1905- Utah Pioneer J.T McWilliams establishes modern day Black West Las Vegas :
1931- Gambling is legalized on March 19. As wealthy Southerners begin frequenting the town,
they pressure casino owners to keep blacks out :
1939- The City of Las Vegas passes and ordinance that limit black residents to West Las Vegas:
1946- Black Entertainers Bill " Bojangles " Robinson and Nat King Cole are major headliners on
the strip can not stay in hotels or gamble ! Instead black stars are shuffled to and from West Las Vegas
boarding houses.
1947- Singer Lena Horne tells Benjamin " Bugsy " Siegel owner of the Flamingo, that she either stays in the hotel as guest or she will not perform there ! She is allowed to stay but her linens that are changed daily are
purportedly burned.
1955- Sammy Davis Jr is allowed to stay at the Sands, because of his friend Frank Sinatra.The Moulin
Rouge Casino is the first intergrated casino in Las Vegas on the west side, is closed after 6 months !
1959- Interacial marriage is legalized in Nevada !
1960- The Las Vegas NAACP agrees not to march in front of the strip casinos, after the Larger casinos
agree to end practice of segregation and allow blacks as guest !
1 comment:
Thank you for sharing this! I wasn't aware of this Vegas History!
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