Black History Month

Marvin Davies

     Marvin Davies was born in1934 in Bradford County, Florida. Life experiences from his younger days would lead to a commitment to equality for all citizens.

     After high school, Davies served in the United States Army. Following Army service he enrolled at Florida A & M University in Tallahassee. He earned his degree in 1959 and was ranked second in his class of 341. Those academic achievements led to his selection as student of the year. He later studied at DePaul University College of Law, the University of Florida and Georgia State University.

     While at Florida A & M, Davies met civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. C.K. Steele, Andrew Young and Hosea Williams. During his time at Florida A & M, he joined Dr. King to participate in protests in Tallahassee, St. Augustine and Montgomery, Alabama.

     He worked as a coordinator of vocational counseling and job development and placement in a manpower training program sponsored by the United States Department of Labor following his college days.

     In 1966, at the age of 32, Davies was named field secretary and eventually executive director of the Florida State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Among his responsibilities was serving as spokesman for Florida’s 138 NAACP branches. He moved to St. Petersburg upon assuming his new position.

     He was a passionate and committed spokesman for civil rights, stating that his job was “to assist the branches in focusing toward the implementation of the total Civil Rights Act” that had been passed in 1964. “This means implementation of the act in employment, schools hospitals ... and all other public facilities,” he stated after being appointed.

     Davies served as field secretary until 1972, but remained on the front lines. He was state coordinator of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Foundation and was appointed a special assistant to then-Governor Bob Graham and also served on Graham’s Senate staff.

     Following civil violence in St. Petersburg in 1996, Davies joined other community activists to form the Coalition of African-American Leadership. The Coalition pressed the case for economic development in the neighborhoods where the disturbances occurred. He later served on the Citizens Advisory Commission appointed to supervise federal assistance to the city after those disturbances.

     On April 25, 2003, Marvin Davies died of colon cancer, but his legacy was immortalized less than two months later by passage of the Marvin Davies Civil Rights Act of 2003. On June 18, 2003, Governor Bush signed into law the most important civil rights legislation in more than a decade. For the first time, the Attorney General of Florida may now initiate a civil rights action when a pattern or practice of discrimination exists, or if there is an issue of great public importance.

     Legislation that further ensures equality is a fitting tribute to a man that spent most of his life pursuing that goal.

(L-R) Attorney General Charlie Crist, bill sponsor Senator Alex Villalobos, Gov. Bush, bill sponsor Representative Jeff Kottkamp.