Dedicated to measurably improving the lives of people in his community, Quentin Savwoir, President of the NAACP Las Vegas Branch, is our guest this week on Nevada Week In Person.

♪♪♪♪♪ Support for Nevada Week In Person is provided by Senator William H. Hernstadt.

-Welcome to Nevada Week In Person.

I'm Amber Renee Dixon.

As a child, he attended NAACP conventions with his grandmother.

Some 30 years later, he's now the president of the NAACP branch in Las Vegas.

Quentin Savwoir, thank you for joining Nevada Week In Person.

(Quentin Savwoir) Thank you for having me.

It's a real delight.

-Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, what was it that brought you to Las Vegas and when?

-Yes.

The heart of America, right?

Came out to Las Vegas.

My husband's an entertainer.

My sister moved here at the time.

This was in 2017.

Got here on December 30, and I told myself, we're starting the top of the year in viva Las Vegas.

-So it wasn't a job.

It was-- -No, no.

It was personal.

And my grandmother lives four hours away in Temecula, so I wanted to be much closer to her, as she's getting in her advanced age.

She still with us today at 92.

So that four-hour drive to check on her is a little bit of a doozy.

We need to make her a Las Vegan.

-So 92 years old.

That would mean, I did my math because you told me ahead of time, she was born in the '30s.

-Yes, 1931.

-So what were the issues that she was attending these NAACP conventions for?

What would she tell you about them when she brought you along?

-Absolutely.

My grandmother grew up in an era of civil rights icons that we learn about in school and that we learn about just in the world.

So she very much has good recall of the courage that it took to fight for civil rights, to fight for voting rights, to fight to make sure that women have equality.

My grandmother was born in a time where she couldn't get a bank account or credit card in her own name, so to be part of a social justice and civil rights organization was paramount.

To get me involved at a young age was important.

-What do you remember from those conventions?

-All the things were so boring.

It was good to be around other young people.

I was visiting.

I remember distinctly a convention that was in California, as a child, and I remember all the young people, because it was always such a big deal to go to California in the summertime.

But today what I know is that roaming the halls then are the civil rights leaders and activists that I'm seeing now, or their offsprings, who are still fighting to protect and advance civil rights 115 years later into this organization.

-Yeah, when you think about the differences of then versus today, how different are the issues?

-I say this all the time.

I think we're dealing with the same issues in perpetuity, unfortunately.

We've made progress in a lot of ways.

I won't ever deny that.

But to be in a moment where we're still having issues around housing affordability, like these were conversations that my grandmother was having in her heyday.

To be having conversations about public school access, like these are still very much salient issues.

I would say some new things that have come up would be, you know, issues around how we take care of our seniors.

It may have been an issue then, but I know today there definitely needs to be more of a focused conversation about what taking care of our seniors look like.

I'm her caregiver, and I just never thought we would have the issues we're having when it comes to eldercare.

-You think it's different then than it is now?

-Well, I don't know, right?

Like, the things-- things were so, things were so in your face then, like, it was very obvious.

Like, certain people could not vote, right?

So I don't know that conversations about senior care were happening.

But as for me, I'm seeing a rollback of rights.

I'm seeing a multipronged attack to roll people's rights back.

I'm dealing with a lot of things that's like, wow, we don't have good systems as a community of people to take care of seniors as they get into advanced ages.

-We saw you in action recently at an NAACP voter engagement initiative.

People from around the country were there to learn how to engage people in their own communities about simply voting, going to vote.

And you asked members of, local leaders from different organizations that are supporting black families here in Las Vegas, what is their "happy."

And so coming off of you talking about, you know, rolling back rights, and you're concerned about, there's not much of a difference, perhaps, from back when your grandmother was attending these conventions.

What is your happy?

How do you keep going?

-How do I keep going?

Great question.

I've got great nieces and nephews that I think about a whole, whole lot, and I would just-- excuse me.

I would just hate for them to be fighting for these same things 20, 30, 40, 50 years from now.

I want to say, No, we put a pin in that.

We got to a place where we could make measurable progress on this thing so that we don't have to keep talking about it.

They are my go-to, frequently.

I'm also a musical theater nerd.

So anytime that I'm feeling down, I try to turn on a musical theater track, and that gets me in a better spirit.

But for me, as a community leader, as a person in the space of civil rights and social justice, I have to hold on to hope.

