Carrie L. Davis
Carrie Lapsky Davis, an educator, clothing boutique owner and realtor, has been a community activist and worker in the political process since her days as a college girl participating in the Civil Rights Movement.
Born May 24, 1944 in Chicago, Davis' father was a physician and surgeon. However, Davis was raised in Port Gibson, Mississippi by her grandparents who owned a dairy. Davis graduated from Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, Mississippi in 1964, the same year she married fellow Tougaloo graduate, James W. Davis, a CPA.
Coming to Chicago in 1968, Davis became a teacher. In 1973, she earned a master's degree in Education from Northwestern University. Opting for the business world, Davis opened Cari's Designer Fashions in 1988, which enabled her to travel the world in search of unique women's clothes. Closing the business ten years later, Davis worked as a Headstart administrator for the Chicago public school system.
A tireless fund-raiser, Davis worked on the campaign to elect Harold Washington, Chicago's first black mayor. She also gained finanicial support for Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris' and Senator Carol Mosely-Braun's campaigns.
Davis is a lifetime member of the NAACP and a member of Operation Push. She was a founder of the Lake Shore Links, a member of the Chicago Society of Mannequins and the Chicago Art Institute, Tougaloo College Alumni and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. In 1999, she was elected to the Tougaloo Hall of Fame.
The Davises are residents of Chicago's Hyde Park. They have two sons: Stephen, a lawyer and investment banker, and Christopher, a Wall Street trader.
A2002.067
Female
5/9/2002
Davis
Lapsky
Tougaloo College
Northeastern Illinois University
Carrie
Chicago
DAV05
Summer
Illinois
Bahamas
If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It.

Illinois
5/24/1944
Chicago
United States
Greens
Fashion entrepreneur Carrie L. Davis (1944 - ) is formerly the owner of Cari's Designer Fashions, and has worked as a Head Start administrator for Chicago Public Schools. Davis is a lifetime member of the NAACP, and was a founder of the Lake Shore chapter of The Links, Inc.
Cari's Designer Fashions
Chicago Public Schools
Yellow
Tape: 1 Story: 1 - Slating of Carrie L. Davis' interview
Tape: 1 Story: 2 - Carrie L. Davis lists her favorites
Tape: 1 Story: 3 - Carrie L. Davis describes her mother's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 4 - Carrie L. Davis describes her father's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 5 - Carrie L. Davis describes the sights, sounds, and smells of her childhood
Tape: 1 Story: 6 - Carrie L. Davis describes the segregated community of Port Gibson, Mississippi
Tape: 1 Story: 7 - Carrie L. Davis describes how she perceived segregation as a child
Tape: 1 Story: 8 - Carrie L. Davis describes her extracurricular activities as a child
Tape: 1 Story: 9 - Carrie L. Davis talks about her mentors as a youth
Tape: 1 Story: 10 - Carrie L. Davis talks about being May Day Queen
Tape: 1 Story: 11 - Carrie L. Davis describes her experiences attending Addison High School in Port Gibson, Mississippi
Tape: 1 Story: 12 - Carrie L. Davis talks about what motivated her to attend college
Tape: 1 Story: 13 - Carrie L. Davis talks about attending Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, Mississippi
Tape: 1 Story: 14 - Carrie L. Davis shares the history of Tougaloo College
Tape: 1 Story: 15 - Carrie L. Davis describes the faculty at Tougaloo College
Tape: 1 Story: 16 - Carrie L. Davis describes the culture at Tougaloo College
Tape: 1 Story: 17 - Carrie L. Davis describes her social life as a student at Tougaloo College
Tape: 2 Story: 1 - Carrie L. Davis describes the entertainment culture of Jackson, Mississippi
Tape: 2 Story: 2 - Carrie L. Davis talks about studying education and sociology at Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, Mississippi
