Second Sunday Talks

Second Sundays at DCHS are an opportunity to showcase topics, past and present, that all have direct relevance to Douglas County, Nebraska. Join us in our exploration of the buildings, people, and events that have shaped the community we live in!

Our Second Sunday talks are one-hour in length and feature a guest speaker or panel discussion followed by a question and answer session. Past topics include the Creighton Family, Nebraska’s role in the Civil War, the Blackstone Hotel, and the Standing Bear v. Crook Trial.

Second Sunday talks are free to our members and only $5 for non-members.

If you are interested in presenting on a local topic for our Second Sunday Talk, please contact our Executive Director at 402-455-9990 or e-mail Director@DouglasCoHistory.org.

Sunday, January 11th, 2 PM, Metro Community college, Fort Omaha, Building 10, Rm 110

Speaking Truth: Fr. John Markoe and the Omaha DePorres Club
with Matt Holland

Fr. John Markoe’s leadership of the Omaha DePorres Club and its pioneering Civil rights campaigns in Omaha from 1947 to 1960 came near the end of his five decades as a racial justice pioneer, during which, as one person recalled, he was “Steadfast in doing all he could, the best he could, to speak the truth to denial and complacency.” Stressing the immorality of racism, Markoe and the Omaha DePorres Club pushed for new legal and civic interventions as well as the need to support existing legal structures-as Markoe put it: “We certainly cannot legislate for good will, but we can protect against these immoral acts (of discrimination and segregation) by reminding the public that it should serve the law.”

Matt Holland has been presenting and writing about the hidden histories of Fr. John Markoe and the Omaha DePorres Club since 2002. He has appeared on CSPAN’s Cities Book Tour and has been featured speaker for lecture series at St. Louis University, Creighton University, and the University of St. Thomas. He has presented at a variety of conferences in Omaha, including Malcom X conference and the Tri-Faith Initiative’s America and Learning for Justice magazines.

Holland’s 2014 book, Ahead of Their Time: The Story of the Omaha DePorres Club relates a history that one reviewer called “a fascinating account from a city not in the headlines of the civil rights Era.” His 2023 book, the Rarest Kind of Courage: The Extraordinary Life of Fr. John Markoe, as described by Fr. John Brown in the book’s forward, is “a much-needed story of persistence and faith about one of the most complex, and complicated, Catholic Priests to live and work and bear witness to the cause of social/racial justice in this country.”

A public educator for over 25 years, Holland holds a BA in Elementary Education and an MA in Educational Administration.

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