Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Former NAACP leader Scott recalls Las Vegas roots

The Rev. Jesse D. Scott remembers when Las Vegas, like the rest of the nation, subscribed to a color line. Blacks worked in kitchens or on stages to draw white customers. Neighborhood populations tended toward monochrome.

It is a truth that Scott does not see represented in history books. So he is moderating a free workshop where he and others will speak about the early contributions of blacks to the development of Las Vegas.

The workshop, titled "Community Roots: The History of West Las Vegas," will be held Saturday and again March 19 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the West Las Vegas Arts Center. Admittance is free.

"Most people, black and white, have no idea what blacks have done in making this city what it is today," Scott said. "All those things helped put this city on the map."

He said blacks provided manpower and marquee names for the hotels. They worked in the valley's fledgling industries.

"Blacks worked at the titanium plants and they worked at the Test Site for years and years. All these efforts helped to make the nation strong," Scott said. "It's no different from what we've done nationally as well, but few people know about it."

Scott came to Las Vegas nearly 35 years ago from Louisiana via Los Angeles. He is 85 years old and a former president of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Scott called West Las Vegas where he lives a "fantastic place." The neighborhood in the area of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Bonanza Road is a historically black one, Scott said, but over time that division has been disappearing with other color distinctions.

"All limits have been blurred now," Scott said.

"We have made some progress, and in some instances moved back," he said. "Hope springs eternally and we hope that we continue to move forward."

The featured speaker at both workshops will be former Las Vegas Councilman Frank Hawkins. Previous speakers in the series have included former state Sen. Joe Neal among other community and business leaders.

The sessions will be recorded by the city's parks and recreation department, Scott said, and include a question and answer session. Scott will moderate.

For more information, call the West Las Vegas Arts Center, 947 W. Lake Mead Blvd., at 229-4800.

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