Woodrow Wilson (1971) - Nevada State Archives Photo # LEG-0329
February is Black History Month and coincides with the beginning of the 83rd Nevada Legislative Session. This month celebrates the achievements and legacy of African Americans, remembers their struggles to gain full citizenship, and honors their contributions to medicine, industry, politics, culture, and science. The Nevada State Archives has a large collection of legislative records, including photographs and documents of prominent African American politicians in Nevada.
Pictured above is Woodrow Wilson (1915-1999), the first black legislator elected to the Nevada Assembly. Mr. Wilson was a Republican from Clark County and he served from 1966-1972. He worked hard to end segregation, was instrumental in pushing through the Nevada Fair Housing Law, and served as the chairman of the Nevada State Advisory Committee for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. You can find a biography for him on the Nevada Legislature's website here.
Pictured below (left) is Joe Neal (1935-2020), a Democrat from Clark County and the first African American elected to the Nevada Senate. He served from November 1972 until his retirement in November of 2004. With 32 years, Senator Neal holds the 2nd longest service in the history of the Nevada Senate. During his legislative service, Senator Neal fought for social justice, the African-American community in Nevada, and healthcare. Read more about him in his biography available here at the State Library.
Also pictured below (right) is Bernice Martin-Matthews (1933-), a Democrat from Washoe County and the first African American woman elected to the Nevada Senate. She served in the Senate from 1994 until she retired in 2010. During her 18 years of service, she advocated for education and women's rights and was the Assistant Minority Leader in 2007. She was also a member of the Governor's Commission on Nursing and Nursing Education, and a former City Councilwoman, City of Reno.
 |
 |
|
Joe Neal (n.d.) Nevada State Archives Photo # LEG-0403 |
Bernice Martin-Matthews (n.d.) Nevada State Archives Photo # LEG-0401 |
The Nevada State Archives has a large, but incomplete photograph collection of previous Nevada Legislators. If you would like to donate photographs that add to the history of the Nevada state government, please contact the Archives via our Ask an Archivist form here: https://nsla-nv.libwizard.com/f/archivist.
0 Comments.