Oral history conversation with Rose Hamilton, Carolyn Haywood, Marilyn Armstrong, Hannah Johnson, Bobbie Gilmore and Delores (Dodi) Johnson. The group shares memories of how they and their families came to live in Las Vegas during the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Interviewed by Maribel Estrada Calderón. Barbara Tabach and Laurents Banuelos-Benitez also participate in the questioning. Erika Castro was born in Mexico City in 1989. At the age of three, she migrated with her family to the United States. She remembers entering Kindergarten without knowing how to speak English. She graduated from the College of Southern Nevada. Castro has since been a political activist. Subjects: PLAN, Planned Parenthood, Environmental Justice, UndocuNetwork, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, DREAM Act
Oral history interviews with Sarann Knight Preddy conducted by Claytee D. White on June 05, 1997 and March 11, 1998 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Preddy begins her interview by discussing her upbringing in Oklahoma. Preddy then talks about moving to Las Vegas in 1942 and her first job at the Cotton Club. She then discusses moving to Hawthorne, Nevada, buying her club, the Lincoln Bar, and working for the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement Colored People (NAACP). Preddy also talks about gaining gaming licenses for her establishments and about the migration patterns of the African American community in Nevada. She describes the Westside community, education, and prejudice in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lastly, Preddy describes important places and people in the Las Vegas community.
Henry Shepherd was born and raised on a plantation in Tallulah, Louisiana, where the primary crops were peanuts and corn. When he moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1967, he worked as a bartender at the Sands Hotel. Shepherd was able to send his daughter to college because he was working for the Culinary Workers Union Local 226. Leaving the Sands Hotel, he went to the Landmark Hotel and Casino, and then went to Circus Circus Hotel. The Luxor Hotel and Casino was his final stop in a bartending career that spanned over three decades.
Oral history interview with Rossi Ralenkotter conducted by Claytee D. White on August 4, 2022 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Ralenkotter describes migrating to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1951 with his parents at the age of four. He shares early memories of the city, and talks about how it brought him to be president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). Ralenkotter is responsible for marketing and branding Las Vegas and Southern Nevada as the world's most desirable destination for leisure and business travel. Under his leadership, the LVCVA launched the most successful branding campaign in tourism history, "What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas." In 1971, Ralenkotter earned a master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and in 2008 was selected as Alumni of the Year. In 2009, he was honored with UNLV's Distinguished Nevadan Award. Throughout the interview, Ralenkotter recalls his many memories of the city throughout his life, including cruising Fremont Street, swimming at Lorenzi Park, participating in Helldorado parades, and watching the transformation of sports in the city.
Bishop James M. Rogers was born around 1951 and was raised on a plantation in Louisiana near Tallulah, Louisiana. He arrived to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1970 at the age of 19, and was mentored by Dr. F.N. Addison. He also started to attend community rallies and town hall meetings. His initial involvement in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) happened through supporting his pastor and getting involved in marches and news conferences.