Ron Davis, President and CEO, The Jordan Davis Foundation

President and CEO of The Jordan Davis Foundation, established in 2013 to provide education, travel opportunities, and support for America’s youth to increase their academic achievement and self-esteem.  Ron Davis was born in Harlem, moved to Atlanta in 1990 and to Jacksonville, FL in 2002. After his son Jordan’s untimely death November 23, 2013, which succeeded the death of Trayvon Martin, Ron Davis became a steadfast activist against the use of “stand your ground” laws to justify unjustified killings. He is a leader of the Black Lives Matter Movement and is on the planning committee for the US Human Rights Network.

In 2014, Mr Davis spoke at the United Nations Conference in Geneva, “prompting UN representatives to condemn policies of racial discrimination” against US people of color. In addition to responding to President Obama’s invitation to appear at the White House, Mr. Davis and Lucia McBath have shared their tragic story on such programs as CNN-Anderson Cooper 360, MSNBC, Good Morning America, The View with Whoopi Goldberg and the Katie Couric Show.

In demand as a speaker, he has presented to police chiefs, law enforcement, and audiences who have been swept away by the HBO documentary 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets. This is the movie that captures the murder of his son Jordan and the trials that followed. He bristles when he hears the excuse from a very well-armed assailant that the shooter “feared for (his) life.”

Panel:

Phillip Tyler – President, NAACP Spokane Chapter

Judge Aimee Maurer – Spokane County District Court

Chief Craig Meidl – Spokane Police Department

Caleb Dawson Gonzaga University Student Body President & Act Six Scholar

Dulce Gutierrez Vasquez – Diversity Outreach, Associated Students of Eastern Washington University

Sponsored by: Washington State Minority and Justice Commission, Eastern Washington University, NAACP Spokane Chapter, The Law Office of D.C. Cronin, Center for Justice