♪ >>> WE OFTEN HEAR ABOUT THE SUPERSTARS WORKING TO EFFECT CHANGE IN LAS VEGAS. THERE WERE UNSUNG HEROES PIONEERING THIS DESEGREGATION MOVEMENT. >> AS SOON AS THE MOULIN ROUGE CLOSED, EVERYTHING STOPPED. I NEVER COULD UNDERSTAND THAT. THE WHOLE SHOW LEFT, BUT MY HUSBAND, BOB BAILEY, HE WAS THE PRODUCTION SINGER, WE'RE THE ONLY ONES THAT STAYED. SO I INTEGRATED A LOT OF SHOWS. I WENT INTO THE DUNES AFTER THAT. AND THEN EVERY TIME PEARL BAILEY WAS IN TOWN AT THE FLAMINGO, I WAS ALWAYS WITH HER. WE'RE NOT RELATED, HER LAST NAME IS BAILEY, BUT WE CALLED EACH OTHER CUZ. THEN WHEN OTHER SHOWS CAME IN, I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO AUDITION BECAUSE THEY KNEW ME FROM WORKING AT THE OTHER HOTELS. ANNA BAILEY WAS THE FIRST BLACK SHOWGIRL ON THE LAS VEGAS STRIP. I MEAN, SHE WAS IN DEMAND. >> I WAS 21, 22 YEARS OLD. AND I NOTICED THIS GAME IN THE CASINO. WHAT IS THAT? GAME'S CALLED BACCARAT. IT'S A HIGH-STAKES GAME, A GAMBLING GAME. I WAS TOLD THAT NO BLACKS EVER GOING TO BE NO BACCARAT DEALER, THAT'S COMPLETELY OUT OF THE QUESTION. >> I HAD NEVER DREAMED OF BEING AN EXECUTIVE ON THE STRIP. THERE WERE NOT OPPORTUNITIES FOR BLACKS TO ENJOY THE ENTERTAINMENT AND THE AMENITIES OF THE HOTELS. IT WAS SEGREGATED. AND THAT'S SAD. >> THE NAACP HAS ALWAYS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF TRYING TO ADVANCE ALL PEOPLE OF COLOR. IN THE '60s, THEY HAD TO GET INVOLVED IN LAS VEGAS TO FIGHT FOR EQUALITY AND ADVANCEMENT. >> THE PRESIDENT OF THE NAACP IS DR. JAMES B. McMILLAN. HE'S THE FIRST BLACK DENTIST IN THE CITY. DR. McMILLAN DECIDES THAT HE'S GOING TO WRITE A LETTER TO THE MAYOR OF THE CITY. AND HE IS GOING TO THREATEN A MARCH ON THE LAS VEGAS STRIP IF INTEGRATION DOESN'T HAPPEN BY MARCH 26th OF 1960. HE GIVES THEM NOTICE. AND THEY START NEGOTIATING BACK AND FORTH TO INTEGRATE, WHETHER OR NOT TO INTEGRATE PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS. NOW, IT MEANS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO INTEGRATE CASINOS. ON THAT MORNING OF MARCH 26th, YOU HAVE A PHOTOGRAPH THAT SHOWS PEOPLE SITTING AROUND THE TABLE AT THE MOULIN ROUGE. AT THE HEAD OF THE TABLE YOU SEE JAMES B. McMILLAN. BESIDE HIM YOU SEE A WHITE PERSON. IT IS HANK GREENSPUN. HE IS THE OWNER OF "SUN" NEWSPAPER. BOB BAILEY, DR. CHARLES I. WEST, THE FIRST BLACK PHYSICIAN IN THE CITY. BLUE BERTHA JOHNSON, THE ONLY BLACK WOMAN AT THAT STABLE. THE POLICE CHIEF, MATE MAYOR, THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE DISCUSSING HOW THIS INTEGRATION IS GOING TO TAKE PLACE AND HOW IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. IT IS INTERESTING THAT THAT MEETING IS NOT WRITTEN. PEOPLE COME IN TODAY TO THE LIBRARY TO DO RESEARCH, AND THEY WANT TO SEE THAT MOULIN ROUGE AGREEMENT. IT WAS VERBAL ONLY. ♪ ♪ >> ALMOST A DECADE LATER AFTER THE MOULIN ROUGE AGREEMENT WAS PUT INTO PLACE, THE NAACP HAD TO GET INVOLVED IN LAS VEGAS YET AGAIN BECAUSE BLACK PEOPLE JUST WEREN'T GETTING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES. AND SPECIFICALLY FRONT OF HOUSE POSITIONS. >> SO PEOPLE AT THE NAACP PUT TOGETHER A CONSENT DECREE WHERE THEY NAME 17 HOTEL CASINOS, FIVE LABOR UNIONS, AND THE NEVADA RESORTS ASSOCIATION FOR NOT HAVING