Storming Caesar's Palace: How Black Mothers Fought Their Own War on Poverty

In "Storming Caesars Palace," historian Annelise Orleck tells the compelling story of how a group of welfare mothers built one of this country's most successful antipoverty programs. Declaring "We can do it and do it better," these women proved that poor mothers are the real experts on poverty. In 1972 they founded Operation Life, which was responsible for many firsts for the poor in Las Vegas-the first library, medical center, daycare center, job training, and senior citizen housing. By the late 1970s, Operation Life was bringing millions of dollars into the community. These women became influential in Washington, DC-respected and listened to by political heavyweights such as Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Ted Kennedy, and Jimmy Carter. Though they lost their funding with the country's move toward conservatism in the 1980s, their struggles and phenomenal triumphs still stand as a critical lesson about what can be achieved when those on welfare chart their own course.

it Was A Spring Day On The Las Vegas Strip In 1971 When Ruby Duncan, A Former Cotton Picker Turned Hotel Maid, The Mother Of Seven, Led A Procession. Followed By An Angry Army Of Welfare Mothers, They Stormed The Casino Hotel Caesars Palace To Protest Nevada’s Decision To Terminate Their Benefits. The Demonstrations Went On For Weeks, Garnering The Protesters And Their Cause National Attention. Las Vegas Felt The Pinch; Tourism Was Cut By Half. Ultimately, A Federal Judge Ruled To Reinstate Benefits. It Was A Victory For Welfare Rights Advocates Across The Country.

in Storming Caesars Palace, Historian Annelise Orleck Tells The Compelling Story Of How A Group Of Welfare Mothers And Their Supporters Built One Of This Country’s Most Successful Antipoverty Programs. Declaring That “we Can Do It And Do It Better” These Women Proved That Poor Mothers Are The Real Experts On Poverty. In 1972 They Founded Operation Life, Which Was Responsible For All Kinds Of Firsts For The Poor In Las Vegas—the First Library, Medical Center, Daycare Center, Job Training, And Senior Citizen Housing. By The Late 1970s, Operation Life Was Bringing Millions Of Dollars Into The Community Each Year. And These Women Were Influential In Washington, D.c.—respected And Listened To By The Likes Of Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Ted Kennedy, And Jimmy Carter.

ultimately, In The 1980s, Ruby Duncan And Her Band Of Reformers Lost Their Funding With The Country’s Move Toward Conservatism. But The Story Of Their Incredible Struggles And Triumphs Still Stands As An Important Lesson About What Can Be Achieved When Those On Welfare Chart Their Own Course.

kirkus Reviews

an Up-close-and-personal Account Of Nine Strong-minded African-american Women Who Became Welfare-rights Activists In Las Vegas. Historian Orleck (history And Women's And Gender Studies/dartmouth) Spent Some 12 Years Following The Determined Women Who In 1972 Founded Operation Life, An Antipoverty Program That Challenged The Stereotype Of Welfare Mothers As Apolitical Or Apathetic. She Recounts The Early Years Of Her Subjects As The Poorest Of The Poor In The Cotton Fields Of The South, Their Postwar Migration To Nevada In Search Of A Better Life For Their Children And Their Experiences At The Bottom Of The Economic And Social Ladder In Segregated Las Vegas. In The 1960s Came Lyndon Johnson's War On Poverty, But Its Focus Was On Jobs For Men, Reports Orleck, And Mothers Receiving Welfare Found The System Onerous And Humiliating. Having Learned Through The Hotel And Culinary Workers Union The Value Of Organizing To Bring About Change, They Formed A Welfare-rights Group. After Successfully Fighting Nevada Welfare Cuts, The Group Of Black Mothers Became Active In The Democratic Party And Began Lobbying, Fund-raising And Running For Office. They Turned To Community Development As Well, In Time Building Clinics, Daycare Centers And Libraries In Their Rundown Westside Neighborhood. Orleck's Leading Character Is The Powerful Matriarch Ruby Duncan, Who Eventually Advised Jimmy Carter On Welfare And Jobs Programs, But She Sees All The Mothers Of Operation Life As Poster Women For A New Model Of Welfare Reform-from The Bottom Up. She Argues That The History Of Operation Life Demonstrates The Rich Potential Of A Poor Women's Movement For Economic Justice.a Worthy History Of The Country's Changingattitudes Toward Welfare And The Various Attempts To Eradicate Poverty.

The inspirational and little-known story of welfare mothers in Las Vegas, America's Sin City, who crafted an original response to poverty-from the ground upIn Storming Caesars Palace, historian Annelise Orleck tells the compelling story of how a group of welfare mothers built one of this country's most successful antipoverty programs. Declaring'We can do it and do it better,'these women proved that poor mothers are the real experts on poverty. In 1972 they founded Operation Life, which was responsible for many firsts for the poor in Las Vegas-the first library, medical center, daycare center, job training, and senior citizen housing. By the late 1970s, Operation Life was bringing millions of dollars into the community. These women became influential in Washington, DC-respected and listened to by political heavyweights such as Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Ted Kennedy, and Jimmy Carter. Though they lost their funding with the country's move toward conservatism in the 1980s, their struggles and phenomenal triumphs still stand as a critical lesson about what can be achieved when those on welfare chart their own course. INTRODUCTION......Page 10 CHAPTER 1: FROM THE COTTON FIELDS TO THE DESERT SANDS: LIVING AND LEAVING THE DELTA LIFE......Page 16 CHAPTER 2: “THE MISSISSIPPI OF THE WEST”: JIM CROW IN SIN CITY......Page 46 CHAPTER 3: “BAD LUCK AND LOUSY PEOPLE”: BLACK SINGLE MOTHERS AND THE WAR ON POVERTY......Page 78 CHAPTER 4: “IF IT WASN’T FOR YOU, I’D HAVE SHOES FOR MY CHILDREN”: WELFARE RIGHTS COME TO LAS VEGAS......Page 107 CHAPTER 5: STORMING CAESARS PALACE: POVERTY AND POWER IN LAS VEGAS......Page 140 CHAPTER 6: DRAGGING NEVADA KICKING AND SCREAMING INTO THE TWENTIETH CENTURY......Page 177 CHAPTER 7: “WE CAN DO IT AND DO IT BETTER”: REVITALIZING A COMMUNITY FROM THE BOTTOM UP......Page 217 CHAPTER 8: CAN WELFARE MOTHERS DO COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT?: THE TRIUMPHS AND TRIALS OF OPERATION LIFE......Page 254 CHAPTER 9: MAYBE WE WERE FIGHTING HISTORY: THE LEGACY OF OPERATION LIFE......Page 288 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 320 NOTES......Page 325 INDEX......Page 362 "In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared war on poverty and dramatically expanded federal aid to America's most vulnerable citizens. But California governor Ronald Reagan soon issued a counter cry, declaring war on welfare and big government. Such criticism of welfare has now raged for four decades, convincing most Americans that Johnson's crusade was an expensive failure. In Storming Caesars Palace, historian Annelise Orleck turns that view on its head, chronicling the saga of welfare mothers in Las Vegas, Nevada, who defied all odds to build one of the country's most successful antipoverty programs." "Storming Caesars Palace captures the story of Operation Life's struggles and triumphs - a compelling illustration of what can be achieved when poor women chart their own course."--BOOK JACKET.