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Cynthia and Edward Watson oral history interviews (OH-01926)

Abstract

Oral history interviews with Cynthia and Edward Watson conducted by Claytee D. White on March 28, 2014 and May 13, 2014 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Edward begins by discussing his upbringing in Illinois, being adopted by his grandmother, and how issues regarding his custody arose after his grandmother died. Cynthia discusses her upbringing which was also in Illinois, attending a primarily white high school as a teenager and her experiences there as an African American, and being one of two African American employees in a company of approximately 600 employees. They describe the civil rights movement during the 1960s from their perspectives as African Americans and how their race defined how other people perceived them. The couple then describe moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1978, Edward's tenure as president of the Las Vegas National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and their involvement in the African American community of Las Vegas.

Finding Aid PDF

Date

2014-03-28
2014-05-13

Extent

2 digital_files (0.245 GB) MP3

Scope and Contents Note

Oral history interviews with Cynthia and Edward Watson conducted by Claytee D. White on March 28, 2014 and May 13, 2014 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Edward begins by discussing his upbringing in Illinois, being adopted by his grandmother, and how issues regarding his custody arose after his grandmother died. Cynthia discusses her upbringing which was also in Illinois, attending a primarily white high school as a teenager and her experiences there as an African American, and being one of two African American employees in a company of approximately 600 employees. They describe the civil rights movement during the 1960s from their perspectives as African Americans and how their race defined how other people perceived them. The couple then describe moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1978, Edward's tenure as president of the Las Vegas National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and their involvement in the African American community of Las Vegas. Digital audio available; no transcript available.

Access Note

Collection is open for research. Where use copies do not exist, production of use copies is required before access will be granted; this may delay research requests. Advanced notice is required.

Publication Rights

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish. Some transcripts do not exist in final form, therefore any editing marks in a transcript (deletions, additions, corrections) are to be quoted as marked.

Preferred Citation

Cynthia and Edward Watson oral history interviews, 2014 March 28, 2014 May 13. OH-01926. [Cite format consulted: Audio recording or Transcript.] Oral History Research Center, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Acquisition Note

This interview was conducted by the Oral History Research Center (OHRC) which is part of the UNLV University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Division.

Processing Note

Interview materials were processed by UNLV Libraries Special Collections and Archives in 2016. Kyle Gagnon wrote the collection description. Access copies were created for born-digital audio and/or transcript files. The audio has been minimally reviewed and all readily available information has been included in the description.

Collection Type

EAD ID

US::NvLN::OH01926

Finding Aid Description Rules

Describing Archives: A Content Standard
English