Oral history interview with Bonita Coleman conducted by Claytee D. White on February 22, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Coleman discusses her early life in St. Joseph, Louisiana. She shares her experiences helping to raise her 8 siblings while her mother worked to support her family. Coleman briefly discusses the historical race relations of St. Joseph in the 1950s and 1960s from her own experiences growing up. In 1968, she moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, joining her aunt and sister who had moved here in 1960. Coleman recalls the start of her career in the hospitality industry, and shares what she remembers of her family members' jobs since they all worked in the industry as well.
Archival Collection
The Women's Mikva as seen at the Chabad of Las Vegas at 1261 Arville Street.
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The men's Mikva as seen at the Chabad of Las Vegas at 1261 Arville Street.
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A waiting room in the Women's Mikva as seen at the Chabad of Las Vegas at 1261 Arville Street.
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Gay Pride at Sunset Park, 1998. Photographer: Dennis McBride. Women dancing in Sunset Park.
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Gay Pride at Sunset Park, 1998. Photographer: Dennis McBride. Pierced nipple.
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The collection includes materials from the Nevada Test Site (1955-1967) including newsletters published by the Reynolds Electrical & Engineering Co., Inc. and photographs of Southern Nevada flora, fauna, and archaeology. It also includes photographs of test explosions at the Nevada Test Site, as well as photographs documenting a visit from North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) officials and a visit from John F. Kennedy to the Nevada Test Site. The collection also contains an oversized poster of an atomic explosion and one of a nuclear rocket development station.
Archival Collection
A waiting room and bathroom in the Women's Mikva as seen at the Chabad of Las Vegas at 1261 Arville Street.
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This family overnight suite is one of three at the Chabad of Las Vegas at 1261 Arville Street.
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