• Portrait of Celestine DavisThelma "Celestine" Bell-Davis (1929-2020)

    Celestine Davis was one of many Black educators who would change the landscape of Erie's schools.

    A native of Laurel, Miss., Davis obtained a bachelor's degree in English at age 45 and, later, a master's degree in education with a focus on reading. She spent 25 years in service to the district before retiring in 1996, a career that touched the lives of hundreds of students, their families and the community at large.

    From "A Shared Heritage," a website dedicated to cataloging the key people, places, and events associated with the history of African Americans in Erie County: "Ms. Davis championed the teaching of African American history in the schools — one of the demands of the students in the wake of the 1968 riots. In the 1970s, Davis spearheaded the local commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, more than a decade before it became a national holiday — an effort that earned her hate mail. Having grown up in the Jim Crow South where African American children often had to endure leftover books with pages missing, Davis committed herself to a life of strengthening the educational opportunities available to all students." 

    We are all the richer for it.

    Photo credit: Erie Times-News/GoErie.com