Nevada Black History Project Records

The Nevada Black History Project was organized in 1989 to bring to light more of the history of the Black presence in this state. It was co-sponsored by the Northern Nevada Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Committee and the Northern Nevada Black Cultural Awareness Society. Funding was provided by those two organizations and by the Nevada Humanities Committee, Nevada's 125th Anniversary Commission, the Hawkins Foundation, and private contributions, especially from Maya Miller, William C. Thornton, and Nancy Williams. Dr. Elmer Rusco was project director, Nancy Peppin was project executive, and Leonard Woods was the fiscal agent. They were assisted by two advisory committees in Southern and Northern Nevada.

Four products were produced by the project: a traveling exhibit with an historical thrust, available for showing throughout Nevada; a 20-minute videotape on the subject, available for borrowing without charge or which may be purchased; a publication, in newspaper/tabloid form, which focused on the achievements of Black Nevadans today and which was issued in two editions (1992 and 1997); and an archives of research materials. The Project collected more than 1,000 photographs, either copy prints or originals, which were deposited in the Special Collections Department, along with the administrative records of the Project.

The Project focused on Nevada individuals and collected a significant amount of biographical information. Nevadans included in the publication were nominated by the two advisory committees and in almost all cases, the data were provided by individuals, supplemented from other sources.

Those wishing information about the traveling exhibit or the videotape should contact:

The Nevada Humanities Committee Box 8029 Reno, NV 89507 800-382-5023

[The preceding information was abstracted from the Project's publication, Nevada Black History: Yesterday and Today.]