DONE ENOUGH FOR BLACK EMPLOYMENT IN THIS CITY. THEREFORE, THE CONSENT DECREE THEN DEMANDS 12% OF JOBS AND A WHOLE ARRAY OF JOB CATEGORIES FOR THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY. ♪ >> IN 1971, THE U.S. DISTRICT COURT OF NEVADA AUTHORIZED THE CONSENT DECREE. >> 1972, 1973, WE BEGIN TO SEE MORE AND MORE BLACK COCKTAIL WAITRESSES, DEALERS, BARTENDERS. AND WE BEGIN TO SEE PEOPLE GOING INTO MID-LEVEL MANAGEMENT JOBS. >> I WROTE A RESUME FOR PUBLIC SERVICE AND FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. AND SO I APPLIED AT SUMA CORPORATION AND WAS CALLED TWO DAYS LATER THAT THERE WAS A SECRETARIAL POSITION IN THE PUBLICITY AND ENTERTAINMENT DEPARTMENT. SO I JUMPED IN WITH BOTH FEET, WENT TO THE INTERVIEW. AND PULLED IT OFF. >> JACKIE BRANTLEY WAS SOMEONE WHO ENDED UP BENEFITTING FROM THAT AND BECOMING A PUBLIC RELATIONS EXECUTIVE IN LAS VEGAS. >> I WAS THE DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS AT THE DESERT INN HOTEL. I LOVED THE GLAMOR. I LOVED BEING IN THAT SPOT BECAUSE IT WAS GOING TO OPEN DOORS FOR OTHER BLACK PEOPLE. >> DESPITE THE FACT THAT JACKIE HAD BECOME THIS EXECUTIVE AND WAS RUNNING THESE ELABORATE CAMPAIGNS, ATTRACTING THESE MAJOR ARTISTS AND ENTERTAINERS TO COME TO THE DESERT INN, THERE WERE TIMES WHERE PEOPLE STILL WANTED TO TREAT HER LIKE SHE WAS THE HELP. >> I WAS ON THE ELEVATOR AND THIS LADY ASKED ME -- SHE DIDN'T KNOW -- WE WERE GOING TO THE EXECUTIVE SUITES. SHE DIDN'T KNOW THAT I WORKED THERE. SHE SAID, "YOU WORK HERE?" I SAID YES "HOW DID YOU GET THIS JOB?" I SAID, "WELL, THAT'S WHERE OPPORTUNITY AND PREPARATION COME TOGETHER, THAT'S WHY I HAVE THIS JOB." "AND BY THE WAY, I'M QUITE GOOD AT IT." >> FOR WHATEVER REASON, MAYBE IT WAS BAUGH BECAUSE FIRST GAME THAT REALLY CAUGHT MY EYE WAS BACCARAT, THAT WAS THE GAME THAT I CHOSE TO WANT TO BE A PART OF. THEY HAD JUST PASSED A DECREE ALLOWING BLACKS TO BECOME GAINFULLY EMPLOYED. A GENTLEMAN AT THE PLACE WHERE THEY WERE TRYING TO RECRUIT BLACKS TO BECOME GAINFULLY EMPLOYED, YOU KNOW, THE GUY LOOKS AT ME AND HE SAYS, YOU KNOW, "YOUNG MAN, SMILING, PERSONALITY, YOU CAN MAKE A GREAT BACCARAT DEALER, I THINK YOU WOULD DO GOOD AT THAT." >> THIS NEW TRAINING PROGRAM DOESN'T MEAN THAT EVERY PORTER AND MAID IS GOING TO HAVE A CHANCE TO WORK IN A GAMBLING CASINO, BUT IT DOES MEAN THE ODDS ARE BETTER NOW THAT A FEW BLACKS ARE GOING TO HAVE A BETTER JOB. >> JOHN EDMOND WASN'T JUST THE FIRST BACK KA ARE THE DEALER IN LAS VEGAS, BUT HE GOT A MASTER CLASS. HE TOOK THE EARNINGS AND THE KNOWLEDGE HE GOT WORKING IN THE CASINO AND REINVESTED IT INTO THE WEST SIDE OF LAS VEGAS. >> I THINK WE PAVED THE WAY BY DOING A GOOD JOB WHEN WE CAME HERE. YOU ADDED TO THE COMMUNITY. YOU BROUGHT SOMETHING WITH YOU WHEN YOU CAME HERE. WHAT YOU ADD TO IT MADE IT WHAT IT IS TODAY. LIKE BOB SAID, THIS TOWN, THIS IS IT. HE WOULD SAY THAT, "THIS IS IT." >> AFTER DESEGREGATION IN VEGAS, VEGAS WAS IT. YOU HAD THE BIGGEST AND BOLDEST NAMES IN ENTERTAINMENT GOING OUT THERE TO PERFORM. COMICS HAVE ALWAYS HAD THIS UNIQUE WAY OF TAKING THEIR PAIN TO THE STAGE, FINDING THE FUNNY IN THINGS THAT ARE UNCOMFORTABLE. AND THAT'S WHAT THE COMICS DURING THAT TIME DID. THEY RAISED AWARENESS. THEY S