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Ruby Phillips Duncan (born June 7, 1932 in Tallulah, Louisiana) is a notable figure in American history, recognized for her advocacy for low-income families and welfare rights in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was also the co-founder of the organization Operation Life and President of the Clark County Welfare Rights Organization.
She came from a family of sharecroppers, and the majority of her early life was spent laboring in the cotton fields from May through October and attending a black school eight miles away from November through April. Both her parents had died by the time she turned four and from that point on she lived with relatives in Tallulah.
She left Louisiana for Las Vegas in 1952 to live with an aunt, working as a house maid and later as a hotel maid.
Duncan worked as a house maid until 1959, at which point she found a job as a hotel maid. She was fired from this job in 1964 for organizing other maids in order to protest against their working conditions and low wages. After being fired, the only source of income she had to support herself and her young children was the meager Aid to Dependent Children (ADC) grant she received from the state welfare system. After a while she was able to get a job working in the pantry of a hotel on the strip. However, while on the job, she slipped and fell, injuring her back and rendering her unable to do heavy work and exposing her firsthand to the inadequate and often demeaning systems meant to support struggling families. She contacted the State Welfare Department asking for job training so that she could get hired in a job that did not require physical labor but the department was reluctant.
In 1967 Congress passed new amendments requiring all women on Aid to Families with Dependent Children to enroll in job training programs. The only program available to welfare mothers on the Westside of Las Vegas, where Duncan lived, was a sewing class that met five days a week eight hours a day and paid $25 a week. This is where Duncan became radicalized and mobilized with other welfare mothers. She sat in the front row of the class, and she and the other mothers began to talk and share their stories, experiences, and frustration with welfare. This sewing class was central in Ruby Duncan's radicalization and activism, as this class was where she and the other welfare mothers were able to voice their opinions and bond with each other. The women in the class eventually banded together to form what became Clark County Welfare Rights. [1]
Ruby Duncan, along with other black welfare mothers, led the movement for Welfare Rights in Las Vegas. She created the Nevada Welfare Rights Organization and together she and the group fought to bring the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as the Federal Food Stamps Program) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children, or WIC, to Nevada. Through their protests, political activism, and perseverance, they succeeded in these goals. George Wiley trained members of the new group, and many young attorneys volunteered for the group to give legal advice. The group, led by Ruby Duncan, Mary Wesley, Alversa Beals, Emma Stampley, and Essie Henderson, organized many protests, eat-ins, marches, speeches, and political events to advocate for those receiving welfare and for women's rights. [2]
In 1971 the state of Nevada cut 75% of welfare given to women with children. Ruby Duncan was infuriated by this and organized with other welfare mothers she had met and worked with, especially those from Clark County Welfare Rights and the Nevada Welfare Rights Organization. She began organizing small demonstrations and finally organized two marches of welfare mothers and their children down the Las Vegas Strip. [3]
In the first march, Duncan organized upwards of 6000 people to march together down the Las Vegas Strip with the goal of shutting down revenues to the Casinos for at least an hour to show the government how serious the welfare mothers were and to make the injustice public. The welfare mothers invited celebrities and well known activists like Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Ralph Abernathy, Cesar Chavez, Dr. Benjamin Spock, and Dave Dellinger, in order to protect themselves from police and bystander abuse during the protest. On March 6, 1971, Ruby Duncan and the welfare mothers, their children, and hundreds of allies marched down the Las Vegas Strip and effectively cut off business from most of the casinos, including Caesars Palace, for several hours. [1]
A week later, another march took place. This time, in protest, they sat across 6 lanes of traffic. Many women and children were then arrested. [4]
