Conventional Ignorance: Belva Davis Confronts Violent Racism at the 1964 RNC

At the very outset of what would become an award-winning career as a TV journalist, Belva Davis confronted violent racism at the 1964 Republican National Convention, at which conservative Arizona senator Barry Goldwater was nominated for the presidency. Her memory of that daunting experience reminds us that we’ve been through change followed by backlash before.

“Day one of the convention had been tense but orderly. … Day two was starting to spin out of control.”

Fighting Racism, One Swimsuit at a Time

As we celebrate Black History Month and honor progress against racial and gender bias, it’s good to acknowledge some of the roadblocks that had to be overcome, especially for African American women. In the 1960s, nobody had to tell me that a dark-skinned girl was ineligible to be Miss America; everybody knew the crown was […]