Davis became involved in the
civil rights movement. In January 1957, he cofounded the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) with
Martin Luther King Jr. and others in his church. Davis became involved in
progressive politics; he supported
DeLesseps Story Morrison, the
mayor of New Orleans,
Governor Robert F. Kennon, and
Congressman Hale Boggs. He opposed
Earl Long, leading a faction of anti-Long
Democrats. In 1961, Morrison named Davis the first director of race relations for the city.
Governor John McKeithen appointed Davis to a committee on race relations. Later that week, he presented a list of demands to the
New Orleans City Council. He and Reverend
Avery Alexander were arrested at a
sit-in at city hall in November and he continued to organize a sit-in in city hall's cafeteria and outside the mayor's office, with people getting arrested daily. The campaign was halted after 47 were arrested, including members of the
Congress of Racial Equality, before Davis and Alexander got to meet with Schiro. Ultimately, the group was able to win some progress on their demands, but not on all of them. ==Political career==