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Elwood G. Davis

Marker is located on Northeast corner of Ohio and Baltic Avenues.

Historical Marker text:

1927 –
An Atlantic City native, Davis graduated from the New Jersey College of Commerce and is a veteran of World War II. He served as Assistant Vice President at Atlantic National Bank and Deputy Director of Administration at the Atlantic City Municipal Utilities Authority. His community activities have included chairing the Board of the Atlantic City Housing Authority and Atlantic City Zoning Board. He also served as Director/Incorporator of Atlantic Human Resources and was a member of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Local Finance Board and Stockton State College E.O.F. Board.

Davis is a member of the NAACP, Prince Hall Masons and the Venice Park Civic Association. In addition, he has taken on important roles in his religious life as a member of the United Methodist Church serving Asbury and Mount Pleasant locally; also participating in the General, Jurisdictional and Annual Conferences of the United Methodist Church.

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Additional information:

Elwood G. Davis is a lifelong resident of Atlantic City's Northside, a community which before the Civil Rights Act traditionally comprised the city's black population. Davis had an integral part in fighting to end the segregation of Atlantic City. In the 1960s, he worked towards starting anti-poverty programs for Northside residents, and played an active role in the 1964 "Summer of Freedom" protests. These protests included marches and picketing on the Boardwalk, outside of Convention Hall where the Democratic National Convention was taking place. As the nation turned their eyes to Atlantic City, so too did they to the protesters fighting for politicians to finally act on Civil Rights legislation and to stop turning a blind eye on the injustices faced by African-Americans who tried to vote. In these years, Davis was selected by the local NAACP branch as their choice to run for City Commissioner, but he turned down the offer. Instead, Karlos LaSane ran, and became the first black man to ever hold a public office in Atlantic City. Davis is still actively involved in the Northside community, and his memories of its past are vital. Author Nelson Johnson incorporated many of Davis's recollections into his book on Atlantic City's black history, The Northside.

  For more information, see these resources in the Atlantic City Free Public Library, Atlantic City Heritage Collections:
Nelson Johnson. The Northside
Local History Biography File - Elwood Davis

 

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