Preston Love Jr.: Omaha’s Voice on Race, Policy, and Power
Preston Love Jr.
Legacy Maker | Omaha, Nebraska
Preston Love Jr. (born 1942) is one of Nebraska’s most influential political strategists and North Omaha advocates, a figure whose work has connected grassroots organizations to national civil rights movements for more than four decades.
Born and raised in Omaha’s Logan Fontenelle Housing Projects, Love grew up in a community defined by resilience and activism. As a young athlete at Omaha Technical High School, he distinguished himself as one of the state’s top competitors. He was All-State in football and basketball, a state champion in high hurdles, and was widely considered the best football player in Nebraska his senior year. In recognition of his athletic achievements, he was inducted in the Nebraska Black Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 and the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.
Love graduated in 1960 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He later completed a Master of Professional Studies from Bellevue University.
His early professional career blended athletics, business, and technology. After playing football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and a stint with the Lincoln Comets, Love worked in corporate leadership at IBM before opening what is recognized as Atlanta’s first retail computer store, an entrepreneurial venture that reflected both innovation and foresight.
Nationally, Love emerged as a key political strategist during a transformative period in American politics. He worked on Harold Washington’s historic 1983 Chicago mayoral campaign and played a leadership role in Jesse Jackson’s 1984 presidential campaign. In Atlanta, he was appointed Commissioner of Planning under Mayor Andrew Young, positioning him at the center of urban development and governance during a pivotal year.
Love’s civic engagement has remained rooted in Omaha. In 2006, he founded the North Omaha Voter Participation Project, aimed at increasing civic engagement and voter turnout in historically underrepresented communities. In 2016, the initiative evolved into the Black Votes Matter Institute of Community Engagement, and later rebranded as the 4Urban Institute of Urban Development, operating under the platform 4Urban (4urban.org). Through these efforts, Love has led Get Out The Vote initiatives, mentored youth through civil rights history tours, and advocated for sustained investment in North Omaha.
He has also positioned himself as a community historian and thought leader. Love self-published Economic Cataracts: A Chronicle of Efforts to Remove the Obstacles of Urban Community Engagement and Economic Inclusion, a reflection on systemic barriers and strategies for economic empowerment.
Today, Preston Love Jr. continues to operate at the intersection of history, politics, and community empowerment. His career spans athletics, entrepreneurship, national campaign strategy, public administration, voter mobilization, and urban advocacy.
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