MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It is a symbolic gesture for sure, but an important one. Pending a signature from President Biden, the federal building in downtown Memphis will get a name change. The name Clifford Davis will be dropped – and the 11-story structure will become the Odell Horton Federal Building.
Davis was a longtime member of the U.S. House representing what is now the ninth congressional district. But earlier in life, Davis was a known member of the Ku Klux Klan and a supporter of Jim Crow laws enforcing racial segregation.
Having his name on a building that stands for equal justice is a slap in the face. Even Davis’s descendants agree with that. And kudos to current ninth district Congressman Steve Cohen for working for years to get Davis’ moniker off the building.
Horton was the first African American federal judge in Tennessee. And last month, the House overwhelmingly approved Cohen’s bill to drop Davis’s name entirely. The Senate voted in favor of the bill Thursday. Now all that’s left is Biden’s signature.
No doubt some will say why all the fuss - it’s just a name. But it’s more than that. It represents who we are as a community, and we are not a place that honors the Klan and racism.
So as someone who covered federal court and Judge Horton as a reporter in the 1980s, I welcome this name change which is long overdue.