City to Honor Community Advocate Anita Davis

A Portion of Pasco Street to be Named for Late Civil Rights Activist

November 26, 2024

The City of Tallahassee will commemorate the late Civil Rights activist and community advocate Anita Davis by naming a street in her honor. Davis was an inspiring member of the Tallahassee community who made a difference through her work in civil rights activism, local government and youth education advocacy. The City will host a street naming ceremony on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 2 p.m. outside historic Jake Gaither Golf Course, steps away from Davis’ home on Bragg Drive.

On Oct. 16, 2024, the Tallahassee City Commission voted to adopt a resolution approving the renaming of Pasco Street from Orange Avenue to Bragg Drive for Davis.

She was the first woman to serve as President of the Tallahassee Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). One of her most impactful accomplishments within this role was ensuring that both the Leon County Commission and Leon County School Board have single-member districts instead of at-large positions, ensuring more accessibility for African Americans to fill these seats.

Striving to continue her excellence in public service Davis was elected to the Leon County Board of County Commissioners as the first African American woman. She led initiatives that included building parks in Woodville, the Southside library branch and a Southside health clinic.

Throughout her life Davis showed a passion for education and founded the Tallahassee Branch of the NAACP’s Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) program, a yearlong achievement program designed to recruit, stimulate and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African American high school students. She continuously mentored, nurtured and encouraged thousands of local students to participate and succeed in ACT-SO.

Davis served the Tallahassee community from 1979 until her death in 2021. She is buried at the Tallahassee National Cemetery.

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