Las Vegas Research Paper

At this time in Las Vegas it was controlled by business/mob men. "Events that defined the African American community in Las Vegas throughout the Civil Rights era. African Americans could not go into hotel casinos, shows, gamble or lounges. If you were a black celebrity or entertainer they would have to enter through the back door of the casino, walk through the kitchen and get to the stage area to perform. Back of the house workers such as maids and cooks did the same thing to enter a casino. Very few African American workers worked the front of the house jobs like card dealers, waitresses and porters where you earn the real money. African Americans may not receive assignments that offer a long-term position or advancement for the company.

African Americans migrated to Vegas for better opportunities for themselves and their families. "During the 1960's and 1970's protest, political action and court orders went away segregation in Southern Nevada" (Puppel). In 1971 there was a consent decreed that result in a federal lawsuit against racial discrimination and the resort industry. There was a requirement that twelve percent of casino jobs go to African Americans. University of Nevada Las Vegas oral historian Claytee White said, "most African Americans worked as maids or porters" (Puppel). In 1966 Caesars Palace opened up and they hired two black cocktail waitresses. But, the consent decreed allowed African Americans to be dealers, servers and mid-level managers. It was before 1971 that we saw jobs expand for the black community. African Americans having jobs in the gambling industry. When segregation began in 1960's, Las Vegas became a "cosmopolitan city." Blacks were allowed to perform but not stay in casinos. As they stayed in boarding houses on the west side. "Eventually we got to see more African Americans not just in the back of house but also in the front of the

By mid-century, racism in Las Vegas was so onerous that it had achieved national prominence, causing Nevada to be branded as the Mississippi of the West. Blacks first began to settle in Las Vegas in the spring of 1905 when the fledging town became a stop on the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad. Most of the men worked as porters and in the railroad repair shop, while women held positions as maids and homemakers" (Online Nevada). Both sexes shared in entrepreneurial pursuits: owning restaurants, a shoeshine stand, a boarding house, and entertainment venues. "African Americans in Las Vegas fought tirelessly for civil and economic equality, gained the right to equal accommodation before the rest of the country, proposed and executed a school desecration plan, and led by Ruby Ducan, waged a successful Welfare Rights Movement that included a 1971 march on the Las Vegas Strip. Efforts to improve education, healthcare, jobs and housing that benefit the African American community in Las Vegas" (Online