Ruby Duncan

Ruby Duncan  is the founder of Operation Life, a community-run antipoverty program, in order to promote welfare reform and improve the lives of people living in the Westside neighborhood of Las Vegas. Ms. Duncan's activism during the 1970s and 1980s helped create welfare reform, educational opportunities, jobs, and other much-needed services. She organized welfare rights demonstrations, eat-ins, and eventually two large marches on the Las Vegas Strip that received nationwide publicity and practically brought tourism to a halt. Ms. Duncan became a recognized leader of the black community, and in 1972 she founded Operation Life. Ms. Duncan served as executive director from its beginning until her health forced her to retire in 1990. Ms. Duncan served as a delegate for Nevada at the 1980 Democratic convention. She has been the recipient of many local and national awards for her continued dedication to women’s and children’s rights. She has been a member of the Insight Center board since 1999.

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