The marches were successful, and gained a lot of attention from local and national news. Duncan and the other welfare mothers of the Clark County Welfare Rights Organization organized eat-ins, at which dozens of welfare mothers and their children would sit down at casino restaurants, order food, eat, and then leave, telling the casinos to bill the state government. The casinos footed the bills, and two weeks after the initial eat-in, a federal judge mandated that all of the mothers that had been dropped from welfare be re-added immediately. [5]
Ruby Duncan also served as a Democratic Delegate for Nevada at the 1980 Democratic National Convention. [6]
Ruby Duncan co-founded Operation Life in 1972 and served as the director for nearly 2 decades. The non-profit organization worked towards improving the lives of families and promoted welfare reform in West Las Vegas. Operation Life initiated community programs including drug and alcohol abuse prevention, daycare centers, medical clinics, lunch programs and employment programs. Operation Life also contributed "Ruby Duncan Manor" a housing building for 30 elderly and disabled individuals. Ruby stepped down as director in 1990 and the organization ended in 1992. [6]
She has received multiple awards and honors, and have amongst others been proclaimed a Distinguished Nevadan, received honorary degrees from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas , University of Nevada, Reno and from the Community College of Southern Nevada. [2] She has also received the "Freedom Tree" award, from the University of Nevada Reno in 2009. This award was given to her for all of her accomplishments from the then Vice President MarQuez Eagles, of the college's Undergraduate School of Social Work Association (USSWA). In 2008, Duncan was awarded the Margaret Chase Smith Award from the National Association of Secretaries of State. [7] Ruby Duncan Elementary School, North Las Vegas, Nevada then opened it's doors in 2010. [8] Recently she was honored by Steven Horsford on the House Floor during Women's History Month. [9]
Nevada is the only U.S. state where prostitution is legally permitted in some form. Prostitution is legal in 10 of Nevada's 17 counties, although only six allow it in every municipality. Six counties have at least one active brothel, which mainly operate in isolated, rural areas. The state's most populated counties, Clark and Washoe, are among those that do not permit prostitution. It is also illegal in Nevada's capital, Carson City, an independent city.
Circus Circus Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the northern Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Phil Ruffin. Circus Circus includes the largest permanent circus in the world. It features circus and trapeze acts, as well as carnival games, at its Carnival Midway. The resort also includes the Adventuredome, an indoor amusement park.
The Hacienda was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, that operated from 1956 to 1996. It was opened by Warren Bayley, who owned other Hacienda properties in California as well. Bayley opened the hotel portion in June 1956, although the opening of the casino was delayed as the Nevada Gaming Control Board objected to his choice of casino manager, Jake Kozloff. The casino portion eventually opened on October 17, 1956. The $6 million property had 266 rooms and the largest pool on the Las Vegas Strip. Like its sister properties in California, the resort included a neon sign that depicted a cowboy riding a palomino horse.
El Rancho Vegas was a hotel and casino at the north end of the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. It opened in 1941, as the first resort on the Strip, known then as part of Highway 91. It was located at what is now the southwest corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara Avenue. The El Rancho Vegas was conceived by Thomas Hull, who owned several hotels in California and wanted to expand his operations to Las Vegas. He decided to build his new resort along Highway 91, on desert land located just outside of city limits. Hull intended to target motorists traveling from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, although his remote location was met with skepticism.
The Silver Slipper was a casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. It opened on September 1, 1950. It was built just north of the Frontier hotel-casino, and they both shared the same ownership, although the Silver Slipper's gaming operations were later leased out. Businessman Howard Hughes leased the casino from 1968 until his death in 1976.
Steven Alexzander Horsford is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for Nevada's 4th congressional district since 2019, previously holding the position from 2013 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the Nevada Senate, representing the 4th district, in Clark County, from 2005 to 2013. Horsford was the first African American to serve as Majority Leader (2009–2013) and the first African American to represent Nevada in Congress. He lost to Republican nominee Cresent Hardy in 2014.
