Interview with Lucille Bryant conducted by Claytee D. White on December 13, 1995. Moving to Las Vegas in 1953 from Tallulah, Louisiana, Bryant worked in the housekeeping departments of the Algiers Hotel, the Silver Slipper, the Sands, and the Stardust. Bryant provides an overview of pre-Civil Rights era conditions in Tallulah and Las Vegas including housing, schools, and working conditions as well as her experiences with the Culinary Workers Union Local 226.
Interview with Jackie Brantley conducted by Claytee D. White on October 27, 1996. Born in Las Vegas following World War II, Brantley grew up on the Westside. Beginning as a public relations specialist for Desert Inn Hotel and Casino, Brantley later worked as a model and supported the development of Nucleus Business Plaza.
Interview with Faye Duncan Daniel conducted by Claytee D. White on October 18, 1996. Beginning in clerical work at the Nevada Test Site, Daniel rose to become the Assistant Hotel Manager at Union Plaza Hotel and Casino. She established the Hotel Managers Association and the Professional Black Women's Alliance. After leaving the gaming industry, Daniel returned to school to train for a career in education. She worked closely with the Displaced Homemaker Program at the Community College of Southern Nevada and later with Help Centers of Southern Nevada.
Interview with Brenda Mason conducted by Claytee D. White on December 20, 2006. After moving to Las Vegas in 1960, Mason graduated from Western High School. Beginning in 1974, she served two terms on the Board of Regents.
Interview with Dr. William Sullivan conducted by Claytee D. White on December 20, 2006. Sullivan was recruited by University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1978 to be Director of Student Support Services. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Sullivan earned his doctoral degree from University of Utah, where he helped open the Minority Center. As President of the Utah Association of the National Council for Black Studies programs, Sullivan designed minority recruiting strategies for universities.
Interview with Lee Gray conducted by Claytee D. White on November 20, 2006. Gray came to Las Vegas as a child in the 1950s and attended school at Westside Elementary, K. O. Knudsen Jr. High, and Rancho High School. Following high school, Gray worked for Bob Williams during the summer, helping with Bob's comedy act. After two years of college at Central Arizona College in Glendale, Gray transferred to Regis College in Denver, Colorado, where he worked as a teacher's aide for a school district before returning to Las Vegas to work at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Beginning in grounds keeping, Gray rose to become supervisor of UNLV's HV/AC Department.
Interview with Rev. Marion D. Bennett, Sr. conducted by Claytee D. White on January 12, 2004. Bennett grew up in Greenville, South Carolina and graduated from Morris Brown College before earning his Master of Divinity from the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta. He moved to Las Vegas in 1960 to pastor Zion United Methodist Church, ultimately growing his congregation to over six hundred members. Bennett speaks candidly about the racial tension that the Las Vegas community endured during integration and his fight to establish the Equal Rights Commission in Nevada. In 1973, he ran for the Nevada State Assembly and served for ten years, focusing on quality education and employment along with healthcare and equal rights.
Interview with Gene Collins conducted by Claytee D. White on August 31, 2000. Collins grew up in Lake Providence, Louisiana, and moved to Las Vegas in 1966. While attending college, he worked at the Nevada Test Site and trained to be an electrician. He worked with John Patawski and later joined the Aaron Williams Youth Organization and founded a community baseball organization. As a state assemblyman, Collins was instrumental in getting the Martin Luther King Holiday Bill passed along with establishing the Sarah Allen Credit Union. Because of his involvement with the Ministerial Alliance, he was asked to run for president of the NAACP. Under his presidency, he addressed the lack of African Americans in the gaming industry in addition to filing the largest EEOC discrimination suit filed in the state of Nevada against The Mirage Hotel and Casino.
Interview with Eugene Buford conducted by Claytee D. White on September 12, 2006. Buford came to Las Vegas as a child from Birmingham, Alabama. He held a variety of jobs, including washing dishes at the Last Frontier and delivering ice to casinos like the Flamingo and the Stardust, and ultimately retired after thirty-six years with the Post Office. Buford's great grandmother, Mary Nettles, was instrumental in the formation and growth of the NAACP chapter in Las Vegas, and he recalls meetings in her house and his own role as president of the Junior League NAACP. Buford shares memories of historical locations and events such as Helldorado, Block 16, and Carver Park, and several important figures in Las Vegas history, including James B. McMillan, Charles West, Jimmy Gay, Benny Binion, and the mafia.
Interview with Judge Lee Gates conducted by Claytee D. White on December 5, 1996. Born in Louisiana, Gates moved to Las Vegas around 1960. Following high school, he attended UNLV, where he was a member of the Black Student Association and studied under professor Roosevelt Fitzgerald, who raised his awareness of black history. Gates participated in the civil rights movement and worked as a lawyer before becoming a judge. He discusses Jackson Street, Dr. Charles West, attorney Charles Kellar, and his own involvement with Ruby Duncan's group.