Operation Life

Operation Life was a nonprofit organization, founded in May 1972,[1] that campaigned for welfare rights in West Las Vegas.[2] The organization was formed by a group of Westside mothers, Ruby Duncan, Essie Henderson, Alversa Beals, Mary Wesley, Emma Stampley, and Rosie Seals.[1] The six women also founded the Clark County Welfare Rights Organization, which was a chapter of the National Welfare Rights Organization.

Ruby Duncan was the executive director of Operation Life from 1972 until 1990 when she retired due to her health.[3] The organization established the first library, first day care center, and first public swimming pool in Las Vegas's black Westside neighborhood, and also created a children's medical clinic, a jobs program, and a drug and violence prevention program, among other services.[4][5] Operation Life employed over 100 people, mostly former welfare mothers, by 1980.[6] The organization received grants in the 1980s from the city of Las Vegas and the U.S. Dept. of Housing to build new housing for low-income families.[6] The nonprofit ceased operations in 1992.[4]

Further reading

Orleck, Annelise. Storming Caesars Palace: How Black Mothers Fought Their Own War on Poverty, Boston: Beacon Press, (2006) ISBN 978-0807050316.

References
  1. Jackson, Raven (13 February 2017). "Six women honored in North Las Vegas for work on behalf of poor". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  2. "Ruby Duncan". Women in Nevada History Legacy Digital Project. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  3. "Guide to the Ruby Duncan Collection, UNLV Libraries Special Collections EAD finding aids". UNLV Libraries. Retrieved 2016-06-24.
  4. "Duncan, Ruby (1932- ) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed". The Black Past. 2007-02-12. Retrieved 2016-06-24.
  5. Jetter, Alexis (1997). Orleck, Annelise; Taylor, Diana (eds.). The Politics of Motherhood: Activist Voices from Left to Right. University Press of New England. pp. 111–112. ISBN 9780874517804. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  6. "Mother Warriors Voice". Welfarewarriors.org. Retrieved 2016-06-24.
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