CHRIS WHITE/UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-OMAHA The modest entryway to the meditation garden; Potter’s Field: October 22nd 2017 CHRIS WHITE/UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-OMAHA A sign on the fence surrounding the burial ground; Potter’s Field: October 22nd 2017 CHRIS WHITE/UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-OMAHA Potter’s Field is located in North Omaha: October 22nd 2017 CHRIS WHITE/UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-OMAHA Potter’s Field Dedication Stone: October 22nd 2017 CHRIS WHITE/UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-OMAHA Potter’s Field Meditation Garden: October 22nd 2017 CHRIS WHITE/UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-OMAHA An Illegible Headstone with a view of the Meditation Garden in the back: October 22nd 2017 CHRIS WHITE/UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-OMAHA Stella DeLorma Headstone; Potter’s Field: October 22nd 2017 CHRIS WHITE/UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-OMAHA S. A. Smyth headstone; Potter’s Field: October 22nd 2017 CHRIS WHITE/UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-OMAHA William Brown’s Headstone, Donated by Chris Hebert; Potter’s Field: October 22nd 2017 CHRIS WHITE/UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-OMAHA Headstone for the Son of J. F. & M. Groat, Died 1891; Potter’s Field: October 22nd 2017 CHRIS WHITE/UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-OMAHA Lists of the Identified remains line the Meditation Garden. They include William Brown; Potter’s Field: October 22nd 2017 CHRIS WHITE/UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-OMAHA Memorial Cross; Potter’s Field: October 22nd 2017 CHRIS WHITE/UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-OMAHA William Brown’s headstone, flowers and the meditation garden in the distance; Potter’s Field: October 22nd 2017 CHRIS WHITE/UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-OMAHA Flowers near an unidentifiable headstone; Potter’s Field: October 22nd 2017 CHRIS WHITE/UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-OMAHA A memorial cross hung from the fence surrounding the burial grounds; Potter’s Field: October 22nd 2017

Potter’s Field Cemetery is in North Omaha. The field has been used since as early as 1887. People who were buried in Potter’s Field Cemetery following the 70 years of its initial use were too poor to afford burial in a traditional cemetery. Since the families of the dead were poor, they normally couldn’t even afford a headstone.

“When I read Will Brown’s story, I had tears in my eyes.” – Chris Hebert

In 1986, following decades of disrepair, a group rehabilitated Potter’s Field. The rehabilitation included a memorial of all the names of individuals accounted for, that were buried in the cemetery and a walkway with a meditation area.

Potter’s Field Cemetery is the location of the remains of William (Will) Brown. Brown, an African-American that relocated from the south to Omaha during the reconstruction period, was brutally murdered during the 1919 Omaha race riot. The riot was sparked in part by the false-accusation that Brown had raped a white woman, and in part by the city’s mob boss, Tom Dennison, because of the reprisal he justified against the sitting mayor–the first candidate to defeat Dennison’s political machine.

“I am a proud American. I am a person of color. An average guy who loves his wife, his family, and his country.” – Chris Hebert

During a television show about Henry Fonda, Chris Hebert learned of the lynching that occurred in Omaha. Fonda witnessed the riot and has cited it as a driving force for his political views. Hebert was moved by the story of the lynching and decided that something had to be done to remember the legacy of William Brown. Hebert went to Omaha and spent more than $400 on a headstone that specifically identified Brown.

“It is a shame that it took these deaths and others to raise public consciousness and effect the changes that we enjoy today.” – Chris Hebert

William Brown was lynched on September 28, 1919 during a period known as The Red Summer. During the riot, the Douglas County courthouse was left in ruins after being set afire and the sitting mayor was hung, rescued and then hospitalized.