Tape: 2 Story: 3 - Carrie L. Davis talks about the Civil Rights Movement at Tougaloo, College
Tape: 2 Story: 4 - Carrie L. Davis describes participating in the Civil Rights Movement as a student at Tougaloo College
Tape: 2 Story: 5 - Carrie L. Davis recalls her demonstration during the Civil Rights Movement
Tape: 2 Story: 6 - Carrie L. Davis describes her Civil Rights activities in Jackson, Mississippi and Tougaloo, Mississippi
Tape: 2 Story: 7 - Carrie L. Davis describes how the Civil Rights Movement impacted business owners Port Gibson, Mississippi
Tape: 2 Story: 8 - Carrie L. Davis describes how participating in the Civil Rights Movement affected her studies
Tape: 2 Story: 9 - Carrie L. Davis talks about Medgar Evers
Tape: 2 Story: 10 - Carrie L. Davis comments on law enforcement during the Civil Rights Movement
Tape: 2 Story: 11 - Carrie L. Davis describes how various murders during the Civil Rights Movement affected her
Tape: 2 Story: 12 - Carrie L. Davis talks about Robert Parris Moses and Reverend James Bevel
Tape: 2 Story: 13 - Carrie L. Davis describes how the Civil Rights Movement shaped her home town of Port Gibson, Mississippi
Tape: 2 Story: 14 - Carrie L. Davis talks about meeting her husband, James Davis
Tape: 2 Story: 15 - Carrie L. Davis talks about raising her children in Chicago, Illinois
Tape: 3 Story: 1 - Carrie L. Davis talks about raising her children in the Hyde Park neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois
Tape: 3 Story: 2 - Carrie L. Davis talks about attending the Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies at Northeastern Illinois University
Tape: 3 Story: 3 - Carrie L. Davis talks about the teachings of the Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies
Tape: 3 Story: 4 - Carrie L. Davis describes how the teachings of the Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies shaped her thinking
Tape: 3 Story: 5 - Carrie L. Davis describes how her businesses have allowed her to give back to her community
Tape: 3 Story: 6 - Carrie L. Davis talks about her boutique, Carrie's Designer Fashion
Tape: 3 Story: 7 - Carrie L. Davis talks about her civic involvement
Tape: 3 Story: 8 - Carrie L. Davis talks about founding Clara's Helping Hand for the Homeless
Tape: 3 Story: 9 - Carrie L. Davis talks about supporting the NAACP and Operation PUSH
Tape: 3 Story: 10 - Carrie L. Davis talks about fundraising for Harold Washington's 1983 mayoral campaign
Tape: 3 Story: 11 - Carrie L. Davis talks about the legacy of Mayor Harold Washington
Tape: 3 Story: 12 - Carrie L. Davis talks about fundraising for Roland Burris's 1990 campaign for Illinois State Attorney General
Tape: 3 Story: 13 - Carrie L. Davis explains why she supported Carol Moseley Braun's campaign for U.S. Senate
Tape: 3 Story: 14 - Carrie L. Davis describes what motivated her to work with political campaigns
Tape: 3 Story: 15 - Carrie L. Davis talks about dining with President Bill Clinton
Tape: 3 Story: 16 - Carrie L. Davis describes her involvement with Al Gore's 2000 Presidential campaign
Tape: 4 Story: 1 - Carrie L. Davis talks about Hillary Clinton and Tipper Gore
Tape: 4 Story: 2 - Carrie L. Davis comments on why Vice President Al Gore lost the Presidential election in 2000
Tape: 4 Story: 3 - Carrie L. Davis talks about being a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Tape: 4 Story: 4 - Carrie L. Davis talks about her sons, Steven and Christopher Davis
Tape: 4 Story: 5 - Carrie L. Davis talks about raising her children
Tape: 4 Story: 6 - Carrie L. Davis talks about her philosophy on life
Tape: 4 Story: 7 - Carrie L. Davis talks about how American culture has changed
Tape: 4 Story: 8 - Carrie L. Davis narrates her photographs, pt. 1
Tape: 4 Story: 9 - Carrie L. Davis narrates her photographs, pt. 2
Tape: 5 Story: 1 - Carrie L. Davis narrates her photographs, pt. 3
Tape: 6 Story: 1 - Carrie L. Davis narrates her photographs, pt. 4
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2$2
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