The Culinary Workers Union, UNITE HERE Local 226 is a local union affiliated with UNITE HERE which operates in the Las Vegas metropolitan area of Nevada. Members include a variety of occupations organized along craft lines working in restaurants, hotels and laundries, in the casinos in the Las Vegas metropolitan area and Reno, as well as Harry Reid International Airport and Valley Hospital Medical Center. While most Culinary members work in casinos, the union does not represent dealers and other employees directly providing gaming services. The union also has a partnership with the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas, which Hattie Canty, the first African-American woman elected to be president of the Culinary Union, was instrumental in organizing. Local 165 of UNITE HERE represents bartenders in Las Vegas although the two locals negotiate contracts in tandem.
The Las Vegas Dancers Alliance was an organization of adult entertainment workers in Las Vegas founded in 2002 by Andrea Hackett in response to regulations adopted by Clark County, Nevada that criminalized lap dances. It grew to include 1,000 members from strip clubs throughout the Las Vegas valley including Crazy Horse Too, Spearmint Rhino and many others. Despite its size, L.V.D.A. was unable to bring about substantive changes to the law or the adult club industry as a whole. Part of the blame fell on dancers unwilling to participate in rallies, meetings and events. However, much of it fell on club owners who colluded with local law enforcement to intimidate dancers. Another factor was attacks from the left and a lack of assistance from established unions. The Huffington Post wrote a hit piece on Hackett at the height of L.V.D.A's influence which the Nevada State Democratic Party linked on their website. Unwilling to alienate their left wing allies, the Teamsters, who had promised to help, rescinded their offer. SEIU followed suit. This spelled the end of L.V.D.A.
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The 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Nevada were held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014, to elect the four U.S. representatives from the state of Nevada, one from each of the state's four congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a gubernatorial election. As of 2024, this is the last time the Republicans won a majority of House districts in Nevada, as well as the last time Nevada's 2nd congressional district was won with over 60% of the vote.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.
Sarann Knight-Preddy was an American business leader and gaming pioneer in the U.S. state of Nevada. In 1950, she became the "first and only woman of color to receive a gaming license" in the state. She was the co-founder of a node of the Democratic Club in Las Vegas.
Town Tavern was a bar and casino located at 600 West Jackson Avenue on the West Side of Las Vegas, Nevada. It was later known as New Town Tavern, and Ultra New Town Tavern, operating from 1955 to 2013.
Operation Life was a nonprofit organization in Las Vegas, founded by Ruby Duncan, Ruby Freeman, Aldine Weems, Alversa Beals, Rosie Seals, Essie Henderson, Emma Stampley, and Mary Wesley in May 1972, that campaigned for welfare rights in West Las Vegas. The founders of Operation Life organization along with a group of Westside mothers, Ruby Duncan, Aldine Weems, Mary Wesley, Essie Henderson, Alversa Beals, Emma Stampley, Rosie Seals, Roma Jean Hunt and many others campaigned for welfare rights. The women also founded the Clark County Welfare Rights Organization in 1967 which later became Operation Life, which was also a chapter of the National Welfare Rights Organization.
The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Nevada were held on November 6, 2018, to elect the four U.S. representatives from the State of Nevada, one from each of the state's four congressional districts. The elections coincided with the Nevada gubernatorial election, as well as other elections to the United States House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. Primary elections were held on June 12, 2018.
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The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of Nevada on March 5, 2020. Because of concerns about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Nevada governor Steve Sisolak declared a state of emergency on March 12, 2020. Four days later, Nevada reported its first death. On March 17, 2020, Sisolak ordered the closure of non-essential businesses in the state, to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Grocery stores were among the businesses considered essential, and restaurants were allowed to provide drive-thru, takeout, and delivery services. At the end of March 2020, Sisolak announced a 90-day moratorium on evictions and foreclosures for commercial and residential tenants. The moratorium would be extended several times over the next year.
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Harriet Hope Trudell was an American political organizer and activist. She was a delegate at the 1976 Democratic National Convention and the 1980 Democratic National Convention. She ran the 1968 presidential campaign of Hubert Humphrey in Nevada and the 1972 presidential campaign of George McGovern in southern Nevada and served as an aide to Governor Mike O'Callaghan and Representative Harry Reid.
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