That's my product; that's what I sell.

So if I'm not happy, if I'm not espousing what's possible, then I can't inspire a movement of people to be mobilized to action in their own lives.

So for me, the anchor has to be: Find something that fills you up.

Find something that keeps you going ahead.

-Give me an example of what you have found other people's happies to be.

-That's a great question.

I've found other folks' things to be like, they go to the spa.

"I'm a take a day to go to the spa."

Now that's a little pricey for me, but... Other things have simply been drives, a friend who's like, "No, I just get on the highway and I drive.

It lets me clear my head."

I think it's less about the thing and more about making sure you have space to center yourself, to be still, be quiet.

What I've learned as a leader is that when I'm still and I'm quiet, sometimes a good idea comes to me regularly.

I like to think it's those who've come before me whisper and saying, Try this, see if it works.

-Okay.

You, when you took on this role in 2023 as the president of the Las Vegas branch, you talked about the rich history of this particular branch.

What stands out when you think about that?

-Oh, goodness.

What stands out is how many come to town and say there's no culture in this city.

We have such a rich and diverse culture in this town, and I think it's layered throughout the history of the NAACP.

I stay most impressed by the conversation that took place in the Moulin Rouge Cafe that was organized by Mr. Jim Anderson.

But the president at the time was James McMillan.

And what they did was they convened local leaders to talk about what it would mean to desegregate the Las Vegas Strip, because the NAACP was planning a public demonstration if they did not desegregate the Strip.

And they left that meeting with an agreement to desegregate the Strip so that folks could come down and enjoy the amenities that we all enjoy today.

I think I'm also impressed by the work that the NAACP did to make sure that people of color, black folks in particular, had access to those jobs, because it wasn't just a given.

So it's been advocacy on all fronts, not just on one.

-You have so much within your answers that I want to jump back to.

So let's start with talking about people taking a moment to be quiet into themselves, but you're also encouraging discourse, and especially among people who don't agree on things.

That's difficult these days.

How do you get people to do that?

-Yeah, I think it's where having relationships gets involved, right?

Because so often, if you have a disagreement with someone, it means that we're not friends, we're enemies.

That doesn't have to be the case.

You can't sustain a healthy community or a healthy democracy in that way.

There should be conflict.

Conflict is not a problem.

I think we've been conditioned as humans to think that conflict has to be problematic, and that's not necessarily the case.

You can have a good human interaction and it be in conflict, because on the other side of conflict is a viable outcome that works for both sides.

So I really try to get folks to understand the importance of investing in relationships with each other so that when you have moments of contention, it is not, Oh, my God, I'm never going to talk to them again.

Instead, We disagree today.

I'll call you Thursday.

Let's go get lunch.

There used to be a time that was more commonplace, but now I think we're so in our phones.

We live in this isolated world where only we listen to people who agree with us.

That's not how you sustain a democracy.

-Is there a time where you have spoken with someone of an opposing belief and they changed your mind on something?

-That's a great question.

That actually happens a lot, yes.

I have folks around me who challenge me.

It helps, actually, my arguments, honestly, because I was in speech and debate as a middle school and high schooler.

But I really like opposing viewpoints because it helps me learn.

An example would be when I talk to my friends in the business community.

One big rallying call when I first got here was paid sick days, paid family time.

And those are still very, very important.

But if you're a startup small business and only got three people, paid time off for those three people could be devastating for your business.

So it's learning the viewpoints of folks who have different walks of life that help shape my arguments a little bit differently.

I still maintain that strong business practices and strong family practices work together.

Like, you should be able to have a successful business and successful practices for your employees, because those things have to coincide.

You can't have a strong business and not have a strong workforce.

-Yeah.

There are nuances to everything.

-There are.

-Measurably improving the lives of people in your community, you make that a point in your bios, in your various bios, because you've been in the public sector, the private sector, in politics, but that is what you are committed to.

So why "measurably"?

Why include that word?

-I think it's important because right now we're living through a time where folks don't have a lot of faith in systems and leaders that surround them.

You hear something, and it's a whole other thing.

Or you don't know what to believe.

And I always think about a young man whose door I knocked in 2018.

He said, "Well, my hood didn't change under Obama, and it didn't get any worse under Trump."

And that still sticks with me, because what that says to me is you didn't see any tangible improvements from any of your leaders enough to feel mobilized to take action in any election.

