DePorres Club Sit-Ins & Boycotts

When the DePorres Club was founded in 1947, they primarily engaged in what Denny Holland called "nice things." However, in 1950, after a series of local initiatives and a successful sit-in, Father Markoe issued Holland an ultimatum: either the DePorres Club would have to start pursuing systemic change in Omaha, or he would resign. A change in the Club's tactics was clearly needed. They subsequently turned their attention to what would become their main method of community action: boycotts.

The DePorres Club sought to challenge the unequal employment practices in the North Omaha area. Their efforts began with small businesses, such as the Edholm-Sherman Laundry, but they soon contested the hiring policies of much larger businesses like Reed's Ice Cream, Coca-Cola, and Omaha-Council Bluffs Streat Railway Company. 

For more information, see Holland, Ahead of Their Time (2014).