Search Results
Austin Family with Chazz Young oral history interview roundtable
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Oral history interview roundtable with the Austin Family and Chazz Young conducted by Claytee D. White on August 06, 2014 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, the Austin family discusses their dance school, Austin Dancers, which they brought with them when they moved to Las Vegas, Nevada from New York City, New York in 1993. Linda Austin discusses her early interest in drumming, which later lead to a successful career as a musician, where she performed for celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Maya Angelou, and played with other musicians such as Quincy Jones. Charles "Chazz" Young also discusses his career as a dance teacher at Austin Dancers and the West Las Vegas Arts Center. The family discusses the cultural differences between Las Vegas and Harlem, where they came from in New York City, as well as the differences between teaching the children of Las Vegas compared to the children they taught in New York.
Archival Collection
Ricky Lee Towers oral history interviews
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Abstract
Oral history interviews with Ricky Lee Towers conducted by Claytee D. White on May 02, 2017 and May, 24 2017 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In the first interview, Towers discusses his upbringing in Las Vegas, Nevada and growing up in the Westside. He describes businesses on Jackson Street, the opening of the Moulin Rouge, and his experience as an African American card dealer. Towers talks about organized crime influences in the gaming industry, and the decrease of business on the Westside. In the second interview, Towers discusses the redevelopment of the Historic Westside community.
Archival Collection
Photograph of (left to right) April, Carrie, Josh, Johnie, Eddie, and Jeff Wright, 1991
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Archival Collection
Description
Color photograph of grandparents Eddie and Johnie Wright with their son, Jeff, and his three children, 1991.
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Kenny Bayless oral history interview
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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
Transcript of interview with Jarmilla McMillan-Arnold by Claytee D. White, October 7, 2010
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Archival Collection
Description
Jarmilla McMillan-Arnold’s father, Dr. James B. McMillan, was the first black dentist in the state of Nevada. Dr. McMillan’s colleagues consisted of Dr. West, the first black medical doctor in the state, and Dr. Ice, the first black surgeon in Nevada. This interview highlights and archives the solid foundation upon which Nevada’s black community was built. Jarmilla recalls early memories of growing up as the daughter of Las Vegas NAACP president Dr. McMillan. She was born in Detroit, Michigan, to a Caucasian and Indian mother who was a professional dancer. Jarmilla’s parents separated when she was very young and as a result she was raised by her paternal grandmother who owned a restaurant in Pontiac, Michigan. Jarmilla describes her grandmother as being well-known and highly regarded in the community where she maintained her business. Jarmilla attended Catholic schools in Detroit, Pontiac, and Las Vegas. Having moved to Las Vegas with her father, Jarmilla’s narrative offers keen insigh
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Transcript of interview with Woodrow Wilson by Jamie Coughtry, 1989
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Description
Interview with Woodrow Wilson conducted by Jamie Coughtry in 1989. Born in a Mississippi sawmill town in 1915 to a family that ran a boarding house, Wilson completed high school at a private boarding school and attended two years of junior college before the declining economy forced him into the Civilian Conservation Corps to work as a cook and baker. Migrating west in 1940, Wilson soon settled in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he worked for Basic Magnesium, Inc. He became a prominent Westside community activist, founding a federal credit union and serving as president of the Las Vegas NAACP. Wilson worked for over thirty years as a warehouseman for companies that occupied the Basic Magnesium site. In 1966, he was elected to the state assembly, becoming the first black legislator in the history of Nevada, advocating open housing legislation, anti-discrimination regulations, welfare reform, and civil rights.
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Audio recording clip from interview with Sonny Thomas by Barbara Tabach, February 28, 2013
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Archival Collection
Description
Part of an inverview with Sonny Thomas conducted by Barbara Tabach, February 28, 2013. Thomas describes job options when he arrived in Las Vegas in 1959.
Sound
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Theta Theta Omega Chapter graduate advisor's reports
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Archival Collection
Description
From the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Theta Theta Omega Chapter Records (MS-01014) -- Chapter records file.
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Brenda and Johnny Williams oral history interviews
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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
Transcript from interview with Helen Anderson and Karen Walker by Claytee White and Barbara Tabach, February 21, 2014
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Archival Collection
Description
Helen Anderson came to Las Vegas in 1962 from Arkansas, and had her daughter, Karen, in 1967. The pair discusses the family business, Hamburger Heaven, and other businesses on Jackson Street and the Westside. They also talk about hte changes in the neighborhood and their work with the West Las Vegas Citizens for Hope group, and Karen's family services business.
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