Drew, Barbara Jean, 1943-

Barbara Drew is the dean of the Academy for Ministers, teaches Bible study, and performs other spiritual work at New Jerusalem Worship Center. Drew migrated to Las Vegas from Fortune Fork, Louisiana, just two miles outside the city limits of Tallulah. She traveled by car where passengers slept, ate, and talked about their new lives-to-be. She lived with an aunt on D and Monroe in a shack with a butane stove and no indoor toilet. Her first job was at American Linen.

This interview covers life in the Black community beginning when Drew arrived in 1961. She spoke about the importance of businesses like the Brown Derby, Hamburger Heaven, and the Town Tavern that hosted jazz on Sunday afternoons with a dance floor that she enjoyed. The job that taught her about life was running a Dry Cleaners owned by Phil Shapiro who taught her everything about business operations, purchasing property for her family, bookkeeping, and the importance of having a bank account. She spoke of a neighborhood where neighbors helped neighbors and opportunities that flourished throughout the Black community.