The Civil Rights History Project: Survey of Collections and Repositories

West Las Vegas oral history teen project

Repository: Las Vegas-Clark County Library District. West Las Vegas Library

Collection Description (Extant): The West Las Vegas Teen Oral History Project is an intergenerational project, enabling teens to become historians of cultural and heritage experiences in their African American Community. We assembled a team of six (6) teen volunteers by contacting and requesting nominations from area special interest groups which included, but was not limited to, schools, sororities and fraternities, and churches. We created a selection committee which included staff from the West Las Vegas Library, and members from area special interest groups which included but was not limited to schools, sororities and fraternities, and churches. This nomination committee selected twenty individuals to interview. Only one was not available. Individuals selected are long standing residents or elders within the African American Community willing to discuss their first-hand accounts of life in West Las Vegas to the student oral historians. Stan Armstrong from UNLV was contracted to oversee the interviews and to teach the kids how to conduct the interviews. We have had several planning meetings with Stan starting in September. We awarded the positions to the Teens first week of October and conducted several weeks of training on interview techniques, questions, equipment, greeter etc. The youth involved did follow up activities at their schools/library to learn more about Oral History and start work on their personal "Class Journal" to document their experiences with doing the histories.

Access Copy Note: Transcripts and videos are available online from the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District's virtual library (search for "west las vegas oral history" in the library catalog, and follow the links to digital content). Digital content provided by OverDrive; access may be restricted to users at subscribing institutions. Contact the library for more information.

Date(s): 2008-2009

Digital Status: Yes

Extent: 9 interviews (VHS, WMV), transcripts

Finding Aid: Catalog records are available.

Finding Aid URL: http://ebooks.lvccld.org/5CC57386-08A6-48D0-AB07-EFFDFF20B511/10/256/en/BANGSearch.dll?Type=Series&ID=%7B3BB03A67-DEA7-4D4E-9B19-100FCDC388D2%7D

Language: English

Related Archival Items: See African American Special Collections holdings in the West Las Vegas branch library: http://www.lvccld.org/library/special/afam/index.cfm.

Interviewees: Agnes Clay Marshall, Rev. Marion Bennett, Lewis Whitley, June Whitley, Clinton Wright, Travis Williams, Althia Taylor, Walter Mason, Mr. and Mrs. Art Jordan, Lucille Cleveland Bryant, Joyce Wright, Esther Taylor, Rev. Jesse Scott, Helen Anderson Toland, Stella Parson, Lois Harris Hodge, Arnold "Frank" Harris, Mary Louise Harris Miller, Pa'Tina Horner, Leo Segura, Myana Traylor

Rights (CRHP): Contact the repository which holds the collection for information on rights

Subjects:

African American businesspeople
African American churches--Nevada
African American educators--Nevada
African American entertainers
African American journalists
African Americans--Civil rights--Nevada
African Americans--Nevada
Busing for school integration
Discrimination in employment
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968--Assassination
Nevada--Race relations
School integration--Nevada

Genres:

Interviews
Transcripts
Videorecordings