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Floyd Sweets Harrison oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02834

Abstract

Oral history interview with Floyd Sweets Harrison conducted by Claytee D. White on September 16, 2016 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Harrison discusses his upbringing in New York City, New York and his involvement in the King Charles Unicycle Troupe. He remembers joining the Ringling Bros. circus in 1968, touring around the country, and his experience as an African American entertainer during that time. Harrison talks about performing in Las Vegas, Nevada, the entertainment industry during the 1980s, and performing for community events. Later, Harrison recalls touring with Siegfried and Roy, and the King Charles Unicycle Troupe becoming an independent show in Las Vegas. Lastly, Harrison discusses the future of circus shows in Las Vegas.

Archival Collection

Dorothy, Alice, and Marva Love oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02262

Abstract

Oral history interview with Dorothy, Alice, and Marva Love conducted by Claytee D. White on February 11, 2015 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Dorothy discusses her personal history and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1961. She describes the city at the time, living in West Las Vegas, and raising her children there. Alice and Marva, Dorothy's daughters, then talk about their educational experiences in Las Vegas and growing up in the Westside community. Later, Dorothy describes starting her family business, Love’s Cocktail Lounge, on Jackson Street and what it provided for the Westside community. The family recall the entertainers that performed at Love's Cocktail Lounge and the eventual downfall of Jackson Street. Lastly, they discuss the development and changes in the Westside.

Archival Collection

Anna Corine Tisdale oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03248

Abstract

Oral history interview with Anna Corine Tisdale conducted by Claytee D. White on May 28, 1996 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Tisdale, a native of Fordyce, Arkansas, talks about her background as the daughter of sharecroppers, her marriage, and her move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1954. She recalls living in a small trailer with her husband and four children for several months before the family moved to "Four Mile" near the Boulder Highway. She details her working life, starting as a retail clerk and then moving into hotel housekeeping, eventually earning promotion as the first Black supervisor-inspector at the Sahara Hotel and Casino. She also offers comparisons of her life in Fordyce and Las Vegas, about recreational activities, education, race issues, and how men and women worked in the same environment in the 1960s. The audio also includes a brief conversation with her oldest daughter, Nancy.

Archival Collection

Alice Key oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01809

Abstract

Oral history interview with Alice Key conducted by Claytee D. White, with Joyce Moore and two unidentified individuals on November 11, 2004 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: A Collaborative Oral History Project. In this informal interview, Key talks about her early education, sharing anecdotes along with more serious comments. She continues talking about her early activism, beginning with housing discrimination in Los Angeles, California, the work of President Lyndon Johnson on equal rights, her work on the Clark County Nevada Economic Opportunity Board, and the issue of hiring Black front-of-house employees at the casinos and hotels. She continues chatting about families who own or owned casinos in Las Vegas, different church leaders in the city, and ends talking about early Black entertainers, including Dorothy Dandridge and the Barry Brothers and her own experiences as a dancer.

Archival Collection

Kenny Bayless oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02195

Abstract

Oral history interview with Kenny Bayless conducted by Eric Billington on November 20, 2014 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Bayless begins the interview by talking about his childhood in California and his religious upbringing. He then discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1972 in order to pursue a career in teaching and coaching track. Bayless discusses his views of Las Vegas upon his arrival, namely the perceptions towards black people in the area. He then details his life as a teacher for the Clark County School District (CCSD), and teaching at the juvenile detention center after his retirement from CCSD. Bayless also discusses the night life in Las Vegas from the 1970s to the present, he talks about the exclusion of black people from certain establishments and the Moulin Rouge Hotel as a respite for black night life in West Las Vegas.

Archival Collection

Brenda and Johnny Williams oral history interviews

Identifier

OH-02655

Abstract

Oral history interviews with Brenda Manlove Williams and Johnny Williams conducted by Claytee D. White on April 18, 2016 and May 03, 2016 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In the first interview, Brenda discusses her early life in Nashville, Tennessee and attending Fisk University. She talks about being a member of The Fisk Jubilee Singers and later transferring to Tennessee State University. Brenda recalls moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1972, her employment at Caesars Palace as a cocktail waitress, and the nightlife entertainment at the time. Lastly, Brenda discusses the social and political divides in the African American community of Las Vegas. In the second interview, Johnny describes being one of the first African American card dealers and pit bosses. He talks about his employment at Caesars Palace and changes in the gaming industry. Lastly, Brenda discusses her employment with Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC).

Archival Collection

William O'Neill McCurdy Sr. oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03864

Abstract

Oral history interview with William O'Neill McCurdy Sr. by Claytee D. White on January 26, 2022 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: A Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, McCurdy describes his childhood gorwing up in Las Vegas, Nevada, graduating from Valley High School, and attending Western Nevada College in Carson City, Nevada. He worked for many years for the Parks and Recreation department, and has served on numerous boards including the Citizens' Advisory for Regional Transportation (RTC), Habitat for Humanity Board of Director, Mineral County Economic Advisory Committee, City of Las Vegas Community Block Grant Advisory Board, and Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority Commission. Currently, McCurdy owns McCurdy & McCurdy Media Group, a political consulting and advertising firm which has assisted numerous political candidates in fulfilling their dreams of helping to govern Las Vegas, Clark County, the State of Nevada, and even in the United States Congress.

Archival Collection

Trula McGee oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03751

Abstract

Oral history interview with Trula McGee conducted by Claytee D. White on March 17, 2021 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project.

Trula McGee talks about her experiences growing up in a military family and her time as a student and young adult in the Westside community. She also discusses her employment as a Keno writer and runner at the Sands Hotel and Casino, Castaways Hotel and Casino, and the Silver Slipper Gambling Hall and Saloon and how this led to her meeting both Wayne Newton and Marvin Gaye.

Subjects discussed include: Carver Park; Basic High School; Nevada State Bank; Jackson Ave.; Golden West Shopping Center; Reuben's Supper Club; and Larry's Sight and Sound.

Archival Collection

Lovell Gaines oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00643

Abstract

Oral history interview with Lovell Gaines conducted by Claytee D. White on July 01, 2009 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview Lovell Gaines discusses his involvement with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), becoming president for the Las Vegas, Nevada chapter in 1980, segregation, Freedom Fund banquets, national conventions, police brutality, and housing issues in Las Vegas.

Archival Collection

Larry Cooper oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03404

Abstract

Oral history interview with Larry Cooper conducted by Claytee D. White on March 05, 2018 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Cooper discusses his early life in Las Vegas, Nevada and growing up in the Westside. He talks about his educational experiences in Las Vegas, attending the Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal College (now University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff), and teaching mathematics. Cooper recalls his employment at Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, becoming Vice President of Emerging Markets, and relocating around the United States for work. He remembers moving back to Las Vegas in the mid-2000s, his friendship with civil rights leader Jimmy Gay, and the contributions Gay made for the African American community. Cooper describes Westside businesses, and casinos on Jackson Street. Lastly, Cooper discusses the future of the Westside.

Archival Collection