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Dianna and Gerald Davis oral history interview
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Abstract
Oral history interview with Dianna and Gerald Davis conducted by Claytee D. White on May 6, 2021 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project.
Gerald Davis was falsely arrested on a Sunday afternoon in October 1969, leading to a three-day riot in the Black Westside community of Las Vegas. The Davis' discuss this event as well as their respective backgrounds and past experiences living in Las Vegas, including the businesses they supported, the places they visited, and their employment history.
Subjects discussed include: 1969 riot; Jackson Ave; Officer Arrington; Westside School; and Charles Wyatt
Archival Collection
Elgin Holbert Jr. oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Elgin Holbert Jr. conducted by Claytee D. White on April 28, 2021 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project.
Elgin Holbert Jr. discusses growing up in the Westside community of Las Vegas, the activities he participated in as a child, community leaders he admired, and his observations of mixed family life (as his father was Black and his mother was white). Elgin also speaks of his work as a Red Cap on the Union Pacific Railroad (UPR), his time at Nevada Power, and his experience dealing cards at various Las Vegas casinos including the Riviera Hotel and Casino (for 15 years), the Tropicana Las Vegas (for 15 years), and the Treasure Island Hotel (for 20 years).
Subjects discussed include: Viola Cunningham; Union Pacific Railroad; Riviera Hotel and Casino; Tropicana Las Vegas Hotel Casino; Treasure Island Hotel; Cotton Bowl; Jimmy Gay; Jefferson Recreational Center; and Eleanor Walker
Archival Collection
Shirley and Mackie Edmond, Althia Taylor, and Larry McCollum oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Shirley and Mackie Edmond, Althia Taylor, and Larry McCollum conducted by Claytee D. White on May 30, 2021 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project.
Shirley, Althia, Mackie, and Larry discuss their experiences growing up and living in Las Vegas, Nevada including their respective employment histories; Shirley and Althia worked in the postal service for over 30 years, Mackie worked at the Stardust Hotel and Casino, and Larry mentored children as a sports coach for the Clark County School District (CCSD). The narrators talked about businesses that thrived on the Westside and ended their discussion with how COVID-19 has impacted their families and daily lives.
Subjects discussed include: Stardust Hotel and Casino; Parks & Recreation; and Westside businesses
Archival Collection
Marilyn Armstrong and Brenda Williams oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Marilyn Armstrong and Brenda Williams conducted by Claytee D. White on April 13, 2021 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project.
Marilyn Armstrong discusses her employment history becoming a beautician and business owner in Las Vegas, Nevada. She also talks of her husband's decision to start the Ray and Ross Bus Company, the largest transportation firm in the state in the 1950s and 1960s, and what it was like growing up in the Westside community. Finally, she mentions the businesses that flourished on Jackson Avenue, inlcuding her mother's beauty shop.
Subjects discussed include: Margie's Beauty Shop; Cadillac Arms; Berkley Square; Cosmetique; Miss Elizabeth Coiffure; and Ray & Ross Bus Company
Archival Collection
Tia Stone oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Tia Stone conducted by Claytee D. White on September 25, 2020 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project.
Tia Stone was the organizer of several Las Vegas protests, including marches for justice after the murder of George Floyd and for the Black Lives Matter movement. She discusses how she planned these rallies, the makeup of the attendees, and her thoughts on what local and national police reform should look like.
Archival Collection
Brian Shepherd oral history interview
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Oral history interview of Brian Shepherd conducted by Claytee D. White on July 13, 2020 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Brian Shepherd, Chief of Staff of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1107, represents health care and public sector employees across the state of Nevada. SEIU advocates for fair wages, quality health care, and the "secret ballot" for all union employees. In addition to discussing his profession, Brian talks about the social justice movement and coordinating community protests concerning larger issues like Black Lives Matter.
Archival Collection
Ora Bland oral history interview
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Oral history interview with Ora Bland conducted by Claytee D. White on March 04, 2021 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project.
Ora Bland speaks to what she knew of her husband's secretive work at Area 51 of the Nevada Test Site, businesses in the Westside community, and her work in the downtown Las Vegas post office. In addition to her life experiences, Ora shares her thoughts on her community, the state of homelessness that many experience in her surrounding neighborhood, and her activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Archival Collection
Trula McGee oral history interview
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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
Fateen Seifullah oral history interview
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Oral history interview of Fateen Seifullah conducted by Claytee D. White on October 28, 2020 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project.
Fateen Seifullah was born in Compton, California and was surrounded by gang culture from a very early age. As a teenager when he and his family moved to Las Vegas in the early 1980s, he began participating in gang activity. Fateen describes his knowledge about gang operations, drug "rules," and prison time. He also discusses his participation as a Muslim mosque leader in the Historic Westside Las Vegas, his "Iman" (faith and beliefs), and his work in the past decade to push gang activity and drug use out of the community.
Subjects discussed include: Compton, California; drug culture; Muslim philosophy; Iman; and Code of Justice.
Archival Collection
George Ladd Papers
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The George Ladd Papers are comprised of a scrapbook dating from 1903 to 1906 that documents the final years of George Ladd, who was involved with the Bullfrog Mine in Rhyolite, Nevada. The scrapbook contents include personal correspondence, certificates of assays, telegrams, mining purchases, bank deposit slips, and correspondence between Ladd and the Bullfrog Mining Company.
Archival Collection