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The motto that lines the banner of the Omaha Star reads, "Dedicated to the service of the people that no good cause shall lack a champion and that evil shall not thrive unopposed." Those words could easily be used to describe the life of its founder, Mildred Brown.

Mildred was born in 1915 in Alabama to a prominent Black family. At the age of 16 she graduated from Miles Memorial Teachers College. In 1936, she married S. Edward Gilbert. A year later, they moved to Omaha, Nebraska, where in 1938 they launched the Omaha Star, a weekly publication. After her divorce from Gilbert, Mildred continued publishing the paper, building it into one of the most successful weekly Black newspapers in the country.

The Star was filled with positive, upbeat stories about the Omaha Black community. Through the paper, Brown gave countless young people their first opportunity to hold down a job. She instilled in them a sense of responsibility and hard work. She always encouraged them to further their education and provided scholarships for those interested in going to college.

During World War II, the Star campaigned for the integration of all military forces and encouraged readers to take advantage of the work available at defense plants. After the war, Black Americans found discrimination at every turn. Mildred Brown and the Star were in the middle of it all, playing a key role in breaking down discrimination in Omaha. Mildred boldly confronted injustice and took major risks for the sake of her people.

By the early 1960s, the opposing forces of race relations came to a head. Mass, non-violent demonstrations were being held nationwide to bring attention to the plight of the Negro. Mildred and the Star kept the public informed and the editorial page reflected the attitudes and goals of the Black community. In the heat of summer, when patience waned and riots erupted in urban communities, the Star called for level heads and the end of destruction.

Throughout her life, Mildred Brown worked tirelessly for the cause of racial justice and community pride. She was highly respected and met frequently with politicians at the local, state and national levels. Although she mingled with the powerful and famous, she lived a modest unassuming life, maintaining a small apartment at the rear of the Omaha Star building. It was there she lived and there she died in 1989.