Where I Stand 1984 — Hank Greenspun: Dr. Charles West’s death a loss for Southern Nevada

Friday, March 2, 2001 | 8:37 a.m.

Editor's note: This column by Sun founder Hank Greenspun appeared on Oct. 10, 1984.

The freedom fight has lost a true champion.

The truth should be spoken, not feared. And when Dr. Charles West first arrived in Las Vegas there were many truths that had to be spoken, but those who knew the truth had fear in their hearts.

Las Vegas in the early '50s was a Jim Crow town. The movie theater on Fremont Street had a section in the back six rows on the left set aside for blacks. No hotel or casino on the Strip or downtown would admit them, and even the bus station on Main Street had a rule against serving blacks in its restaurant. Those who arrived by bus would have to go clear to the Westside to eat or else go on to Arizona and other parts hungry.

It was in this environment of hate and intolerance that Dr. West made his decision to settle and practice medicine as Las Vegas' first black doctor.

Where others feared it couldn't be done, Dr. West proved that the most formidable obstacles could be overcome with knowledge, faith and perseverance.

Although he was greeted cordially by the white medical community because of his academic credits, his war record and the excellence of his medical background -- including graduation from Harvard Medical School and service in the military as a field surgeon in France, where he was wounded -- the many honors he received in Europe and other parts of the country were not sufficient to overcome community prejudice.

Charley West could have forsaken his brethren and moved into the higher echelons, if he really wanted to, but that was not his choice.

Recalling his service in the military, where he saw abuses heaped on black soldiers who often were relegated to the most menial of duties, he looked around Las Vegas and decided to use every means within his power to bring about racial equality and right the centuries-old wrongs that still prevailed here.

Speaking out against it was not enough for him, so he started the first newspaper in West Las Vegas, the Voice, so he could express the frustrations of his fellows in print.

He spoke out at a time when it was unpopular to do so, jeopardizing his own career; but he saw wrong and battled to make it right.

He knew that the way to better relations between the races was not through violence and bitterness, but through intelligent discourse among all groups.

Along with the first black dentist, Dr. James McMillan, for whom he paved the way, and Bob Bailey among others, meetings were held in my office and at the old Moulin Rouge in West Las Vegas to avoid the first mass march, and the riot that would have been a result.

When hotter heads threatened violence and bloodshed, Dr. West cooled them down, pointing out how tragic the results of such action might be. When there were charges of police brutality against his people, he was among the first to face law enforcement and demand action to stem the injustice.

It was the cool thinking, the tremendous knowledge and mature judgment of the early group led by West that ended many volcanic situations that might have erupted.

Like Jackie Robinson, who pioneered the way for black athletes, Dr. Charles West was able to rise above the crowd and take everyone with him from the ranks of the disadvantaged and discriminated.

We knew the Voice well, because during the hard times in its career this newspaper helped with the printing.

In 1959 Charley wrote: "Issues concerning the rights and dignity of men are of vital concern to people everywhere.

"There is no issue (civil rights) more vital to our way of life in Nevada. The future of the gaming industry may well depend upon our ability to face the civil rights issue with courage, intelligence and realism.

"Our heritage of courage which was so evident among our minutemen of '76 -- the doughboys of 1918 -- the GIs of World War II and Korea -- is conspicuous by its absence when we are faced with the problem of civil rights.

"It is a mystery how any man can object to another having the same rights as himself. It is no less a mystery that our legislators can ignore this crucial issue. The answers cannot be found in a man's estimation of himself, nor in his religion, nor in his politics."

Charley West found the answer to his commitment to civil rights in his heart, and he spent a major portion of his life trying to ease the tensions of racial strife and show people of all colors how to live in peace and harmony.

Dr. Charles West was a healer -- not just of bodies, but of minds and souls, and that is the way he led others when he chose to change the ugly political and spiritual environment of Southern Nevada in the early '50s and create a better life.

He never stopped pounding on the freedom bell until the city, county and leaders in our principal industry heard it ring.

Charley West did not go gentle into that good night where he now sleeps, and we are all the better for it.