The Las Vegas Black Music Awards at 35 reminds us that preserving culture is a civic responsibility.

By Brandi Trujillo (“Swift the Goddess”)

Every city chooses what it remembers.

Some preserve historic buildings. Others protect parks, museums, photographs, and public records. These places help us understand where we’ve been and remind future generations how a community was built. But perhaps the greatest responsibility any city has is preserving the people whose creativity gave it its identity.

Las Vegas is known around the world as the Entertainment Capital of the World. Visitors come for the lights, the stages, and the performances that have shaped the city’s identity for generations. Yet behind every marquee is a much larger story, one written by musicians, singers, dancers, poets, producers, educators, technicians, photographers, entrepreneurs, hospitality professionals, and countless others whose work has shaped the cultural life of Southern Nevada.

Those stories deserve to be remembered.

For 35 years, the Las Vegas Black Music Awards has helped preserve them by recognizing artists and community leaders whose talent, service, and creativity have enriched our city’s cultural landscape. Three and a half decades is more than an anniversary. It represents continuity, commitment, and the belief that the people who contribute to our creative identity deserve to be honored while they are still here to receive their flowers.

Think about how much Las Vegas has changed during that time. Entire resorts have transformed. Entertainment has evolved. New generations of performers have arrived while others have taken their final bow. Through every era of change, the Las Vegas Black Music Awards has remained committed to recognizing excellence and documenting a chapter of our city’s history that might otherwise be overlooked.

The story of Las Vegas cannot be fully told without acknowledging the contributions of Black artists, musicians, entertainers, entrepreneurs, hospitality professionals, and cultural leaders. Their influence extends far beyond the stage. They have mentored future generations, strengthened communities, built businesses, and helped shape the cultural identity that has made Las Vegas recognizable around the world.

Recognizing those contributions does not diminish anyone else’s story; it completes the story of our city.

This year’s theme, “A New Era,” is a fitting reminder that preserving history and embracing the future are not opposing ideas. Under the stewardship of Antonio Freeman, BlinkShow TV, and the dedicated team guiding the organization forward, the Awards continue to honor a 35-year legacy while creating opportunities for new artists and new audiences to become part of that story.

Every lasting cultural institution depends on more than the people it celebrates. It also depends on volunteers, sponsors, media partners, local businesses, educators, families, and allies who understand that preserving culture is a shared responsibility. Communities grow stronger when they choose to support the organizations that safeguard their history.

The Las Vegas Black Music Awards’ 35th Anniversary Celebration begins on Thursday, August 20, and concludes with the awards ceremony on Sunday, August 23, at the Ahern Luxury Boutique Hotel. The weekend celebrates not only artistic excellence but also the generations of people whose work has helped shape the creative spirit of Las Vegas.

Whether residents attend, support an artist, volunteer, or simply learn more about the organization’s history, their participation helps ensure that this legacy continues.

Because every great city deserves institutions that remember the people who helped build its cultural identity.

And a city is only as strong as the stories it chooses to preserve.

To learn more about the 35th Anniversary Las Vegas Black Music Awards, visit LasVegasBlackMusicAwards.com.

About the Author

Brandi Trujillo (“Swift the Goddess”) is the founder of BRYCELY, an independent cultural and editorial platform documenting the people, places, and cultural institutions that shape our communities.