Belva Davis

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Belva Davis
Born
Belvagene Melton

(1932-10-13) October 13, 1932 (age 91)
Monroe, Louisiana, United States
NationalityAmerican
CitizenshipUnited States
Occupation(s)Television and radio broadcaster, news anchor
Years active1957–2012
Spouses
  • Frank Davis (divorced)
Bill Moore
​
(m. 1967)​

Belva Davis (born Belvagene Melton; October 13, 1932) is an American television and radio

American Women in Radio and Television and National Association of Black Journalists
.

After growing up in

freelance
articles for magazines in 1957. Within a few years, she began reporting on radio and television. As a reporter, Davis covered many important events of the day, including issues of race, gender, and politics. She became an anchorwoman and hosted her own talk show, before retiring in 2012.

Early life

Belvagene Melton was born on October 13, 1932, to John and Florence Melton in

West Oakland neighborhood of Oakland, California. Eleven people lived in the apartment.[1] Davis later said about her youth, "I learned to survive. And, as I moved from place to place, I learned to adapt. When I got older, I just figured I could become whatever it was that I needed to become."[3]

By the late 1940s, her parents were able to afford a house in

Oakland Naval Supply Depot, earning $2,000 a year.[1]

Journalism career

Davis accepted a

Sun Reporter and Bay Area Independent.[1] Davis edited the Sun Reporter from 1961 through 1968.[5]

In 1961, Davis became an on-air interviewer for

Civil Rights Movement in Forsyth County, Georgia, and attempted to interview a white woman who spat in her face.[3]

Davis worked for

1998 United States embassy bombing in Tanzania.[1][6]

Davis was highly regarded for her coverage of politics and issues of race and gender,[6] as well as her calm demeanor. Rita Williams, a reporter for KTVU, said "Belva knew instinctively how to keep everyone in check. Amid all these prima donnas, she had so much class, so much presence, so much intuition. Belva has always been the grande dame."[1]

Her autobiography, entitled Never in My Wildest Dreams: A Black Woman's Life in Journalism, was published in 2010. In the foreword he contributed for her 2010 autobiography, Bill Cosby wrote she also had symbolic value to the African-American television audience, as "someone who sustained us, who made us proud." He wrote that "We looked forward to seeing her prove the stereotypical ugliness of those days to be wrong."[3]

Davis hosted "This Week in Northern California" on PBS member station KQED, starting in the 1990s. She retired in November 2012.[6] Her final broadcast included a taped interview with Maya Angelou, a personal friend, as she wanted the theme of her final show to be friendship.[3]

Personal

Belva married Frank Davis on January 1, 1952. The couple had two children, and a granddaughter. Davis met her second husband, Bill Moore, in 1967 while working at KPIX-TV.

Presidio Heights, but now live in Petaluma, California.[9] Belva Davis, a private person, for most of her journalistic life separated her personal life from her professional life. In 1975, Davis allowed an African-American woman and American Women in Radio and TV member, Kathleen H. Arnold (today anthropologist Kathleen Rand Reed), to produce Belva Davis – This is Your Life. Davis mentored Reed for decades.[10]

Davis serves on the boards of Museum of the African Diaspora, the Institute on Aging, and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.[1] Davis raised $5 million for the Museum of the African Diaspora in one year.[11]

Honors

Davis won eight

American Women in Radio and Television and National Association of Black Journalists.[1]

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Jones, Carolyn (May 9, 2010). "Belva Davis, grande dame of Bay Area journalism". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  2. ^ Guthrie, Julian (January 20, 2011). "Newswoman Belva Davis reflects on her life". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  3. ^
    San Jose Mercury News
    . Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  4. ^ Harris, Janelle (July 30, 2014). "SO WHAT DO YOU, DO BELVA DAVIS, PIONEERING BROADCAST JOURNALIST, TV HOST AND AUTHOR?". Mediabistro. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c Mantell, Jim (July 17, 1976). "Moving Up In The Media". Baltimore Afro-American. p. 7. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d e Asimov, Nanette (February 23, 2012). "Groundbreaking journalist Belva Davis to retire". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  7. ^ Rutland, Ginger (February 19, 2012). "The Reading Rack". Sacramento Bee. p. E3. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  8. ^ De La O, Jessie (May 15, 2012). "Bay Area Journalist gives inspiring lecture". The Oak Leaf. Santa Rosa, California. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  9. ^ Holman Parmer, Janet (December 8, 1999). "Finding a Personal Side to the Homeless Story: Journalists Find a Cause in Petaluma". The Press Democrat. Santa Rosa, California. Retrieved January 7, 2013. (subscription required)
  10. ^ "Frisco Woman Honored for Broadcast Work", Jet Magazine, January 22, 1976, Vol. 49, No. 17.
  11. ^ Parmer, Janet (April 21, 2006). "$5 Million Mission: Veteran Journalist Belva Davis Faced Challenge When Asked To Raise Enough Money to Finance SF's Museum of the African Diaspora in Just One Year". The Press Democrat. Santa Rosa, California. Retrieved January 7, 2013. (subscription required)
  12. ^ "Membership: Honorary Members". Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2007.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Belva_Davis&oldid=1219275271"