The Road to City Council: Franklin Thompson, Ward 6
Luis Jimenez | Omaha, Nebraska
Franklin Thompson was elected to the Omaha City Council four consecutive times, from June 2001 until June 2017, representing Ward 6 (west Omaha, 97% white voters). Thompson also served as an educator for 43 years — 27 of those at the collegiate level, and 16 years at the secondary level. “I started at the high school level. Now, I teach teachers.” A few of his students from the University of Nebraska in Omaha liked what they heard as he encouraged them to be change agents and bipartisan, “They liked that message so much that they challenged me to run for office.”
At first, Thompson was not convinced, but after repeated requests from new groups over semesters, Thompson said, “I will run if you guys run my campaign. They said, ‘Okay.’ I said, ‘I don’t have any money.” His former students offered to do it for free.
When Franklin was young attending tech high school, he was one of those kids that did not have a lot of support. “The only way I made it was a few teachers took me under their wing. If it hadn’t been for them, I wouldn’t be here. I am returning the favor that was done to me,” Thompson reflected on them fondly, a teacher, a principal, an assistant principal, and a counselor, “They provided like almost being a parent because I came from an abusive home.”
Franklin ran for council during a time that folks were unsatisfied with local government. There was a general theme, throw the bums out. Thompson feels that people were happy to see a fresh new face, “because it was unusual that there would be a black Republican and someone who would have the guts to run in a mostly white district.” Thompson was first elected with 58% of the vote. “Unfortunately, some of the people who originally voted for me were quite happy because I was not far-right, fire breathing. I am a moderate. Once I got in, there were a whole bunch of people trying to get me out of office,” Franklin explained. He was challenged at every election.
Franklin Thompson grew up a Democrat in South Carolina. In 1999 he switched party affiliation to Republican. “I learned more about black history, and I learned that blacks were Republican all the way to when” Martin Luther King Jr. voted for John F. Kennedy for President in 1960. “I decided to go back to historical roots [to become a Republican] because blacks are the only race that isn’t multi-political. Hispanics are multi-political. So, I made a sacrifice, because I am a child advocate and pro being a role model. I decided it was not good for blacks in Omaha to be one thing. It’s just not smart for the race.” Thompson admits he did not vote for Donald Trump for President. Thompson believes that the qualities that define him are unique, honest, different, someone who was trying to bridge the gaps between people.
(Read a historical overview “How the Black Vote Became a Monolith” by the New York Times)
Thompson was the one that sponsored the ban on smoking in buildings in Omaha, before the Nebraska Legislature adopted the smoking ban. He also is proud of being the swing vote on approving a removing lead policy. “I have a brother who is deceased, and I am convinced that he suffered from lead poisoning.”
After his service in the council, Franklin Thompson was appointed as the Director of the Human Rights and Relations for the City of Omaha by Mayor Jean Stothert. His office oversees a civil rights investigation, a small and emerging business, and a diversity education outreach division, which holds an annual competition for high schools “Martin Luther King Jr. Living the Dream” holding original social justice music, poetry, and dance contests. His office participated in the 100 year anniversary of the lynching of Will Brown at the Douglas County Courthouse in 2019.
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Franklin Thompson is currently an associate professor in the College of Education at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. His academic areas of expertise research are for human and race relations, multicultural education, urban education, working with at-risk youth, and counseling. He has published several articles in academic journals on the topic of multiculturalism and race relations. He is also an accomplished writer of music with race, human and social justice, and has published songs in those genres.
Thompson earned a bachelor’s degree in history and sociology from the University of Nebraska — Lincoln; has a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Nebraska — Omaha (UNO); a specialist degree in education administration front the University of Southern Mississippi; a doctoral degree in education administration from UNO. In addition, he served 10 years as a family psychotherapist with Greater Omaha Community Action (GOCA). He is a recording artist of human rights and social justice, music that he utilizes to augment the education of today’s young people.
