‘She changed Nevada’: Activist Ruby Duncan remembered in celebration of life

Ruby Duncan helped raise generations of children in Las Vegas’ Historic Westside — not only her own, but many who came to see her as family.

On Saturday, hundreds gathered at Second Baptist Church to celebrate the life of the longtime activist for Nevada’s poor and racially oppressed.

They remembered Duncan, who died April 26, as a maternal figure, mentor and community pillar. She was 93.

“She was a gem of a woman, a bright light,” said Maria Silva, a producer with Vegas PBS and a friend of Duncan’s. The station first aired “Storming Caesars Palace,”a 2022 Emmy-winning documentary about Duncan’s work, in March 2023.

Standing at the pulpit, Silva said she wanted to tell attendees about her “second mama.”

Silva also invited Duncan’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren forward as she reflected on the legacy Duncan leaves behind.

“It was hard not to fall in love with Miss Ruby,” Silva said, choking up. “I want to give a microphone to her wonderful children, her legacy. This is what this is all about — how her work will continue, because it will continue.”

Storming Caesars Palace

Duncan gained national fame in the 1970s by organizing a welfare rights march that temporarily halted gambling at Caesars Palace. In addition to the documentary film, the 1971 protest was referenced in the title of historian Annelise Orlick’s 2006 book “Storming Caesars Palace: How Black Mothers Fought Their Own War on Poverty.”

Duncan was also a founder of the anti-poverty agency Operation Life and helped establish a medical clinic in the heart of Las Vegas’ impoverished Westside.

The future activist was born June 7, 1932, near Tallulah, Louisiana, to sharecroppers and was orphaned by age 4. Raised by relatives, she worked the fields of a white-owned plantation and attended segregated schools with shorter terms than white children. She left school after the ninth grade to work low-wage jobs and, in 1953, moved to Las Vegas seeking better pay.

Las Vegas was effectively segregated at the time, with many businesses refusing to serve Black residents.

Duncan worked as a maid until she was fired in 1964 after trying to organize co-workers, leading her to rely on welfare while seeking work. She later held a pantry job at a Strip hotel until an injury ended it, and a state job-training program she joined was later canceled.

At Duncan’s celebration of life on Saturday, more than a dozen community leaders and government officials spoke, their remarks interspersed with a small, exuberant choir singing Christian hymns and worship songs.

Mike Flores, founder of the Nevada Youth Network, said that Duncan proved that faith, determination, and community service could change the world.

Flores said he first learned about Duncan in college, reading about the Caesars Palace protest. He later pushed to have Ruby Duncan Elementary School named in her honor.

“Ruby changed Nevada forever, she changed this community forever, and she changed me forever,” Flores said.

He also recalled that Duncan was deeply engaged in politics and often called him to discuss local and national public officials.

The Saturday service coincided with the first day of early voting for the primary elections, which Flores said was no coincidence, as he urged attendees to carry on Duncan’s legacy through civic engagement.

‘An activist until the end’

Mayor Shelly Berkley described Duncan as a friend and a visionary.

“She scared people because she challenged the status quo,” Berkley said. “She spoke too much. She was in the wrong places, as far as they were concerned. She didn’t know her place, but she knew her place.”

Berkley remembered the fundraisers Duncan led at Mario’s Westside Market and, most recently, the voter registration event she organized for residents of her assisted living home.

“She was an activist until the end,” Berkley said.

Rep. Steven Horsford followed, announcing a $10,000 award to the elementary school named in Duncan’s honor and presenting her family with a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol.

Following earlier speakers — including Berkley — who joked about lacking the authority to place Duncan’s image on a postage stamp, Horsford added that he is working to make that happen.

‘It started in her own home’

Bishop Naida Parson closed the memorial service with words of encouragement, sharing scripture about the importance of helping those in need.

She noted that rubies symbolize divine restoration in the Bible and added that Duncan’s work reflected the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Parson described Duncan, a mother of seven, as deeply family-oriented and as devoted to her loved ones as she was to her work.

“It was in her womanhood that she found her purpose,” Parson said. “She was not just a mother to the community; it started in her own home.”

A final statement from Duncan was included in the programs ushers passed out at the beginning of the celebration.

It stated: “I am at peace and free, wrapped in God’s love so true. Thank you for loving me on Earth.”

Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com.