By Annie Marie Henry
The City of Miami and Miami Dade County will honor a Black Miami Community leader with a street named after him on Friday, November 17th at 10 am.
Northwest 16th Street between Northwest 2nd Avenue to Northwest 3rd Avenue will be named the Dr. Ira P Davis street.
Dr. Ira Phillip Davis was a central figure to most of the civil rights advancements of the Black community from the time that he arrived in the late 30s to the time of his death in 1970.
Dr. Ira P. Davis was born in Jacksonville in 1896. He lived in northern Florida where he attended Florida A &M College. It was during this time that he was drafted into the army and served in the medical corps in France during WWI.
He served 11 months in the army and later entered Howard University School of Dentistry where he graduated in 1929.
In 1936 he moved to Miami where he set up his dental office in Overtown at 1036 NW 2nd Avenue. It is there that he met his future wife Louise Stirrup, the daughter of Miami pioneer E. W. F. Stirrup.
The time that Dr. Davis spent in the army allowed him to qualify as a veteran in the armed forces. In January 1937 he helped to establish the John Griffen Post for Colored Veterans of the World Wars which later became a colored unit of the American Legions (1946). At this time, he was appointed as the state’s 1st Black District Commander.
It was in this organization that Dr. Davis fought for housing rights for Black veterans and other Black citizens. It was also this organization that became the catalyst that he would use to fight for other rights for Black people in Miami.
Dr. Davis and a coalition of others such as Annie Coleman founder of the Friendship Garden and Civic Association.
Lawson E. Thomas, an attorney who later became the first Black judge in the South after Reconstruction.
Reverend Culmer of Saint Agnes Episcopal Church and Captain James E. Scott were some of the individuals that would meet at the Dr. Davis home in Overtown also known as the ‘Little White House’ to improve the lives of people in the community.
They are responsible for the establishment of the first Negro police force,
police precinct, courthouse, and judge in the south.
Davis also played a role in the establishment of the Virginia Key Beach being assigned as a beach for Black people at a time when Blacks had no place to swim and enjoy the outdoors.
Davis was also central to upgrading the housing standards for people in Miami ensuring that all homes were equipped with running water, flushable toilets and at least one sink.
Davis also spearheaded the campaign to integrate the Orange Bowl and brought the Orange Blossom Classic to Miami.
Davis also worked to desegregate the golf courses. In 1955 Davis was instrumental in bringing the Ray Mitchell North-South Golf Tournament to Miami.
The four-day tournament brought numerous celebrities and other tourists into Miami . Miami saw an infusion of cash into the city as a result.
Ira P Davis educational, professional, and military experience enabled him to contribute and impact the Black community in significant and multiple areas. His aid was sought by not only local leaders but national leaders as well.
Davis died on May 22, 1970. He was 74 years old. His only living children, Carol Henley Byrd and Iral Porter currently reside in Miami.
The designation ceremony will take place at the Historic Black Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum at 10 am. It is located at 480 N.W. 11th Street in Miami’s Overtown.
The producers and researchers of Profiles in Black Miami, AnnMarie Henry, Christine Malcolm and Keith Moore are honored to have coordinated with the Dr. Enid Pinkney of the Curtis Foundation to unveil these revelations that led to the upcoming activities.
For more information contact: AnnMarie Henry at (305) 505-9817 or profilesinBlackmiami@gmail.com
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