- Former Creighton Prep students are pushing the Omaha City Council to rename a stretch of Western Avenue in front of the school to honor their former teacher, Tessie O. Edwards
- Nominating documents show Edwards was a member of the DePorres Club, which fought against racial discrimination
- Edwards spent decades at Creighton Prep, where a scholarship in her name has helped nearly 500 students attend the school
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) – A stretch of Western Avenue in front of Creighton Prep could soon bear the name of a civil rights icon and longtime teacher whose legacy continues to inspire former students decades after they sat in her classroom.
Bill Gast and Bob Caniglia, both former students of Tessie O. Edwards, are pushing the Omaha City Council to rename the street in her honor.
Gast shared items he has collected from Edwards' life, remembering his 8th grade teacher.
"Every time I see her picture, I can still hear her voice," Gast said.
Nominating documents show Edwards was a member of the DePorres Club, which fought against racial discrimination. The documents also note that Edwards opposed discrimination against Black customers and employees by the Omaha Restaurants Association and Coca-Cola.
Edwards spent decades at Creighton Prep, where a scholarship in her name has helped nearly 500 students attend the school.
"By having students come to Creighton Prep on scholarships, and meeting kids that lived out in West Omaha, and so it just brought these kids together," Caniglia said.
The city council is expected to vote on the renaming on Tuesday.
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