Rufus Davis facts for kids

Rufus Davis (born March 6, 1964) is an American leader who works for social and political change. He is also a business executive. He used to be the Mayor of Camilla, Georgia. In November 2015, he became the first African American man elected to this role.

Davis believes in making progress and improving society. He helped lead voter turnout efforts in Georgia during the 2020 presidential election and the U.S. Senate elections in 2020 and 2021.

He is well-known for protesting unfairness in his city. He even boycotted his own city council meetings. This was to speak out against segregation (separating people by race), racism (unfair treatment based on race), and problems with city money. In December 2017, a civil rights lawyer named Benjamin Crump helped Davis. They demanded that Camilla remove a fence in the city cemetery that separated Black and White burial areas.

Education and Learning

Rufus Davis studied at several universities. He earned his first degree from the University of Michigan. Later, he received a law degree (Juris Doctor) from Rutgers Law.

During his studies, he also spent time learning in other countries. He studied at the University of Economics, Prague in the Czech Republic. He also attended Leiden University in the Netherlands. Davis also completed a special program for leaders at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

The Camilla Movement

In January 2018, Rufus Davis announced he had started "The Camilla Movement." This group aimed to bring important social, economic, and political changes to Camilla, Georgia.

He explained that this movement was the first part of a bigger plan. This plan, called the "Social Project," would help other communities too. It would focus on challenges like making sure everyone is included, celebrating differences, and having equal chances.

Efforts to Remove the Mayor

In March 2017, some White residents in Camilla tried to remove Mayor Davis from office. They were upset because news stories had highlighted his claims of racism in the city. This attempt to remove him was called a "recall" campaign.

However, the recall failed. The people trying to remove him could not get enough signatures, as required by Georgia law. More than 90% of the people who signed the petition against Davis were White. Because of this, the effort was often called the "Racial Recall."

Interestingly, an elderly African-American woman named Vivian Smith led the recall effort. She had recently lost her seat on the Camilla city council to Venterra Pollard. Pollard was a candidate supported by Mayor Davis. Later, Pollard joined Mayor Davis in boycotting city council meetings.

In 2016, the year before, supporters of Mayor Davis tried to recall four city council members. These members were Vivian Smith, Bryant Campbell, W.D Palmer, and Annie Doris Willingham. Citizens complained that the council was not listening to their concerns. Tensions grew when council members refused to attend a special meeting called by the mayor. This meeting was called because the White city manager, Bennett Adams, would not give Davis keys to city hall. Adams claimed no mayor before Davis had ever had keys.

Before becoming mayor, Davis led a group called "We the people v. City Hall." This group spoke out against high utility bills and the lack of fair representation from city officials, both Black and White.