The Fair Housing Center mourns the passing of Benjamin Huey Davis, III (“Ben”). Ben began his career of caring for communities and people impacted by recession of disenfranchisement while working for the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR). In 1966, Ben was named Executive Director of the Benton Harbor Model Cities program. In that capacity Ben initiated a minority contractor program and helped establish a credit union to increase African American participation in construction.

In 1971, Ben began working for New Detroit, Inc., focusing on neighborhood revitalization. He later pursued a master's degree in public administration from Nova University.

In 1982, Ben began serving as Executive Director of the Flint Urban Coalition. He served there until his retirement. "We got to be optimistic to bring about change," Ben explained during an interview with the local press. Ben drew his optimism from years of battling urban decay, all the while firmly believing challenges could be solved by people working together, examining problems, and seeking resources necessary to solve them.

Throughout his career, Ben sought to improve the lives of all, especially those of color and those impoverished. Ben retired in 1995. This did not stop his public service. During “retirement”, Ben served on several local boards that addressed voting rights and housing discrimination.

Ben received numerous awards for his tireless work in the communities of Benton Harbor, Flint, and Detroit. Ben was recognized in 2008 by the ACLU of Michigan for his passionate commitment to social justice and by the Michigan Basic Property Insurance Association Board of Governors for his long service from 1984 to 2009. Most recently, in 2021, the Board of the Fair Housing Center of Metropolitan Detroit recognized Ben for an amazing 39 years of service: 15 years on the Center’s Advisory Committee (1980 - 1995) and 24 years as a Board member (1995 - 2019).

Looking back, Ben described his career as a community organizer or urbanist. Ben ended his relationship with the Center, stating that it was time for him to make way for a new generation of committed civil rights activists. Our desire is to see others follow and be inspired by Ben’s legacy for civil rights, social justice, and community service