Purple Politics Nevada with Lucia Starbuck is KUNR’s weekly show about the 2023 Nevada Legislative Session. This week’s episode examines some of the bills the Nevada Black Legislative Caucus has moved forward on recognizing Juneteenth as a state holiday and removing language in the Nevada Constitution allowing for slavery in some cases.
Click here for a transcript of the audio story.
Episode Overview
The Nevada Black Legislative Caucus hosted the Black History Summit last week in recognition of Black History Month. The day-long event included an exhibit by the nonpartisan Clark County Black Caucus chair Yvette Williams, who proudly showed off a collection of historic artifacts, photographs and inventions by African Americans.
Nevada lawmakers also moved forward with a bill to make Juneteenth a state holiday. Democratic Assemblywoman Angie Taylor, who represents part of Northwest Reno, co-sponsored the legislation. About half of U.S. state governments recognize the holiday. The date commemorates the day enslaved people were informed of their freedom in Texas on June 19, 1865 – more than two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Congress recognized Juneteenth as a federal holiday in 2021.
“It’s also an important day for the state ‘cause it sends the message that your experience is our experience. Your history is our history. So, it gives a greater sense of value because now, when it’s a state holiday and people don’t have to go to work on that day, ’Why do you have the day off?’ Now, people have to talk about telling the story,” said Angie Taylor, Northern Nevada’s first Black assemblywoman.
Nevada Black Legislative Caucus Treasurer and Democratic Assemblyman Howard Watts III brought back legislation that passed last session with unanimous support to remove language in the Nevada Constitution that allows for slavery and involuntary servitude as a form of punishment. The legislation passed in the state Assembly on Feb. 16 and Senate on Feb. 23 and will become a ballot question in 2024. Voters in Alabama, Colorado, Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah and Vermont have approved similar measures since 2018.
“One of the questions that’s also come up is, is this symbolic? And I say no because the constitution is the foundational document of our state. If something is allowed in that, it’s legal,” Watts said.
Listen to this week’s episode of Purple Politics Nevada to hear from these two lawmakers on why it was important to move these bills forward during Black History Month and what this month means to them.
Transcript
(UPBEAT JAZZ MUSIC BEGINS)
LUCIA STARBUCK, HOST: Welcome to Purple Politics Nevada. I’m your host, Lucia Starbuck. The name reflects the fact that Nevada isn’t red or blue — it’s both.
The Nevada Black Legislative Caucus hosted the Black History Summit last week in recognition of Black History Month. The day-long event included an exhibit by the nonpartisan Clark County Black Caucus. Chair Yvette Williams proudly showed off her collection of historic artifacts, photographs and inventions by African Americans.
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(INDISTINGUISHABLE CHATTER)
(SOUNDBITE OF YVETTE WILLIAMS): And then Garrett Morgan. He invented the stoplight.
(SOUNDBITE OF REPUBLICAN STATE SENATOR JEFF STONE): Oh.
(SOUNDBITE OF YVETTE WILLIAMS): And he invented the gas mask, which saved a lot of lives.
STARBUCK: Nevada lawmakers also moved forward with a bill to make Juneteenth a state holiday. Democratic Assemblywoman Angie Taylor, who represents part of Northwest Reno, co-sponsored the legislation. About half of U.S. state governments recognize the holiday. The date commemorates the day enslaved people were informed of their freedom in Texas – more than two and a half years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Congress recognized Juneteenth as a federal holiday in 2021.
(SOUNDBITE OF ANGIE TAYLOR): It’s also an important day for the state ‘cause it sends the message that your experience is our experience. Your history is our history. So, it gives a greater sense of value because now, when it’s a state holiday and people don’t have to go to work on that day, “Why do you have the day off?” Now, people have to talk about telling the story.
STARBUCK: Taylor is the first Black assemblywoman to represent a Northern Nevada district. She explains what that means to her.
(SOUNDBITE OF ANGIE TAYLOR): Oh, that’s powerful for me. When I think about it, I can get overwhelmed because this is Black history living it out. Right? You say, “I am Black history.” African Americans, we’re only 3% of the population in our city, the City of Reno. Right? So, it is not as though just Black people, or just whatever, puts anyone in office or anything like that, and that’s ok, but it makes it even more symbolic that it’s really about people as a whole saying, “Hey, we want her to be our representative.”
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STARBUCK: I’m Lucia Starbuck, and you’re listening to Purple Politics Nevada. We’ve been talking about a bill to make Juneteenth a state holiday. The Nevada Black Legislative Caucus Treasurer and Democratic Assemblyman Howard Watts III brought forward another bill addressing slavery.
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STARBUCK: Assemblyman Watts, you’re bringing back legislation that passed last session with unanimous support to remove language in the Nevada state constitution that allows for slavery in some cases. Can you tell me what’s going on there?
HOWARD WATTS III: Certainly. When we abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in this country, it came with an exception, and that was that it could be imposed as a criminal punishment. And we actually saw, following the end of the Civil War, states utilize that loophole to criminalize primarily Black Americans, often for petty offenses, and essentially continue slavery through the use of prison labor. And so, there’s been a growing movement in red states and blue states to remove that loophole and unequivocally ban the use of slavery or involuntary servitude in any circumstance. This is something that everyone will have the opportunity to make their voice heard on in our next election in 2024.
STARBUCK: What kind of effect do you think the legislation would have, and would it stop any policies currently being carried out in Nevada prisons?
WATTS: One of the questions that’s also come up is, is this symbolic? And I say no because the constitution is the foundational document of our state. If something is allowed in that, it’s legal. There are discussions about some of these lingering consequences of this loophole being on the books. There are legacies related to the low compensation for prison labor today. At the same time, some of those programs that exist are voluntary. They’re aimed at trying to help get people back into the workforce. I think there’s gonna continue to be a robust debate about those issues.
STARBUCK: In the committee hearing, you mentioned your great-great-grandfather, Coleman Watts, was enslaved.
WATTS: Yeah, so one of the ways that this really hit home for me was doing some of the genealogy and ancestry. I could find census records for my great-great-grandfather, Coleman Watts. I realized, looking at his date of birth, his age, while they were counted for the purposes of Southern state representation, before that, my family members weren’t considered people – they were considered property.
STARBUCK: Why do you think it’s important for there to be more education about Black history?
WATTS: Black history is full of incredible culture. It’s full of incredible accomplishments, but it’s also filled with struggle – struggle that’s been overcome on many occasions. I think that the lessons of hope, of perseverance, is something that benefits all Americans. I think it’s important that we learn about the very diverse backgrounds that Black Americans have faced throughout their time in this country.
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STARBUCK: That was Democratic Assemblyman Howard Watts III. I’m Lucia Starbuck, and you’ve been listening to Purple Politics Nevada.
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The theme song, “Vibe Ace” by Kevin MacLeod, is licensed under Creative Commons and was edited for this episode.
