposals and was funded for 2021-2023. The project leads are Dr. Cynthia Robinson, Amy C. Schindler, and Claire Du Laney.

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha

Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

Become a fan of UNO on Facebook and follow UNO's Twitter and Instagram updates.