Abstract
The Renee Diamond Papers date from 1972 to 2000 and consist primarily of political and professional materials including reports, correspondence, publications, newsletters, and planning documents collected by Diamond throughout her career. Diamond supported the feminist movement as a member of the National Organization for Women and held leadership roles in the Democratic party in Las Vegas, Nevada. The collection also documents Diamond’s campaigns for the Nevada State Assembly and includes material from her one term in the legislature.
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Scope and Contents Note
The Renee Diamond Papers date from 1972 to 2000 and consist primarily of political and professional materials including reports, correspondence, publications, newsletters, and planning documents collected by Diamond throughout her career. Diamond supported the feminist movement as a member of the National Organization for Women and the collection contains planning documents and reports from the National Women's Conference in 1977. It also includes NOW newsletters from Las Vegas, Nevada and materials supporting the Equal Rights Amendment. Diamond held several leadership roles in the Democratic party in Las Vegas, Nevada. The collection also documents Diamond’s campaigns for the Nevada State Assembly and includes material from service in the 1989 legislative session. The Renee Diamond Papers document the activities of the women's movement in the 1970s as well as the activities and positions of the Democratic party in Nevada.
Access Note
Collection is open for research, with the exception of materials that are restricted to protect personally identifiable information. Restrictions are noted at the file level of this inventory and will be open for research use January 1, 2065.
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.
Arrangement
Materials are arranged by topic.
Biographical / Historical Note
Since moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1972, Renee Diamond has worked for women’s and children’s rights and has been a supporter of the Democratic Party. She was born on June 19, 1937 in Chicago, Illinois, and was an only child. Her family moved to Los Angeles, California in 1942. She married at the age of sixteen and had two daughters, and later divorced her husband and worked at a doctor’s office to support herself and her daughters.
Diamond was active in the Democratic party in Los Angeles and also joined the local chapter of Women Strike for Peace to protest nuclear testing. She married Leo Diamond, a record store owner, and they had twins. After he sold his business, the family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. Soon after their arrival, Renee became actively involved in the local democratic party. She also joined Operation Life, to support the welfare rights movement in West Las Vegas. She worked on Maya Miller’s campaign for the United States Senate in 1974. In 1976, Diamond was head of the Carter/Mondale campaign’s 51.3 effort in Nevada to reach women voters.
In the 1970s, she actively participated in the women’s movement as a member of the National Organization for Women (NOW). She helped plan the NOW Western Regional Conference in Las Vegas in 1974. Diamond also served on the planning committee for and attended the International Women’s Year conference in Houston, Texas in 1977. She worked with Nevadans for the ERA to encourage passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the state.
In 1986, Diamond sought her first political office and ran for the Nevada State Assembly. She lost the election, but ran again for the seat in 1988 and won. She served in the 1989 Assembly, but lost her bid for reelection in 1990. She later worked in Representative James Bilbray’s Las Vegas office. She also worked for the state of Nevada as an administrator for the Division of Manufactured Housing.
Source:
Renee Diamond, “Women in Nevada History," accessed March 01, 2019, https://womennvhistory.com/portfolio/renee-diamond/
Preferred Citation
Renee Diamond Papers, 1972-2000. MS-00377. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were donated in 1996 and 2002 by Renee Diamond; accession numbers 1996-18 and 2002-32.
Processing Note
Materials were processed by Kelli Brockschmidt in 2008. In 2014, as part of a legacy finding aid conversion project, Lindsay Oden revised and enhanced the collection description to bring it into compliance with current professional standards. Subsequently Lindsay Oden entered the data into ArchivesSpace. In 2019, as part of an archival backlog elimination project, Angela Moor rehoused and arranged the materials, and revised the collection description to bring it into compliance with current professional standards.