04/27/2026
Ruby Duncan didn’t move to Las Vegas to be a trailblazer. She came for better economic opportunities; she knew there was more to life than cotton fields, and Las Vegas held a promise that drew many Black folks from the rural south.
However, the real opportunities came because she refused to keep her mouth shut. She saw inequity in pay, a lack of resources for poor mothers, and oppression for those segregated to the “historic westside”. She told me she didn’t know how to organize a protest, but she listened and learned and became one of the best.
Her journey is inspirational, but let’s not forget that path was not a smooth road; it was filled with pain, fear, and anger. We have to remember, Ruby wasn’t adored in the midst of the rabble rouse, but years later, when the changes she helped create were settled into place. She fought for all poor women. She pushed for educational resources for all children. She fought for me, she fought for my children before we were even born.
My gratitude for her sacrifice will be to continue to honor her legacy to build a world we all want to live in for those young mothers, the organizers, and their children who have yet to be born.
Thank you for loving me, Ruby Duncan. I will love you for a thousand lifetimes.
Erika Washington
