The Tallahassee City Commission is working to rename a segment of Pasco Street after the late civil rights icon Anita Davis.
The street sign from Orange Avenue to Bragg Drive will soon read, “Anita Davis Place,” in honor of her legacy as a community leader and neighborhood activist in Florida’s state capital. According to ABC27, the location is in the area where Davis lived. The renaming is a tribute to Davis’ service as the first Black woman on the Leon County Commission and efforts that paved the way for members of the Tallahassee Black community to serve in local politics.
City commissioner Curtis Richardson credits Davis for paving the way for his political career in the Tally community. “Right now, many of the streets here in Tallahassee are named after prominent figures in our community,” he said, which BLACK ENTERPRISE recently covered, including a Nov. 11 renaming of a portion of Pasco Street now known as “T-Pain Lane.” Anita Davis Place is the Tallahassee City Commission’s latest effort to continue that tradition throughout the community. “I just think this is very deserving, it’s time and I’m happy to see it done,” Richardson said.
The Tallahassee City Commission voted to adopt a resolution to approve the renaming during an Oct. 16 meeting, according to Tallahassee Reports. Davis moved to Tally in 1979. Following 12 years as President of the state’s NAACP branch, she spearheaded significant initiatives as a member of the Leon County Commission, securing single-member districts for the commission and Leon County School Board to elect representatives centered on their specific needs. She made further strides in Tally’s Southside with the development of parks in Woodville, Dr. B.L. Perry, Jr. Branch Library, and a health
clinic on Old Bainbridge Road. Leon County Government honored Davis with the naming of the County’s Anita L. Davis at Lake Henrietta Park in 2018 following her contribution to the restoration of Lake Munson.Davis’ friend and neighbor, Althamese Barnes, attested to the work she’s done as a true member of the Tallahassee community. “Anita was of the people,” Barnes said. “Her forte and something this community really needed at that time was someone to work with our young people.”
Signs for
“Anita Davis Place” are still in process and the city is in communication with family members to schedule a date for an official ceremony. The Tallahassee advocate died in 2021 and was buried at Tallahassee National Cemetery.RELATED CONTENT: Black Male Achievers Program Name Is Safe Following Speculation