IS A DARK HISTORY. HERE'S ABC'S JANAI NORMAN. >> Reporter: LAS VEGAS. ONE OF AMERICA'S PLAYGROUNDS. BUT IN THE 1940s AND '50s, PEOPLE OF COLOR WERE ONLY WELCOME ON THE STAGE. >> HOW CRAZY IT WAS THAT THESE GREAT ENTERTAINERS COULD SELL OUT THE SHOWROOM, HELP THE CASINO BE SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE OF THOSE PEOPLE, AND YET COULDN'T STAY THERE, COULDN'T GAMBLE? >> IMAGINE DRIVING UP TO THE FRONT OF THE CASINO AND YOUR NAME IS IN LIGHTS, AND YOU CAN'T WALK THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR. YOU HAVE TO GO AROUND THE BACK BECAUSE YOU'RE BLACK. BUT IT'S LIKE, THAT'S MY NAME, I'M PERFORMING HERE TONIGHT. >> Reporter: SEGREGATION WAS THE RULE IN VEGAS, AS IT WAS THROUGHOUT MOST OF THE COUNTRY. ABC NEWS SPOKE TO SAMMY DAVIS JR. ABOUT THE DIFFICULTIES HE FACED. >> YOU COULDN'T GET A ROOM WHERE YOU WERE WORKING? >> NO, YOU COULD WORK THE PLACE. WE COULDN'T EVEN EAT IN THE PLACE. >> Reporter: PERFORMERS LIKE SAMMY DAVIS JR., LENA HORNE, JOSEPHINE BAKER ALL SPOKE OUT AGAINST THE DISCRIMINATION THEY ENDURED. BUT THEIR PUSH FOR EQUALITY COMBINED WITH THE LONGTIME WORK OF CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE NAACP MADE A DIFFERENCE. IN 1971, CHANGE WOULD COME BY WAY OF AN IMPORTANT LEGAL AGREEMENT. >> SOME 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. >> Reporter: TODAY, CASINOS HOST BLACK ARTISTS AND SUPERSTARS WHO PERFORM NIGHT AFTER NIGHT TO SOLD-OUT CROWDS. >> TO SEE THE TYPE OF PROGRESS THAT WE IN AMERICA HAVE AS MINORITIES IS GOOD. THERE'S SO MUCH MORE THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS, THOUGH. WOULDN'T IT BE GOOD TO ONE DAY OWN OUR OWN HOTEL? HAVE OUR OWN THEATER? HAVE OUR OWN STAGE AND STUFF LIKE THAT? WE'RE LAYING THE GROUNDWORK TODAY FOR THAT TO BE A REALITY IN THE FUTURE. >> I FEEL LIKE BLACK ENTERTAINERS IN LAS VEGAS CRAWLED AND SCRAPED SO THAT WE COULD FLY. IF NOT FOR THE STRUGGLES THEY ENDURED, THERE WOULD BE NO POSSIBILITY OF SOMEBODY LIKE ME GETTING TO GO BACK TO MY HOMETOWN AND PERFORM ON SOME OF THE BIGGEST STAGES IN VEGAS. >> OUR THANKS TO JANAI. THE FULL SHOW "BLACK IN