Oral history interviews with Olivia Díaz conducted by Nathalie Martinez and Barbara Tabach on August 31 and September 14, 2020 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In the first interview, Díaz gives her family and personal history, growing up in Las Vegas but often visiting her family in Durango, Mexico for extended stays. She recalls her matriarchal upbringing, particularly while living in Mexico, and what life was like growing up and going to school in East Las Vegas and at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV). Subjects discussed include: Mexico; Latina identity. In the second interview, Díaz talks about her English language education career for the Clark County School District (CCSD) and the events that led her to run for Nevada Assembly and Las Vegas City Council. She is presently Nevada's Assemblywoman for District 11 and Las Vegas' Councilwoman for Ward 3. Olivia concludes her interview with insights into her political and educational goals for the community and the initiatives she has focused on in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Oral history interview with Dr. Alvaro Vergara-Mery conducted by Barbara Tabach on October 28, 2020 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Alvaro discusses his personal history and his upbringing in both Chile and the United Kingdom before immigrating to the United States; due to political unrest in Chile, he moved to the U.K. where his mother was born before attending university in the United States. Alvaro talks about his work as a medical interpreter for University Medical Center (UMC) as well as his college teaching experience at University of Nevada Las Vegas and California State Berkley.
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Interviewed by Claytee White. Rodrigo Vazquez also participated in the questioning. Guadalupe Redmond lived a wonderful life in Mexico while growing up. When Guadalupe was 17, her mother decided to immigrate the family to Las Vegas, Nevada, Guadalupe did not want to move but reluctantly did so. She taught herself English by watching TV. Then she decided she wanted to work and became a guest room attendant working downtown and on the Strip - Sundance (Fitzgerald's, now the D), Stratosphere, Aladdin, Planet Hollywood, Riviera, Hacienda - to name a few. As she moved about, she began to understand the importance of the Culinary Union Local 226. She is now an organizer who in 1989 participated in a 10-month Work and Walk strategy that was successful.
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Temple Beth Sholom was the first Jewish congregation in Southern Nevada and continues to function as a religious, educational, and social center for a considerable portion of the Jewish community of Las Vegas. Previously known as the Jewish Community Center of Las Vegas, it became affiliated with the Conservative Movement and officially known as Temple Beth Sholom in 1958. The congregation originated in Las Vegas in the 1930s with a small group of families and grew to be the largest temple in Nevada during the 1960s.
Oral history interview with Rabbi Sanford Akselrad conducted by Barbara Tabach on March 7, 2018 for the Remembering 1 October Oral History Project. In this interview, Rabbi Sanford Akselrad discusses the response of the Jewish community of Congregation Ner Tamid to the October 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. He discusses the healing service he led the day after the shooting, how the community paid respect to the victims, and the concert held to raise money. In addition to the actions of the Jewish community, Rabbi Akselrad discusses the congregation's work with the interfaith community to heal from this tragedy.
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