African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project event roundtable conducted by Claytee D. White on January 18, 2014 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this panel event, Jean Childs, Joe Neal, Jackie Brantley, LaVerne Ligon, and Ramon Savoy discuss their early lives and explain how they arrived to Las Vegas, Nevada. Childs talks about her father’s business, the Penguin Club, and the history of African Americans in the gaming industry. She talks about her involvement with the Economic Opportunity Board (EOB) and the Head Sstart federal program. Savoy remembers the foundation of Las Vegas Sentinel-Voice and the challenges of distributing weekly publications during the late 1950s. Neal recalls his first political campaign, being a chairman for the EOB, and becoming a Nevada State Senator. Later, Brantley describes the 1971 consent decree, discrimination against African American workers in the gaming industry, and her career in hotel management. Ligon remembers her career as a dancer, being a part of an all-African American dance line, and integration in the entertainment industry.
Oral history interview with Rodney Sumpter conducted by Dennis McBride on January 20, 2004 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. In this interview, Sumpter discusses Fred Schoonmaker, a Reno, Nevada gay activist, and his efforts to create Stonewall Park, a town for LGBTQ members in Nevada that was never realized. Sumpter describes his professional relationship with Schoonmaker as his attorney. He also recalls the early stages for Stonewall Park, including finding a location and struggling to find financial and local support for the town. Lastly, Sumpter talks about Schoonmaker's HIV health issues and his personal thoughts on the LGBTQ community.
Note: Handwritten menu; "P. Aug. Masse inv. et sc." written at the bottom of the illustration Restaurant: Savoy Hotel & Restaurant Location: London, England