LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — On Saturday morning, Black business leaders, educators, a coach and Las Vegas’s first Black woman police officer gathered with family and friends to be honored.

Clark County District D Commissioner William McCurdy and Las Vegas Ward 5 Councilwoman Shondra Summers-Armstrong presented the new plaques to the honorees at the Historic Westside Legacy Park.

“We are so excited that we are going to be honoring pioneers in the Westside who made amazing strides in our community and, today is their day,” Summers-Armstrong said.

Willia Mae Chaney, Porter Lee Troutman Jr., Beatrice Dyess, Beatrice Dyess and Evan Martin’s names and history are now displayed at the park.

“It’s an honor to be honored, but that’s not why we did it,” Martin said. “We did it because we wanted to make a difference in the community and people’s lives, and just to make a difference in the world, you know, that’s our purpose, and that’s why we’re here.”

Martin, the owner of multiple fast-food franchises, has made efforts to help young people find their first job. She also assists formerly incarcerated people with a second chance through employment.

Another part of the difference Martin has made includes rewarding hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships to students in Southern Nevada.

“As a young person comes up to me and thanks me for a scholarship, it’s like a million dollars,” Martin said. “It’s receiving a blessing back. When you give, you always receive so much more, and that’s what this morning is all about.”

Nominations for next year’s honorees are open now, and close on Oct. 1.

Source link