In this conversation, we explore the importance of regional attentiveness in writing Black history in the United States, thinking blackness in the southwest, and the expansiveness of the Black Studies archive and imagination.

As Black History Month continues, Ruby Duncan’s legacy is being celebrated for a lifetime of activism that helped shape social programs still valued today and for her role in securing a library for Las Vegas’ Historic Westside.

The earliest settlers and their direct descendants became notable leaders throughout Las Vegas in the 20th century, helped build up the Historic Westside, and now make up the African American community across the Las Vegas Valley.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a longtime advocate for civil and equal rights, has died at 84. Jackson later shifted his activism from grassroots efforts to politics.

May 25 marks five years since George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police, sparking protests about police conduct nationwide, including in Las Vegas. In the aftermath of that movement, what, if anything, changed about the Black experience in Las Vegas? What reforms have police made? Did George Floyd’s killing at the hands of Officer Derek Chauvin really change police behavior?

No one should be calling anyone a “Big Back.” “Big back” is slang for an overweight person, a “food lover” or someone who eats a lot, according to Urban Dictionary.

A Nevada state assemblymember is drafting a bill to establish a commission to study the impacts of slavery and racial discrimination, and to consider the potential for reparations.

As we round out Black History Month, we shine a light on a casino that transformed Las Vegas, the Moulin Rouge. This year marks 70 years since it opened its doors in 1955 over on the Historic Westside. It became the first integrated casino in the country.