Claytee White, director of the Oral History Research Center at UNLV Libraries talked to KNPR's State of Nevada about some of the important landmarks for the city's Black community.
February is Black History Month, and the Neon Museum is celebrating with an emphasis during its tours on the parts of its collection connected to Black history.
If Las Vegas came close to the "Leave It to Beaver" feel in the 1940s and 50s, it was with the John S. Park neighborhood. Tucked to the East of the Strip, between Charleston Blvd. and Franklin Ave., it was a slice of Vegas life - home to everyone from future politicians (like Senator Richard Bryan and Bob Coffin) and artists, too. It eventually became a U.S. Historic District.
So what kind of neighborhood was it? How has it changed since sodas were a nickel? Who lives there now? UNLV is collecting the oral histories of a number of "JSP" residents. We talk to old and new residents about the changing fabric of their neighborhood, and how residents teamed up against developer Bob Stupak in 1999, when he wanted to build a Titanic-themed casino in their backyard. We ask, how does the John S. Park neighborhood define Las Vegas?
