Visitors walking through the Historic Westside Legacy Park in Las Vegas are met with immortalizing images showcasing the city’s rich Black history.
The displays include images of the iconic Moulin Rouge Hotel in its full glory, children racing soapbox scooters, kids playing baseball at Doolittle Park and boxing legend Muhammad Ali at an elementary school alongside Theron Goynes, a veteran educator and former North Las Vegas councilman who died this week.
A path leads right into a plaza with towering golden orbs. A statue of former President Barack Obama sits on a bench.
Plaques in the park honor dozens of Black trailblazers, including Larry Bolden, Las Vegas police’s first Black deputy chief; Hattie Canty, the first Black president of Culinary Union Local 226, and Theron Goynes and Naomi Jackson Goynes, late parents to North Las Vegas Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown.
In 2022, Goynes-Brown became the first Black official in Nevada to be elected to her position, something her father had tried and an accomplishment her parents were able to witness.
‘It’s just wonderful’
Las Vegas Councilwoman Shondra Summers-Armstrong, whose ward encompasses the Historic Westside, recalls visiting the park for the first time.
“I just thought how amazing that there’s a place that is honoring trailblazers,” said Summers-Armstrong noting a local recognition that goes beyond those of iconic Civil Rights Movements figures like the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks.
Instead, it’s “many people whom I’ve met over the years, know their children, or people who’ve had personal relationships with them,” the councilwoman said. “And to have a place that’s tangible and so near, it’s just wonderful.”
Summers Armstrong was a legal secretary for the late Addeliar Dell Guy III, the first Black District Court judge in state history. He, too, is honored at the park.
Legacy Park, a $3.2 million joint effort between Las Vegas and Clark County, opened in December 2021.
Former County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly said this week that he was inspired by a similar park at his alma matter, Grambling State University. He said he phoned then-Councilman Cedric Crear and sent him images.
“You have the land, and I have the resources,” Weekly recalled telling the councilman. “He said, ‘Let’s make it happen.’ And it’s come to fruition.”
Weekly said the project was “beautiful,” adding that he’s grateful that the stories of “people who made such a positive difference in this community” are highlighted.
2025 honorees
The plaques have a brief summary of each figure’s accomplishments. A committee votes on new names to add every year.
This year’s honorees were revealed this month during Las Vegas’ “African American Trailblazer Service Awards” at City Hall.
Willia Mae Chaney, who founded the Expertise School of Beauty. She served in the Nevada Board of Education, the Nevada Fair Housing Board and the Southern Nevada Regional Accountable Banking Committee.
“After 25 years, Expertise remains active as Nevada’s first African-American-operated school of cosmetology,” the city said.
Dr. Porter Lee Troutman Jr., is the first Black student to earn a doctorate from Northern Arizona University. As a UNLV professor emeritus at the College of Education, he founded the Center for Multicultural Education.
“Alongside his wife, Bobbie Jean Troutman, he co-founded the Afro-American Cultural Service to spotlight the achievements and history of the Black community in Las Vegas’ Historic Westside,” the city said.
Eva Martin is a philanthropist who’s raised more than $400,000 for scholarships for local students.
“She began her entrepreneurial journey as the owner of three dry cleaning businesses, which she operated with her husband, Jim Martin,” the city said. She opened and operated three McDonald’s restaurants in Las Vegas.
Beatrice Dyess, who moved to Las Vegas in 1951, graduated from the first Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department academy and became the first Black female officer in Nevada history, the city said.
Dyess later went on to earn a doctorate of divinity degree from Kingdom Builders Bible Seminary.
“She continues to work and serve our community,” the city said.
Faith Leggett was a history teacher and basketball coach at Matt Kelly Elementary School.
“Leggett loved helping students learn and gain an appreciation for other people’s cultures by facilitating a yearly food festival, weaving history and culture together,” the city said.
Their plaques will be installed on April 19.
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‘Big deal for the Black community’
“It’s a big deal here in Las Vegas,” Summers-Armstrong said about the park. “It’s a big deal for the Black community and the diaspora across the U.S. to have this site set aside for us to honor folks who were trailblazers who opened doors for us.”
The councilwoman likes that new names are added every year, inspiring younger generations to create their own legacies.
“There’s a possibility that their names will be there and that their grandchildren are going to see them,” Summers-Armstrong said.
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.
