Oral history interview with Benilda Long Somes conducted by Vincent Long on November 29, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Benilda discusses her life in Magalang, Philippines and her immigration to Saipan, part of the Northern Mariana Islands, as a young woman. She talks about meeting her partner, airman Robert Long, the birth of their son, and Robert's untimely death in an air crash less than a year later. Benilda shares how she and her child immigrated to the United States to be with family and their move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2009.
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Oral history interview with Carrie Neal conducted by Aireona Bradford on November 15, 2015 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Neal discusses her upbringing and migration from the South, her marriage and move to Las Vegas, Nevada, her work in the back-of-the-house at multiple casino-hotels, the Black church and the influence of the Culinary Union.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with John Wittwer conducted by Perry Kaufman on May 17, 1972 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Kaufman discusses living in Santa Clara, Utah and describes families from Switzerland migrating there as converts to the Latter-Day Saints Church.
Archival Collection
Interview with Arlone Scott conducted by Glen Ette Davis on July 3, 1975. Born in Louisiana, Scott moved to Las Vegas in 1951, eventually becoming a hotel maid supervisor. She shares her early experiences of positive race relations among churches in Las Vegas and notes that the Culinary Union improved job opportunities for minorities. Scott concludes with comments on the effects of discrimination and segregation on entertainment and recreation for blacks.
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Interview with Clarence Ray conducted by Jaime Coughtry in 1991. Having arrived in Las Vegas in the 1920s, Ray provides a rare perspective on shifts in race relations over the years. He shares stories of early businesses and efforts at organization within the black community. From his arrival, Ray worked to secure equal opportunity and civil rights legislation. During the 1960s, he served two terms as president of the Voters League, formed in 1928 to increase black voting power.
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Oral history interview with Howard Heckethorn conducted by Neil Dalmas on March 02, 1977 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. This interview offers an overview of early education in Nevada. Mr. Heckethorn also discusses Stewart Ranch, Howard Hughes and the Hughes Site, and the migration of the Mormons to the Las Vegas area.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Louis Conner conducted by John Grygo on March 22, 2013 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Conner discusses his personal history and growing up in Tallulah, Louisiana. He talks about moving to Las Vegas, Nevada with his family for job opportunities in the late 1950s. Conner describes his employment at the Stardust Hotel, segregation, and living in West Las Vegas. He then talks about integration in the mid-1960s, Jackson Street entertainment, and the changing demographic of the Westside. Lastly, Conner discusses the development of Las Vegas, families moving out of the Westside, and new businesses in the area.
Archival Collection