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Transcript from interview with Essie Lee Jones by Claytee White, June 5, 1996
Essie Lee Jones moved from the Tallulah, Louisiana, area to Las Vegas in 1969. In the interview, Jones discusses her employment in various positions such as maid, waitress, and casino porter at the Stardust, Frontier, and Aladdin Hotel/Casinos.
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Lee H. Lisby oral history interview
Oral history interview with Lee H. Lisby conducted by Glen E. Davis on July 10, 1975; Rita O'Brien on April 10, 1978; and Elizabeth Patrick on May 10, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In 1942, Lisby moved from Tallulah, Louisiana to Las Vegas, Nevada. Lisby talks about living conditions and work opportunities for African-Americans in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Avril "Juanita" Simmons and Fred "Bubba" Simmons oral history interview
Oral history interview with Avril "Juanita" Simmons and Fred "Bubba" Simmons conducted by Claytee D. White on May 21, 1996 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection.
In this interview, husband and wife Bubba and Juanita Simmons talk about their separate moves from Fordyce, Arkansas to Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1940s and their impressions of the city after moving. Bubba shares stories of his employment at the Basic Magnesium, Inc. plant in Henderson and his experiences living in tents on the Westside, traveling to work with the help of Red Mitchell, and sharing living spaces with nine to ten other men. Juanita discusses her work as a family's caregiver and speaks to the kinds of occupations Black women obtained in Las Vegas at that time. The couple share stories of city life and the clubs, eateries, and shops that were present in the area.
Archival Collection
Johnson, Viola, 1921-2004
Viola Johnson was born October 12th, 1921 in Fordyce, Arkansas. Johnson moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1942 and lived in a tent. During her interview, she describes working conditions for maids and the Culinary Union strikes between 1969 and 1984.
Person
Jacobs, Essie, 1925-1999
Essie Shelton Jacobs (Essie Jean Shelton) was born in Fordyce, Arkansas on July, 11, 1925. Jacobs arrived in Las Vegas 1963 and worked in housekeeping at Aladdin Hotel for twenty-three years. Active in the Culinary Union, she worked as a supervisor and shop steward.
Person
Viola Johnson oral history interview
Oral history interview with Viola Johnson conducted by Claytee D. White on March 03, 1996 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Johnson discusses leaving Fordyce, Arkansas in 1942 to join her parents in Las Vegas, Nevada where her first home was a tent. Johnson goes on to discuss life with her parents in Las Vegas including their work and church activities. Johnson also describes her work at the Flamingo Hilton and Sands Hotel and Casino as a maid, and at the Riviera Hotel and Casino making sandwiches. Finally, Johnson talks about labor conditions and the Culinary Union during the early years of the Las Vegas Strip casino development.
Archival Collection
Whaley, Eva Poole
Eva Poole Whaley was born on November 22, 1942 in Fordyce, Arkansas. She moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in the early 1960s. She worked in the Clark County School District. She and her husband were restaurant owners before Eva worked at Nevada Power, and then for the telephone company.
Person