Oral history interview with Susana Loli conducted by Rodrigo Vazquez on January 15, 2021 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project.
Susana Loli starts her interview discussing her childhood in Lima, Peru with her seven siblings. After graduating college and with the unexpected death of her husband, Susana moved to the United States. She was able to return to Peru after some time to bring her family to America, and eventually they settled in Las Vegas after Susana remarried. Susana joined the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and worked at the Riviera Hotel and Casino for 19 years until it closed; she then moved to the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino where she is currently employed. In addition to her family and work history, Susana talks about the benefits she's found in joining the Culinary Union, her political work canvassing during the 2021 Georgia Senate race, and how COVID-19 has impacted her and others.
Oral history interview with Gladis Blanco conducted by Rodrigo Vazquez on January 15, 2021 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project.
Gladis Blanco discusses her early childhood with her grandmother in Guatemala before immigrating to Long Beach, California and then moving to Las Vegas, Nevada. Gladis worked for the Mirage Hotel and Casino before the 2008 recession, afterwards joining the Culinary Workers Union. She talks of how joining the union made her more aware of politics and led her to canvas for the 2021 Georgia Senate race. She also discusses the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts.
The Elizabeth and Charles Pratt Personal Papers consist of correspondence, travel information, and photographs from the Pratt family dating from 1895 to 1953. The majority of correspondence in the collection is between Charles Pratt and his wife, Alice Elizabeth Margaret "Diane" Pratt. The collection also contains correspondence between Elizabeth Pratt's parents and her literary journals from her time attending Swarthmore College, in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.
Oral history interview with Geoconda Argüello-Kline conducted by Barbara Tabach on February 12, 2021 for The Great Pause: Las Vegas Chronicles of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Geoconda discusses her personal background and how she came to be in Las Vegas. As the Secretary-Treasurer for the Culinary Workers Union Local 226, she talks about how the union has handled challenging times during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Subjects discussed include: Nevada Senate Bill 4, also known as the “Adolfo Fernandez Bill”; communication with membership; long term layoffs; food distribution to families.
Oral history interview with Meyer Lansky II conducted by Barbara Tabach on February 23, 2021 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project.
Meyer Lansky II (named after his grandfather, Meyer Lansky, who was known as the "Mob's accountant") discusses his family's history and how he intends to preserve it. He talks of his time working in the casino industry for over three decades and his current pursuit of writing a book about his grandfather based on hundreds of handwritten letters passed down from Lansky I. Meyer is also currently a historian at the Mob Museum.
Oral history interview with Olivia Meneses conducted by Elsa Lopez and Barbara Tabach on September 18, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project.
Olivia Meneses describes growing up in Mexico City and attending la Universidad Iberoamericana during the 1968 student movement that culminated in the Tlatelolco massacre. She discusses migrating to the United States in 1983 and moving to Las Vegas in 1985, where she began teaching Spanish to kindergarten students.
Oral history interview with Gerry Rojas-Cantres conducted by Barbara Tabach on January 29, 2021 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project.
Gerry talks of his arrival to Las Vegas after growing up in Puerto Rico. He also discusses his work as both a porter at McCarran Airport and a shop steward for the Culinary Workers Union Local 226.
Oral history interivew with Victor Juarez Rivera conducted by Barbara Tabach on January 29, 2021 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project.
Victor recounts his personal history growing up in Mexico City before moving to Las Vegas in 1988. He discusses his family life and occupation as a cook at the Circus Circus and shop steward for the Culinary Workers Union Local 226.
Oral history interview with Valerie Anthony and Veronica McKinney conducted by Claytee D. White on April 04, 2019 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Anthony and McKinney talk about their early lives and growing up in a military family. They remember their father's service with the United States Air Force, living on military bases, and traveling around the world. Anthony talks about enlisting in the United States Air Force in 1971, the discrimination she experienced in the military, and how women were treated in the military at the time. Later, McKinney describes moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1998, raising her children there, and completing her degree as a non-traditional student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Lastly, Anthony and McKinney talk about their participation in book clubs and other community involvement.
Oral history interview with Yvanna Cancela conducted by Monserrath Hernández and Barbara Tabach on February 27, 2020 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project.
Yvanna Cancela, Nevada State Senator, discusses her personal history growing up in Miami, Florida and her studies at Northwestern University. She talks of working for Senator Harry Reid's campaign in Las Vegas, which led to her organizing efforts for the Culinary Workers Union Local 226. Yvanna recalls being appointed to the Nevada State Senate in 2016 as the first female state senate majority. In addition to fulfilling her duties as the Co-Majority Whip, she worked on the Joe Biden campaign and is the Executive Director of the Citizenship Project. After this interview was conducted, Yvanna received her Juris Doctorate from the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Subjects discussed include: Miami, Florida; Nevada State Senate; The Citizenship Project