Press Release
For Immediate Release
Contact
Ms Katie Duncan
702-490-2699
Moulin Rouge Agreement to be Commemorated as a Day of Healing and Reconciliation March 25th
The Historic Westside of Chamber of Commerce is reaching out to all government agencies and to those with resources aimed at the distressed communities to share the information about how to access those resources to help meet the challenges to this already distressed community with the onset of Coronavirus-19.
On the Diamond Anniversary of the Moulin Rouge meeting bringing about racial integration in Las Vegas, March 25th, a virtual forum will be broadcast live from
SoulCity.us
You and your contacts can enter the forum from the comfort of your desktop starting at 11:30AM PST and ending at 4:30PM Type
SoulCity.us
into your internet address bar and JOIN as a panelist (must be authorized) or watch live from via YouTube or call 702-779-3358 from your mobile device.
Conference participants include American Slaves, Inc., who are advocates for a new identity, Universal Peace Federation will present the principles for reconciliation and National Juneteenth Observance Foundation will discuss multicultural education in Nevada. The Historic Westside Chamber of Commerce will identify resources for businesses, residents, churches, schools and property owners aimed at the historically blighted areas.
March 25th is the day the United Nations recognizes the “Descendants of the Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Although the UN is closed due to Corno-virus 19, Historic Westside Chamber of Commerce plans to still recognize this important day as it is also marks the
60th Anniversary of Racial Integration in Las Vegas and our Mayor’s birthday.
Mayor Carolyn Goodman proclaimed “
Moulin Rouge Agreement Day in the City of Las Vegas and asked all citizens to join in recognizing this agreement ending segregated hotels in Las Vegas and as such, we stand firm advocating equal access and inclusion for everyone
”. She proclaimed
this day to be a “Day of Reconciliation and Healing from the slavery and Jim Crow laws and this day is to be recognized as a day of diversity and inclusion”
.
March 2014
It was sixty years ago that the most powerful people in Nevada met at the Moulin Rouge and made an agreement. The agreement simply said, “The practice of denying accommodations to Negroes must cease.” Hank Greenspun, publisher of the Las Vegas Sun Newspaper was the moderator of the important meeting that brought about an end to segregated hotels in Las Vegas. The event became known as the “Moulin Rouge Agreement”.
On the Diamond Anniversary of the Moulin Rouge meeting bringing about racial integration in Las Vegas, the Historic Westside of Chamber of Commerce is inviting the most powerful people in the Federal, State, County and City governments to reaffirm their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
We are reaching out to all government agencies and to those agencies with resources for the distressed communities to provide information about how to access those resources to meet the challenges to this already distressed community prior to the pandemic now facing even more social and economic hardship.
Participants may join by typing
SoulCity.us
into your internet address bar and JOIN as a panelist (must be authorized). The public can watch live from via YouTube or call 702-779-3358 from your mobile device to ask questions of the panelist.
For additional information about the event, please call the Historic Westside Chamber of Commerce 702-483-3619 or email us at info@soulcity.us
History
The Moulin Rouge Hotel & Casino was the first multiracial resort of its kind in America. It opened its lavish doors five years earlier (5/55) to standing room only crowds with heavyweight champion Joe Louis as owner. It was illegal for blacks and whites to mingle in public at that time. The sheriff closed the doors in October and forced it into bankruptcy in December. The property operated marginally as a motel and rooming house until eventually acquired by the first colored woman to acquire a gaming license in Nevada, Dr. Sarann Knight Preddy. During her control of the property it gained a listing on the National Register of Historic Places.(1992)
Five years after the initial opening and sudden closure of the casino, race relations were very poor in Las Vegas. The NAACP threatened a protest march on the Las Vegas Strip. To avert the threatened march, a meeting was held at the Moulin Rouge attended by the governor, mayor, district attorney, sheriff and hotel owners for the Moulin Rouge agreement. Hank Greenspun, Las Vegas Sun Newspaper, helped to call the meeting and was its moderator.
Historic Westside Chamber of Commerce
The Historic Westside Chamber of Commerce grew out of the Ward 5 Chamber of Commerce after the Historic Westside census tract was identified as a “distressed” community by the United States government. The Historic Westside Chamber of Commerce was organized to bring resources to the businesses located within the zone, especially “Opportunity Zone” investors. A business incubator has been created at 1322 D Street to provide outreach. Historic Westside which includes both Las Vegas and North Las Vegas has the largest concentration of American Slave Descendants than any area of the State.