When I say "election," I don't just mean the art of voting.

I mean staying engaged year round, showing up at a school district or county commission meeting.

You can't just vote and be done.

So when I think about measurable improvements, I think about the simple things of, If I say I'll do something on Saturday at noon, then I'm gonna do it Saturday at noon.

And that type of integrity is missing in our public leadership a lot of times these days.

-Measurable improvements that you have helped make that you're most proud of, what are some of them?

-I grew up with a mom and sisters.

My dad was around.

I love my dad, but black women have definitely shaped the man I am today.

And when I learned that black women were dying in childbirth at disparate rates, that really incensed me.

So in 2021, I worked on passing legislation that would expand Medicaid coverage to support doulas.

Doulas are birth assistants for the birth parent.

And studies show that when you have doula support, you're more likely to have a traditional birth and better outcomes versus a cesarean.

In this state, 60% of the babies are born-- are paid for by the state.

When you have a cesarean, it's actually more expensive.

So the policy we passed in 2021 saved lives and saved the state money.

You're welcome, Nevada.

-Look at that.

Mind blown.

I'm glad you bring up parents, because you mentioned you're the son of a labor leader.

-My dad was a Teamster.

-Okay.

And then also the son of a school administrator, your mother.

And you noticed at a young age how people that are, that are, you know, have a lot of work that are overworked are, are-- what are the words that you use?

Just not recognized, not taken care of.

-In the margins.

Not offered a seat at the table.

Don't have time to go to a school board meeting.

Like my sister, for most of the life growing up-- my nieces and nephews are all adults now.

It's crazy.

My sister worked two jobs.

She worked a day job and night job.

There wasn't time to go to a city council meeting or school board meeting.

It wasn't that she didn't want to.

She had to put food on the table.

Her story is not unique.

How many single moms do we have across the country who want to be involved but can't be involved?

I'm always thinking about those families.

I'm thinking about the folks who are trying their hardest, trying to get through the day, but always have some type of issue.

My mom, when she was secretary, the kids--she was secretary of a school--kids would be at extended day, but their ride would never get there on time.

So there would be instances where I'd see my mom taking kids home just to avoid issues with the state, because we had a relationship with the family, and she knew what was happening.

It was often the mom was getting off late from work, something happened in the family that was an emergency, and we would stand in for them in an unofficial way, but that was such a selfless way to keep from being-- keep that family from having bigger problems.

-Because if those parents didn't show up on time, they would have issues?

-You call on the Family Division.

Your kids are going to the state.

It's like abandonment.

-I just want to be accurate, that you witnessed firsthand how hardworking people are often overlooked and underserved.

-Yes.

-Okay.

We are running out of time.

Where do I go from here, because you mentioned musical theater.

I have to ask what your favorite musical is.

-Oh, my goodness!

Into the Woods, Hamilton, Rent.

I mean, my gosh, there's tons of them.

I think about Northern Lights, a story of Detroit high school students who protested during 1968's riots in Detroit.

There's so many theater shows that I love.

I went to a performing arts high school, so we could have a whole separate segment about that.

-Which one do you turn to when you are feeling down?

-This sounds so cliche, but when I'm feeling down, I turn to Hamilton because we've done hard things in this country before, and it's no secret that we're living through some hard times.

But knowing that we've gone through hard times before inspires me to know, Oh, okay, it's just my moment to "eat the frog," do the hard thing, get on the other side of it and reflect on how challenging something was, but to bask in the glory of what you've overcome.

-"Eat the frog."

I haven't heard that term.

-Yes, it's just like, do the hard thing first.

-Okay.

-Like, get it done.

Get it out of the way.

-And you have also said that you are a fan of political memoirs.

-Yes.

-What are your favorites?

-Oh, goodness.

I really enjoyed President Eisenhower's memoir.

I grew up in Missouri.

He grew up in Kansas.

Very unlikely, but I'm like, I wouldn't really care for that.

This is middle of nowhere, right?

But this man, I really resonated with a lot of the things in his memoir, because he talks very personally about what it's like to be a leader and how hard it is to make decisions when you're the only person who knows what that feels like.

I have not had the whole world on my shoulders before, but there are certain elements that I recall reading that just made me feel like, wow, that has to be kind of lonely.

-Quentin Savwoir, NAACP Las Vegas Branch President, thank you for joining Nevada Week In Person.

-Thank you, Amber.