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Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Member Posthumously Recognized With Building Named In Her Honor

@SpectacularMag
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Chapel Hill-Carrboro Area Alumnae Chapter Members in front of the facility named in honor of the late Mrs. Bonnie B. Davis, along with her daughter, Dr. Bonita Davis Neighbors. Pictured from left to right are Sue Florence, V. Dianne Pledger, Angeline Baker, Deborah Taylor, Jemma Boler (chapter president), Bonita Davis Neighbors (daughter of the late Bonnie B. Davis), Erma Smith-King, Joni Coburn, Valerie Foushee, C. Ann Wilkerson, and Hazel Gibbs. (submitted)

HILLSBOROUGH, NC – A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Orange County Bonnie B. Davis Environment and Agricultural Center was held on Friday, August 20, 2021, in Hillsborough, NC.  The facility is located just off of US Route 70.  The late Bonnie Bedal Briley Davis was a member of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Area Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Members of her chapter were present to celebrate and honor her legacy on that day.  Mrs. Davis was Orange County’s first Black Home Economics Extension Agent and a community builder who spent her 40-year career (from 1950-1990) and her retirement helping county residents improve the quality of their lives.  The building named in honor of Mrs. Davis is also the only Agricultural Center in North Carolina named in honor of an African American woman.  Mrs. Davis died in 2018 at the age of 92.

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Mrs. Davis was one of eight children born to Oscar and Dussie Briley in Robersonville, NC.  She graduated from high school as a top student and basketball star.  She went on to attend Shaw University in Raleigh, NC where she was initiated into the Alpha Rho Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.  At Shaw, Mrs. Davis continued to be an outstanding scholar and basketball player and was ultimately inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1949, Mrs. Davis married Tarleton Davis, and from this union came their daughter, Dr. Bonita Davis Neighbors.

When Mrs. Davis joined Cooperative Extension, the organization was completely segregated.  She suffered many indignities during that time such as being relegated to a substandard work environment and not being allowed to use the restroom facilities in the building where she worked.  In spite of this stain in our history, Mrs. Davis’ skills of peacekeeping, calm, and a forgiving spirit served as the foundation to the facilitation of racial integration in the Orange County Extension Service.

Mrs. Davis worked primarily in the areas of housing and food and nutrition teaching families how to live a healthier lifestyle regardless of their financial resources. Many residents in Orange County credit her with changing the trajectory of their lives and directing them to career paths they never thought they were capable of.  She believed that everyone, regardless of where they started in life, could excel given the right opportunity and the necessary training and resources.  Mrs. Davis also believed that literacy was the foundation of opportunity.

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The Bonnie B. Davis Environment and Agricultural Center officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The new facility features state-of-the-art climate control, large conference rooms, and a test kitchen. (Photo: chapelboro.com)

Mrs. Davis was a very dedicated member of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Area Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and served as the inaugural co-chair of the Delta Dreamers Pageant along with the late sorority member, Mrs. Ethel Jean Jackson.  In addition to the service she rendered to her profession and to her beloved sorority, she was also a devoted member of Mount Bright Baptist Church for over 70 years where she served faithfully and tirelessly in numerous ministries. She also faithfully served in a number of community organizations and was a lifelong member of The Links, Inc.  

Dr. Fletcher Barber, Jr., retired Orange County Cooperative Extension Director, stated “There was no more deserving person I could think of than Bonnie B. Davis to have a building named after her.  She really gave 100% of herself to the citizens of Orange County.” Orange County policy allows the Orange County Board of Commissioners to name buildings and other public property for living or deceased people who have made significant contributions to improving the lives of Orange County residents.  Only one other county building is named for an African American person. The new facility features state-of-the-art climate control, large conference rooms, and a test kitchen.  

N.C. Cooperative Extension will further honor Davis’ impact by building a mentorship community garden for 4-H members in the home Davis and her husband built in Hillsborough.