2023 Strengthening Democracy Awards

Join Civic Nebraska on April 13 to celebrate Nebraskans who build a more modern and robust democracy. Attendees will enjoy a keynote from national voting rights advocate and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Desmond Meade.

We are returning to Omaha’s Livestock Exchange Ballroom this year – and we’re eager for you to join us! 

mooncrescent
stars

April 13, 2023

5:30 to 7 pm CDT

4920 S. 30th St., Omaha

Heavy hors d’oeuvres provided
stars
saturn

Our 2023 keynote speaker

Recognized by TIME as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World 2019 and a nominee for the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, Desmond Meade empowers and civically re-engages communities to reshape local, state, and national criminal justice policies. In 2018, as executive director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, Meade led the successful passage of Amendment 4, a grassroots initiative that restored voting rights to over 1.4 million Floridians with past felony convictions. Amendment 4 was the single largest expansion of voting rights in the country in half a century and brought an end to 150 years of a Jim Crow-era law in Florida. He is married and has five children.

RSVP TODAY!

'Let My People Vote'

Let My People Vote is the personal story of Desmond Meade’s life, his activism, and the movement he spearheaded to restore voting rights to returning citizens who had served their terms. Meade survived a tough childhood only to find himself with a felony conviction. Pulling his life together, he graduated summa cum laude from college, graduated from law school, and married. But because of his conviction, he was not even allowed to sit for the bar exam in Florida. When his wife ran for state office, he was filled with pride, but not permitted to vote for her.
Meade takes us on a journey from his time in homeless shelters to the exhilarating, joyful night in 2018 when Amendment 4 passed with 65 percent of the vote. Meade’s story and his commitment to a fully enfranchised nation will prove to readers that one person really can make a difference.

Civic Nebraska News

Locations

After School Programs

  • Sherman Elementary School

    5618 N 14th Ave.
    Omaha, NE 68110

  • Lewis and Clark Middle School

    6901 Burt St.
    Omaha, NE 68132

  • Lothrop Magnet Elementary

    3300 N. 22nd St.
    Omaha, NE 68110

  • Campbell Elementary School

    2200 Dodge St.
    Lincoln, NE 68521

  • Lincoln High School

    2229 J St.
    Lincoln, NE 68510

  • Lincoln Northeast High School

    2635 N. 63rd St.
    Lincoln, NE 68507