Oral history interview with Bryan Chan conducted by Vanessa Concepcion, Cecilia Winchell, and Stefani Evans on October 18, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Bryan Chan discusses his life growing up in California, his family's migration stories to the United States, and his education. He discusses his appearance on a reality television show which led to becoming a singer for boy band LMNT. Bryan talks about his entertainment career, including his move to Las Vegas to sing and host for the Chippendales show at the Rio Hotel and Casino. He also shares insight into his family's traditions and his favorite foods that his father and grandmother cooked.
Subjects discussed include: chain migration; Chippendales; giglife; virtual events; traditional foods.
Archival Collection
Interview with Arlone Scott conducted by Glen Ette Davis on July 3, 1975. Born in Louisiana, Scott moved to Las Vegas in 1951, eventually becoming a hotel maid supervisor. She shares her early experiences of positive race relations among churches in Las Vegas and notes that the Culinary Union improved job opportunities for minorities. Scott concludes with comments on the effects of discrimination and segregation on entertainment and recreation for blacks.
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Interview with Clarence Ray conducted by Jaime Coughtry in 1991. Having arrived in Las Vegas in the 1920s, Ray provides a rare perspective on shifts in race relations over the years. He shares stories of early businesses and efforts at organization within the black community. From his arrival, Ray worked to secure equal opportunity and civil rights legislation. During the 1960s, he served two terms as president of the Voters League, formed in 1928 to increase black voting power.
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Oral history interview with Vernon G. Stockall conducted by Aurora Wright on March 07, 1981 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Stockall discusses arriving in Boulder City, Nevada in 1935 and describes how the Great Depression caused people to migrate westward. He then recalls working as a pipe fitter at the Hoover Dam (Boulder Dam) and explains the type of work that he did. Lastly, Stockall discusses the growth of Las Vegas, Nevada as the population increased.
Archival Collection
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Oral history interview with Pamela Jones Brown conducted by Claytee D. White on June 12, 2019 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Brown discusses her upbringing in Nashville, Tennessee and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1968. She remembers her career as a school teacher, her employment for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and writing about the history of African Americans in the United States. Lastly, Brown talks about the research behind her publications, African Americans migrating to the western United States, and early Las Vegas history.
Archival Collection
Essay by Roosevelt Fitzgerald exploring the history of the black community in Las Vegas from its founding in 1905 through the 1930s.
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Essay by Roosevelt Fitzgerald focusing on demographic changes in southern Nevada from 1940-1945 and the war industry's effect on black employment, particularly the impact of Basic Magnesium, dated 1982.
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