Oakmont Senior Living Celebrates Resident and Civil Rights Icon, Ruby Duncan

For Women’s History Month, Oakmont Senior Living is honored to celebrate one of our residents, civil rights icon Ruby Duncan—a trailblazing mother, activist, and leader who took on an unjust system and won.

Born in 1932 in Tallulah, Louisiana, Ruby experienced hardship from an early age. She picked and chopped cotton from ages 7-16, and though raised by a loving and supportive aunt, Ruby never knew her parents. Despite these challenges, she remained determined and hopeful. 

In 1952, at 18, she moved to Las Vegas in pursuit of a better future and found work as a short-order cook at the Sahara—a job she loved. But a workplace accident changed everything. Ruby slipped on grease in the kitchen, suffering a spinal injury, cracked kneecaps, and shattered shoulders. Multiple surgeries followed, leaving her unable to work. With no other options, she and her children moved into the West Las Vegas projects and relied on welfare, receiving just $298 a month to support a family of eight. 

Talking with other moms, Ruby witnessed a common theme among the women living in the projects—they desperately wanted to work but couldn’t afford childcare. The small welfare payments they received barely covered rent, leaving little for food or other essentials. Ruby often made family meals from nothing but cornmeal. If she could fry it with an onion, that was an extravagance.

Things were bad. And they were about to get worse. 

In 1971, Nevada’s Welfare Department, without warning, implemented severe welfare cuts, slashing benefits by 75% and leaving 3,000 families without support. Children began to starve; Nevada doctors reported cases of malnourished children with soft bones and rickets.

State legislators responded by saying, “Nevada doesn’t have poor people, hungry children, low-income people, or seniors who are struggling.”

Ruby knew the reality. She was living it. 

“We need to do something,” she said. “We’re going to march the Strip.”  

On March 6, 1971, 3,000 demonstrators—mostly mothers—took to the Las Vegas Strip, demanding change. 

“The march was organized by me and a whole lot of moms just like me,” Ruby later recalled. “There were so many women—I couldn’t see the end of us.” 

The march shut down Caesars Palace, one of the city’s largest casinos, forcing state leaders to acknowledge the crisis. A week later, a federal judge ruled that Nevada had indeed disregarded the rights of the poor and ordered the benefits reinstated, with back pay. 

Ruby’s activism didn’t stop there. In 1972, she co-founded Operation Life–a nonprofit focused on helping poor families–that transformed West Las Vegas. The organization established a medical clinic, job training programs, a daycare center, a library, and even the area’s first public swimming pool. In 1974, Ruby successfully brought the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to Nevada, and by 1980, Operation Life employed more than 100 people—many of them mothers who had previously been on welfare.

“As advocates of the bootstrap theory,” Ruby said, “Operation Life has become the vehicle to provide boots for low-income people everywhere.”

Ruby’s efforts left a lasting legacy. She was recognized with numerous awards, including the title of Distinguished Nevadan. She received honorary degrees from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; the University of Nevada, Reno; and the Community College of Southern Nevada. The Ruby Duncan Elementary School in North Las Vegas opened its doors in 2010.

Ruby Duncan’s story is a testament to resilience, determination, and the power of women and mothers when they unite. Her work changed countless lives, proving that one person can indeed make a difference.

This Women’s History Month, we proudly honor Ruby Duncan—a true champion of justice and equality and a cherished resident of Oakmont Senior Living.