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James Jones Jr. oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00963

Abstract

Oral history interview with James Jones Jr. conducted by Barbara Tabach on February 28, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Jones discusses growing up in Waverly and Tallulah, Louisiana in the 1940s. He talks about moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1959, his initial impressions of the city, and his employment at the Nevada Test Site. Jones then describes race discrimination on the Strip, the type of jobs available to African Americans, and his experiences living on the Westside. Later, Jones recalls seeing Sammy Davis Jr. perform at the Moulin Rouge in Las Vegas, meeting Martin Luther King Jr., and changes in the Westside. Lastly, Jones discusses his career in funeral services, describes the industry, and running his own business, Thomas and Jones Funeral Home.

Archival Collection

Julia Payne oral history interviews

Identifier

OH-01448

Abstract

Oral history interviews with Julia Payne conducted by Claytee D. White on February 11, 2004 and March 07, 2004 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In the first interview, Payne discusses arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1961. She describes discrimination, redlining on the Westside, and recalls the lack of integration at the time. Payne then discusses Jackson Street and compares it to the Las Vegas Strip. Lastly, Payne talks about Cove Hotel, Hank’s Place, Colony Club, and the decline in African American businesses on Jackson Street. In the second interview, Payne discusses welfare rights, changes to the Westside and growth of suburban areas. She describes her employment with the Southern Nevada Drug Abuse Council and becoming the first African American substance abuse counselor. Lastly, Payne discusses her position as Executive Director of Nevada Treatment Center.

Archival Collection

William Eugene Plaid oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01689

Abstract

Oral history interview with William Eugene Plaid conducted by Claytee D. White on June 03, 2015 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Plaid begins by describing his family history and his upbringing in Illinois, telling stories from his childhood and young adulthood concerning his jobs, education, and discrimination he faced as an African American. He discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1963, where he began his career as a waiter at the Hacienda Resort Hotel and Casino before later working at the Riviera Hotel & Casino, where he spent the majority of his career. Plaid details the celebrities he has served, including Frank Sinatra and Milton Berle, racial segregation and integration in Las Vegas, and the service industry in the casinos. Other topics of discussion include his children, organized crime in Las Vegas, and how Las Vegas has changed since the 1960s.

Archival Collection

Thelma Turner oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01854

Abstract

Oral history interview with Thelma Turner conducted by Claytee D. White on October 21, 2004 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Turner discusses her family background and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1947. She describes the city at the time and recalls her educational experiences while attending the Fifth Street School and Las Vegas High School. Turner then talks about her involvement as a teacher for Sunday church school and her employment at the Moulin Rouge Hotel-Casino as a change girl and waitress. Later, Turner discusses the Helldorado Parade, racial integration, and being the first African American family to move to North Las Vegas in 1966. Lastly, Turner describes housing and what the community was like in the Westside.

Archival Collection

Essie Lee Jones oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02107

Abstract

Oral history interview with Essie Lee Jones conducted by Claytee D. White on June 05, 1996 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Jones begins by discussing her upbringing in Tallulah, Louisiana, working in the cotton fields with both white and African American workers, and explaining how she came to move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1970. She describes becoming a maid at the Stardust Resort and Casino and later working as a waitress at the Frontier Hotel and Casino until her retirement. Jones talks about being a member of the Culinary Workers Union, the African American community's relationship with the union, and her experiences with racial discrimination and race relations in Las Vegas and Tallulah as an African American woman.

Archival Collection

Kimberly Bailey-Tureaud oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02139

Abstract

Oral history interview with Kimberly Bailey-Tureaud conducted by Patricia Holland on April 21, 2015 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Bailey-Tureaud discusses her career in radio broadcasting and her personal magazine, Las Vegas Black Image, which is published in Las Vegas, Nevada. She describes organizing a concert with a former radio station run by the Economic Opportunity Board, which featured African American musical talent, and working in conjunction with local African American radio station KCEP to promote Las Vegas Black Image, a publication which focuses on the African American community in Las Vegas. Bailey-Tureaud also discusses the lack of African American media in the Las Vegas area, how she sees Las Vegas and African American media in the city progressing in the future, and how she feels political and business interests suppress African American media in some circumstances.

Archival Collection

Lawrence Wickliffe oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02203

Abstract

Oral history interview with Lawrence Wickliffe conducted by Kim Odusanya on November 29, 2014 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Wickliffe discusses his personal history living in Ferriday, Louisiana and later moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1953. He talks about his first impressions of the city and his career as a firefighter. Wickliffe then describes the West Las Vegas riots and protesting for social change, redlining on the Westside, and the recent economic upturn in the area. Later, Wickliffe recalls being the first African American paramedic in Las Vegas and his promotion to Battalion Fire Chief in 1978. He describes assisting at the MGM Grand fire in 1980 and the subsequent implementation of fire sprinkler systems inside hotels and casinos. Lastly, Wickliffe recalls desegregation on the Las Vegas Strip, families moving out of the Westside, and changes in Las Vegas.

Archival Collection

Jimmy Wilkins oral history interviews

Identifier

OH-02463

Abstract

Oral history interviews with Jimmy Wilkins conducted by Lisa Gioia-Acres on May 30, 2008 and September 15, 2008 for the All That Jazz Oral History Project. In these interviews, Wilkins discusses his career as a jazz trombonist. He begins by talking about his upbringing in St. Louis, Missouri, his early interest in being a musician, learning to play the trombone in high school, and later enlisting in the United States Navy to play in Navy bands. Wilkins describes leaving the Navy after World War II ended and continuing his musical career by joining jazz bands in the St. Louis area, playing across the United States with traveling bands, and eventually moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1994. He talks about playing jazz in casinos such as the Four Queens and the Riviera, the current jazz culture in Las Vegas, and his retirement.

Archival Collection

Norma de la Cerna Tolbert oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02886

Abstract

Oral history interview with Norma de la Cerna Tolbert conducted by Claytee D. White on June 25, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Tolbert discusess her career as a professional dancer from the age of fifteen. She begins by describing her early childhood in Houston, Texas, moving to Chicago, Illinois where she began to study dance, and leaving home at fifteen years old to go to Atlantic City, New Jersey to dance in professional productions. Tolbert then discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1955, performing at the Moulin Rouge, and living in the Berkley Square community where they built new housing for the dancers. She also discusses performing at the Dunes Hotel and Casino, the African American community of Las Vegas, and the closing of the Moulin Rouge.

Archival Collection

Melvin Sanders Jr. oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02899

Abstract

Oral history interview with Melvin Sanders Jr. conducted by John Grygo on February 18, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Sanders discusses his personal history and his experiences growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada. He describes the development of West Las Vegas, his father being a pastor at the House of Holiness church, and talks about other spiritual leaders in the community. Later, Sanders discusses the riots after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and how African American entertainers were limited in where they performed on the Las Vegas Strip. He talks about Jackson Street, the increase of police on the Westside, and racial tensions in the mid 1970s. Lastly, Sanders recalls when casinos begun integrating, and he describes starting an automobile detailing business, J.R. Detailing.

Archival Collection