Representative Danny K. Davis (D-7th) received the coveted endorsement of Mayor Lori Lightfoot Saturday, February 19, during a press conference held at the Chicago South Loop Hotel, 11 E. 26th St., where the mayor called Davis, “the lion of the civil rights movement who always stands on the right side of history.”
In endorsing Davis, Lightfoot reflected on Mayor Harold Washington, Chicago’s first Black mayor, and reflected on “what he went through for four long years. They fought him. They threw roadblock after roadblock” with “few soldiers by his side and Danny Davis was one of them,” she said as the audience applauded.
Saying while Mayor Washington was unable to complete his vision for Chicago, Lightfoot said his “vision still lives in each and every one of us, and we have an obligation and responsibility to carry forward what he started…people like Danny Davis started and fought for his entire public life.”
She praised Davis for “surviving 11 years in the City Council. He was thereby Mayor Washington’s side during the Council Wars, standing up against the racist bloc known as the Vrdolyak 29, and in Congress, he has cast so many important votes against the war, for gender and equality for women, against anti-Semitism, against homophobia. He is the conscious of our delegation,” she stated. “It is with great pleasure that I join you today to endorse our Congressman, Danny K. Davis,” Lightfoot said to cheers and applause by supporters.
The mayor said what is needed are “tested, true fighters to defend our democracy, now more than ever.” Davis, she said, has seen a threat to the nation’s democracy “up close and personal. He was there on the floor on January 6 and he knows that this year our democracy is truly going down.”
Lightfoot praised Davis for being “consistently solid on supporting the issues that matter most to us –investing in Black and Brown communities to combat poverty and violence, healthcare equity and making sure that Chicago gets its fair share of federal dollars and resources.
Saying Davis “has set the example for all the rest of us to follow,” the mayor added, “I wish you nothing but the best, and I will be by your side every step of the way.”
In accepting the mayor’s re-election endorsement, Davis thanked Lightfoot for her “tremendous leadership.”
He said she took office when the police department “had been tarnished,” 54 schools closed, and the city was facing a health crisis with the pandemic. “Some communities have practically given up, in some places unemployment is sky-high, there hasn’t been affordable housing in years, we are losing population and in steps Lori Lightfoot,” said Davis.
Davis then spoke about the child care tax credit the Republicans are opposing and how it is needed by low-income people. He said also that there are 23 hospitals and four medical schools in his district. He has been getting money to help fund them and for face masks.
Referring to his senior status as a congressman, Davis said he is number 35 in the House of Representatives and that he knows and has relationships with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and other leaders. He is number six in the Ways and Means Committee “where all the decisions are made.”
“These are some of the reasons why I am going to stay and make sure” that the resources flow to Illinois he remarked.
Joining Davis, who took the opportunity to celebrate Black History Month, were Elder Kevin Ford, pastor of the St. Paul Church of God in Christ, Reverend Paul Jakes, pastor of the New Tabernacle of Faith Baptist Church, and Reverend James Moody, who is leaving the historic Quinn Chapel AME Church, and scores of supporters.
Davis explained the significance of the three churches including Ford’s grandfather, Bishop Louis Henry Ford, who sold the city the oldest house in Chicago’s history. Elder Ford’s father, the late Bishop Charles Mason Ford, was deputy director with the Department of Human Services.
Moody’s church was once a refuge as part of the underground railroad for runaway slaves, and Reverend Paul Jakes’ father, Reverend Paul L. Jakes, once headed the church he now oversees and was very active in civil rights. Davis, a former educator, took delight in sharing the history of these churches.
In-office since November 5, 1996, Davis has been reappointed to the Committee on Ways and Means. He is the chairman of the Worker and Family Support Subcommittee, and he sits on the Oversight and Reform Committee. Davis is a member of a number of caucuses including the Congressional Black Caucus, the Progressive Caucus, the Urban Caucus, the Community Health Center’s Caucus; The Congressional Sugar Caucus, the Congressional Caucus on Black Men and Boys and he co-chairs the Congressional Caucus on Re-entry.
To ensure he is in touch with many social and civil rights issues, Davis has established dozens of task forces that include input from multi-cultural members needed to set policies on civil rights, human rights, women’s rights, protection of the environment, consumer and labor protections; affordable health care for all; equity in education; youth and criminal justice reform; connecting children with their incarcerated parents; protect- ing Social Security and preserving the U.S.’s democracy which is currently under attack.
Before Davis became a congressman, he was a Cook County Commissioner from November 1990 to November 1994; prior to that, he was alderman of the 29th Ward for 11 years.
Before Davis entered politics, he was an educator, a community organizer, a health/planner, and a civil rights advocate.
Elder Ford said he is working closely with Davis.
“In a time like this when there is such uncertainty, it is prudent and wise that we stay the course to a brighter future with proven leadership Congressman Davis has through his leadership delivered.”
Ford pointed to Davis’ work and funding for reentry programs, including childcare legislation, job training, and public education. “His support of colleges and universities is admirable,” said Ford.
