Nationally known attorney, Milton C. Davis, joined Voter News Network in January, and now heads the organization's task force on political strategic planning. The Tuskegee, Alabama native is widely recognized as a visionary with a remarkable gift for strategic thinking. Davis' guiding philosophy is captured in the following quote from Frederick Douglas: "The most important thing in life is not so much where we stand, but rather, in which direction we are moving. We must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against the wind, but we must sail and not drift nor lie at anchor."

"The advent of Voter News Network advances us into the era of new millennium politics and constituency building", says Davis. "Providing substantive and continuous political information in a forum accessible to all enables us to sail and not drift in the important and vital area of intelligent voter choices", maintains Davis.

The youngest of three children whose parents were college educated, Davis excelled in his educational pursuits at Tuskegee University (B.S., 1971) and the University of Iowa School of Law, (J.D., 1974). During his collegiate years, Davis earned distinction as an American Political Science Foundation Graduate Fellow, a Ford Foundation Graduate Fellow and a Herbert Lehman Foundation International Scholar.

Davis returned to Alabama after law school and immediately made international news. As an Assistant Attorney General of the State of Alabama, Davis researched and advocated a full and unconditional pardon, based upon innocence, for Mr. Clarence Norris, the last known surviving "Scottsboro Boy." This infamous case accused nine black youths of raping two white women on a train near Scottsboro, Alabama in 1931. Upon reviewing Davis' extensive and compelling research, Attorney General Bill Baxley, the State's Pardons and Parole Board and Governor George Wallace accepted his recommendation, and granted the pardon in 1976. The Norris pardon was the first time in the state's history that a pardon had been granted based upon innocence. Davis received international acclaim for his work on the Norris pardon.

In 1977, Davis left the Attorney General's Office to enter private practice, where he continues to enjoy a thriving civil practice. Davis was an Alabama State Bar Examiner for eight years, a former County Bar Association President, and is currently the attorney for various local governmental agencies.

In 1993, Davis was elected through worldwide balloting as General President of the 150,000 member Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the nation's first and largest African-American collegiate fraternity. Alpha has produced more African-American leaders than any other organization in the world. Its members include W. E. B. Debois, Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King, Jr., Andrew Young, John Hope Franklin, John H. Johnson, Lionel B. Richie, Richard Arrington, Jr. and former U. S. Senator Edward W. Brooke.

During his tenure as General President of Alpha, Davis made world history again by successfully completing a 15-year campaign to enact a Bill in the U.S. Congress granting Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the exclusive right to build a national memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The Bill, which was signed into law in 1996 by President Bill Clinton, marks the first time in history that an African-American will be honored on the sacred ground reserved to honor former U. S. Presidents. The $100 million memorial will be located on four acres of land between the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials.

Davis' work with Voter News Network has already bolstered the significance of the organization's role in state and national politics. Candidates seeking office for the 2002 state and national elections are already contacting Davis seeking his support. "They understand that there is a new level of political accountability," says Davis. "We now demand that these candidates address substantive political issues in a definitive way. Photo ops and political business as usual will no longer garner our support." Davis' support will be key to candidates seeking the organization's endorsement.

Related Links:
Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation Inc.

PBS.org - Scottsboro: An American Tragedy