Fighting Racism with Free Speech

Nickolai Spine ‘25, the President of the Cornell Political Union began by delivering some remarks, reminding attendees that open dialogue and debate are vital for the future of Cornell. Mr. Spine then in turn introduced Professor Randy Wayne who then introduced Davis, and expressed the need for “bridge-building” at Cornell, while also denouncing the use of critical race theory in higher education.

Davis is the son of a State Department Foreign Service Officer, with his family traveling around the world, living in diplomatic enclaves. By the time Davis was 10, they settled in a predominantly white neighborhood where he was raised  in the 1960s. Davis graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from Howard University.

Davis began his talk by describing some of his early experiences being one of the only black students in his primary school, or having bottles and various pieces of debris thrown at him during “Patriot Day,” in Belmont Massachusetts where Davis was the only black Cub Scout in his troop. 

Thereafter, he described how his parents introduced racism to him, and was befuddled by the concept of hatred without individual acquaintance. His initial response was to question the very reality of racist behavior, thinking it to be inexplicable. 

Although music served as Davis’ main study, or his first love, he became captivated by the concept of race relations, where he focused on the Ku Klux Klan, lynching, and segregation. His guiding question was “How can you hate me when you don’t even know me?” and his reflexive solution to racial conflict was to develop mutual understanding. His mantra is “The greatest weapon in the world to dismantle conflict…is the most underused. It’s a conversation.”

When asked by an audience member how he could respect someone who, presumably, hates him based on his skin color, Mr. Davis responded without hesitation, “I didn’t respect what he had to say, but I respected that he had the right to say it.”