Marvin Davies

Born in 1934 in Bradford County, Florida, Marvin Davies earned his degree in 1959 from Florida A&M University, ranking second in his class of 341 and selected as student of the year. During his time at Florida A&M, Mr. Davies joined Dr. King to participate in protests in Tallahassee, St. Augustine and Montgomery, Alabama. Named field secretary and eventually Executive Director of the Florida State Conference of the NAACP, he served as spokesman for Florida’s 138 NAACP branches. In this role, he was a passionate and committed spokesman for civil rights, stating that his job was “to assist the branches in focusing toward the implementation of the total 1964 Civil Rights Act.” Mr. Davies served as a state coordinator of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Foundation and was appointed a special assistant to Governor Bob Graham, where he also served on Bob Graham’s Senate staff. A section of the Florida Statutes (s. 760.121, F.S.), passed in 2003 by the Florida Legislature, was named the “Mr. Marvin Davies Florida Civil Rights Act” and authorizes the Attorney General to commence a civil action for damages, relief and penalties for repeated discriminatory practices.