Michael DeMond Davis facts for kids

Michael DeMond Davis (born January 1939, died November 13, 2003) was an important journalist. He helped many African-American writers get started in the news world. In 1992, he wrote a book called Black American Women in Olympic Track and Field. He also helped write a book about Thurgood Marshall, a famous judge.

Growing Up and Family

Michael D. Davis was born in Washington, D.C.. His parents, John P. Davis and Marguerite DeMond Davis, were part of a respected African-American community. His father, John P. Davis, went to Harvard Law School. His mother graduated from Syracuse University.

John P. Davis was well-known for his work with the Joint Committee on National Recovery. He also started the National Negro Congress in 1935. Later, he created Our World magazine in 1946. This was a large magazine for African-American readers. He also published the American Negro Reference book, which covered many parts of African-American life.

Fighting for Equal Schools

In 1943, Michael D. Davis's father, John P. Davis, filed the first lawsuit against segregated schools in Washington, D.C. This meant schools were separated for black and white students. The principal of Noyes School would not let five-year-old Mike Davis attend. The principal said people had always accepted separate schools.

The Washington Star newspaper criticized John P. Davis for challenging this system. They said his lawsuit would cause more problems. In response to the lawsuit, the U.S. Congress gave money to build the Lucy D. Slowe elementary school. It was built right across the street from the Davis family home in Brookland. Michael Davis later went to the Fieldston school in New York City.

College and Civil Rights

As a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Michael Davis joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). He worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr.. He was a leader in the student sit-in movement. Sit-ins were protests where people would sit in places where they were not allowed. He was arrested many times in Atlanta's bus stations and department stores for these protests.

A Career in Journalism

Ralph McGill, who ran the Atlanta Constitution newspaper, hired Davis. Michael Davis became the paper's first African-American reporter. McGill became an important guide and friend to him.

Reporting from Vietnam

Davis later went to Vietnam as a war correspondent for the Afro-American Newspapers. For 18 months, he reported on what black service members were doing in the war. When he came back home, he joined The Baltimore Sun. He also worked for the San Diego Union, where he covered Governor Jerry Brown. He worked for the now-closed The Washington Star, and was an editor for NBC news in Washington, D.C. He also reported for the Washington Times.

His work earned him several Front Page Awards from the American Newspaper Guild. The NAACP gave him an award for his reporting from Vietnam.

Vietnam Notebook Articles

From July to November 1967, Davis wrote over 100 articles. These were part of a column called "Vietnam Notebook" for the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper.