The Historic Westside underpass is shown near F Street at Interstate 15. A two-acre park is being planned near the southwest corner of Martin Luther King Jr. and Lake Mead boulevards. Clark County will allocate $3.5 million to the design and development of what will be called the Historic Westside Leaders Park.
Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020 | 2 a.m.
Clark County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly is forever grateful for the “village” in West Las Vegas that helped shape him into the man he is today.
He hopes to give back to the community that raised him by helping facilitate the construction of a park honoring the neighborhood’s history, and the African American leaders who shaped it. That’s why he’s partnering with city officials like Las Vegas Ward 5 Councilman Cedric Crear to establish a park to commemorate the trailblazers of the historic black community.
“Cedric and I have always talked about wanting to do a project together, as we both grew up in West Las Vegas,” Weekly said. "We wanted to see what we can do to leave a legacy to pass the torch on to the next generation. That’s how this project came about.”
The $3.5 million project will bring a 2-acre park near the southwest corner of Martin Luther King Jr. and Lake Mead boulevards, an area both Crear and Weekly represent. Under the interlocal agreement, the county will allocate $3.5 million to the design and development of what will be called the Historic Westside Leaders Park, while the city will manage the construction of the project and eventually operate and maintain the park.
Construction will begin in December and is expected to be finished by December 2021. Crear calls the deal a “win-win” for everyone.
“This park gives us a chance to honor the leaders who have left a legacy in the community,” he said. “It will also provide a new green space in our Enterprise Park for the community to enjoy.”
Weekly said they will be consulting a number of experts and historians during the design phase of the project, including Claytee White, who heads UNLV’s Oral History Research Center. During the 1930s and while segregation laws were still on the books, the neighborhood represented Las Vegas’ only black community and the only area where African Americans could live.
“That was the hub of the community, with businesses, activities, entertainment — you name it, that’s where it was,” White said.
The area even had its own version of the Las Vegas Strip, then called the “Black Strip,” on Jackson Avenue, when Las Vegas Strip casinos did not allow black card dealers or patrons. Although a vibrant and cultural enclave, the community was subject to countless racist policies, even after the end of segregation.
Details of the project are still in flux but will be revealed over the next year following neighborhood meetings to collect community input. Weekly said the city and county will also select members to represent a “Hall of Fame committee to dictate who should be recognized in the park through plaques and placards," which the city will subsidize, according to the agreement.
White said she can think of at least 35 people who deserve recognition, including Charles Keller, Nevada’s first African American attorney, and Alice Key, a community activist and journalist who exposed the separation of blood plasma according to race in World War II. She also wrote for the Las Vegas Voice and started the first all African American television talk show, "Talk of the Town," along with Bob Bailey.
“Most Americans do not know our history,” White said. “This type of park will give us not just leisure but a grounding in our local history. Blacks who live on the Westside contributed enormously to the rich history of Las Vegas. This park will showcase segments of that history, enough to evoke curiosity for more knowledge and enough to present those aha! moments.”
Weekly said he is “over the moon” that the project is finally about to get off the ground and hopes it will be something the community will be proud of.
“I hope this will be a park of respect and admiration,” he said. "I hope it’s something that people who work in Enterprise Park will maybe want to hang out there and have a tranquil moment. Somewhere they can go to relax.”
