Community activist, former chair of Wilmington Commission on African American Affairs dies

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - Kenneth Davis was never afraid to speak his mind. If he encountered an injustice, he addressed it. His friends say the Vietnam Veteran would never surrender to a debate.

Davis, 73, died Thursday, Nov. 29, after an extended illness.

Davis was the former chairperson of the City of Wilmington’s Commission on African American Affairs. He was also a member of the 1898 Wilmington Race Riot Commission established by the North Carolina General Assembly.

One of Davis’ most noted contributions was writing the foreward to the historical account of the 1898 race riots in a book entitled We Have Taken a City.

He was also instrumental in getting members of the Tuskegee Airmen to Wilmington.

Davis spent his early childhood in Wilmington, but his family moved to Philadelphia, Penn. where he attended high school.

Davis retired from law enforcement as a policeman in Philadelphia where he was wounded in the line of duty. He returned to Wilmington in 1989.

Family visitation will be Friday, Dec. 7 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at New Beginning Christian Church in Castle Hayne.

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