Storming Caesars Palace: How Black Mothers Fought Their Own War on Poverty

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Structured as a collective biography of poor African American women antipoverty activists, Orleck's book begins with their roots in the s South and chronicles their subsequent political awakening. In the s, the women left their sharecropping southern communities to take jobs as maids and cooks in Las Vegas hotels.

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Many joined labor unions, which gave them their first experiences with interracial solidarity and political activism. In the s, when they lost their jobs due to layoffs, poor health, or lack of child care, they applied for public assistance and formed a welfare rights organization. In , their activism gained national attention after they opposed a draconian set of welfare cuts by organizing a march to the luxurious casino hotel, Caesars Palace, which Most users should sign in with their email address.

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Storming Caesars Palace How Black Mothers Fought Their Own War on Poverty

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 countrys 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 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 s, Operation Life was bringing millions of dollars into the community each year. And these women were influential in Washington, D. Ultimately, in the s, Ruby Duncan and her band of reformers lost their funding with the countrys 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.

In they founded Operation Life, which was responsible for many firsts for 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. In 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 s, Operation Life was bringing millions of dollars into the community. Though they lost their funding with the country's move toward conservatism in the s, their struggles and phenomenal triumphs still stand as a critical lesson about what can be achieved when those on welfare chart their own course. Paperback , pages. Published August 1st by Beacon Press first published January 1st Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Award To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

To ask other readers questions about Storming Caesars Palace , please sign up. Be the first to ask a question about Storming Caesars Palace. Lists with This Book. Apr 02, Katie Hanna rated it it was amazing Shelves: I wish I had time to write a full review here, but I don't.

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For now, let me just give you this brief synopsis: Basically, this book tells the story of Operation Life--a group of poor, uneducated, African American women who banded together to become the greatest force for positive social change the city of Las Vegas had ever seen. I've read a lot of inspiring books this year, but this one is definitely near the top of the list. I want to go back and re-read it again.

I want to see it Incredible. I want to see it made into a movie. More than anything, I want other people to read it too.

I decided it was about time to finish Storming Caesars Palace in an effort to have a clean slate for and began Leslie Marmon Silko 's Ceremony at about the same time. The opening lines of Silko's book bewildered me, and I set it down to read it when in a more meditative mindset: On finishing Storming Caesars Palace, the meaning in that passage seems so clear and is something that comes up time and again throughout my research. It is essential to preserve histories and the stories of the voices that a hegemonic culture would sooner gloss over and destroy.

Orleck's book is an essential counterpoint to Reagan's "black welfare mother" driving her Cadillac and getting rich off public funds, now a popular and harmful stereotype in public discourse. It is the story of the women who ran Operation Life, a community group that was deemed the most successful and effective model in its delivery of social and health services to the poor community of Las Vegas. Thanks to her interviews with the women of Operation Life, Orleck expertly sets the backdrop of what it was like to be an African American in the South in the 50s and 60s.

It is both riveting and infuriating to read about what the women and their families were up against from the very beginning. The intersectionality of racism and sexism here is glaring and appalling.

Recommendations

Despite constant setbacks, the women of Operation Life worked for nearly twenty years to develop their community and bring about true reform. There is a history and a politics to this kind of thing that needs to be preserved if we are to ever bring about true reform and change. Apr 25, Chloe rated it really liked it. This is an inspiring story, and while reading it, I wished these narratives were more accessible to people like my mom who whole heartily believe that welfare programs serve "welfare queens.

Unfortunately, this book is not the kind of book that will be accessible to folks who are not a incredibly personally invested in the topics covered or b are comfortable reading rather heavy academic texts. As someone who has zero background knowledge on the history of welfare programs, food stamps, or Las Vegas political history, Storming Ceasars Palace was at times hard to follow I think it took me until halfway through the book to realize that food stamps were not a part of welfare programs in Las Vegas during the era the book focuses on, for example.

At times, I found myself a little lost in the story, and I wish it was a bit simplified, or that major themes were more clearly outlined.

Nonetheless, it's an important story that I'm glad I know now more about.

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