Tuesday marked the first Andrew Jackson Davison Day to celebrate the first African American attorney in Athens.
Athens Middle School dedicated a club to researching the legacy of Davison and acknowledging his accomplishments. Jessie Roberson, an Ohio University business professor, said Davison served as an attorney in 1876 but wasn’t included in the composite picture of the BAR.
The Andrew Jackson Davison Club, or AJD Club, organized an event to expose the story of Davison to the Athens community and why his history was forgotten.
The club decided to host the event to teach the community, AJD Club member Demetra Zaros said.
“It’s everyone’s history, and we all need to know about it,” Zaros said. “We need to find out what really happened.”
The night began with a speech from the principal of Athens Middle School, Kara Bolin, and a speech from Athens County Mayor Steve Patterson followed.
“I think it is going to have a big impact, especially honoring someone who was completely forgotten about, which is a travesty,” Patterson said.
Athens County resident Ada Woodsen Adams received the Lifetime Achievement Award for her accomplishments and research in African American history.
Following the speeches, the event consisted of a tribute to Mount Zion, music from Otis and Ivy Cockron, a poem from OU student, Avery Pope, and a dance routine from OU fraternity Alpha Phi Omega.
In order to honor Davison, members of the AJD Club made a documentary explaining the history of Davison and his achievements.
The AJD Club unveiled a portrait of Davison that is set to be put in the Athens County courtroom, next to the composite picture of the 1876 bar, on Wednesday, Feb. 19.
In order to plan the event, students involved met with the director of the Multicultural Center at OU, Winsome Chunnu, and Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at OU, Gigi Secuban.
“They had the basic concepts they wanted to use,” AJD Club adviser Angela Hall said. “But it was the kids that met with Winsome Chunnu and Gigi Secuban at OU, and they just kind of took it from there.”
