From the Roosevelt Fitzgerald Professional Papers (MS-01082) -- Drafts for the Las Vegas Sentinel Voice file. On Las Vegas Metro Police use of deadly force with Charles Bush and other persons of color.
Andrew "Andy" Brewer was born in and went to high school in La Grange, Georgia. Brewer joined the military and discusses his attempts to get a job after his release, and his experiences in New York City. He shares that after working in a factory, running a driving school, and working as a porter, he ended up as a bus driver for 21 years. After his wife passed away in 1999, Andy was searching for somewhere to retire. He tried the South because his daughters were there, and he lived for a short time in Durham, North Carolina.
Oral history interview with Cranford Crawford conducted by Claytee D. White on May 27, 2016 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview Crawford discusses his early life and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1964. He talks about his involvement with the Las Vegas branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), working with African American community leaders, and the consent decree of 1971 alleging a series of violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Crawford describes his career with the Clark County Department of Family Services (DFS), issues of segregation in Las Vegas, and being involved with Les Femmes Douze (The Ladies Twelve). Lastly, Crawford discusses Las Vegas government, school integration, and becoming a Freemason.
Oral history interview with Ida M. Gaines conducted by Claytee D. White on September 30, 2016 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Gaines discusses her early life in Louisiana. She recalls moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1959, living in the Westside, and her employment at the Nevada Test Site. Gaines remembers integration, her involvement with the Las Vegas Chapter of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and becoming a member of Gamma Phi Delta. Gaines talks about working with Senator Harry Reid as a community liaison, the economic downfall of Jackson Street businesses, and redevelopment of the Westside. Lastly, Gaines discusses the issue of homelessness in the community, and the work that the Economic Opportunity Board (EOB) did to reduce poverty in the Westside.
Oral history interview with Allard Roen conducted by David G. Schwartz on October 31, 2003 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Roen talks about the history of the Desert Inn Hotel, the Desert Inn Country Club, and the Desert Inn Golf Course and Tournament of Champions. He shares numerous stories and anecdotes about Las Vegas, Nevada casino-hotel figures, including Cecil Simmons, Morris "Moe" Dalitz, Wilbur Clark, and Howard Hughes. He also talks about the formation of the Nevada Resort Association, property development, and negotiating with labor unions and construction companies, including his 1960 work with the NAACP's James McMillan to eliminate racial segregation at the Desert Inn and Stardust hotels.
Interview with Sarann Knight Preddy conducted by Claytee D. White on June 5, 1997. Preddy moved to Hawthorne, Nevada, in the 1940s, becoming a business owner and president of the NAACP. Later she moved to Las Vegas, where she served as a community activist and worked as one of the first black 21-dealers.
Interview with Woodrow Wilson conducted by Gwendolyn Goodloe on February 28, 1975. Wilson worked at the Basic Magnesium plant and became the first black elected to the Nevada Assembly in 1966. He served as president of the NAACP in 1951, and was a co-founder of Westside Federal Credit Union.
Daughter of Dr. James McMillan, first black dentist in Las Vegas and a former NAACP president, recalls moving to Las Vegas from Detroit, learning about segregation here. She mentions list of outstanding female mentors and community leaders, and much more.
Oral history interview with Eugene Buford conducted by Claytee White on September 12, 2006 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview Eugene Buford talks about his great grandmother, Mary Nettles, who was instrumental in the start and growth of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples (NAACP) in Las Vegas, Nevada. He speaks about his experiences with prejudice and discrimination, while reflecting upon what it was like being an African American growing up in Las Vegas.