Originally opened in May 1955, the Moulin Rouge Hotel and Casino quickly rose in popularity as Las Vegas’ first racially-integrated hotel and casino. Sammy Davis, Jr., Louis Armstrong, and other A-list black singers and musicians performed at the Moulin Rouge on a regular basis, and for once they were allowed to spend the night in the same hotel where they performed.
This book explains the important role that the hotel-casino played in early desegregation efforts in Las Vegas. With the Moulin Rouge as the backdrop, it provides an analysis of the evolution of race-relations in Las Vegas, including a detailed account of the landmark 1960 desegregation agreement. Finally, it examines recent efforts to rebuild and renovate the historic establishment.

Earnest N. Bracey is a retired Army lieutenant colonel and is a professor of political science and African American history at the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas.

Earnest N. Bracey
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 227
Bibliographic Info: 28 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2009
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3992-8
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5251-4
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      7

Preface      11

Introduction      15

1. In the Beginning      23

2. The Inevitability of Interracial Socialization in Las Vegas      31

3. The Main Event      39

4. After the Lights and Fanfare      47

5. The New Business Acquisition      55

6. The Persistence of Cultural, Racial and Religious Barriers      63

7. The Desegregation Agreement      69

8. Hot Times in the City      79

9. Blacks Need Not Apply Here      87

10. The Black Political Revolution in Las Vegas      93

11. The Significance of Black Women in the Civil Rights Movement      103

12. A Lack of Economic Security and Opportunity      111

13. The End of an Era      119

14. The Power Brokers and a Raw Deal      125

15. Economic Discrimination and Education      131

16. A Dream Deferred Forever      137

17. The Beginning of the End      143

18. The Walls Come Tumbling Down      149

19. The New Black Entrepreneurs      157

20. Reflections on a Place and Time      167

Conclusion      175

Postscript      183

Chapter Notes      187

Bibliography      211

Index      219