Born and raised in
Detroit,
Michigan, Davis is a graduate of
Spelman College in
Atlanta and of
Columbia University, where she received an MS in journalism. After taking a screenwriting course in 1991, she became increasing involved with film and screenwriting. Her feature film
Naked Acts, about a young African-American actress who refuses to appear nude in a film, premiered in 1998 and has been widely screened internationally. the book was described by
The New York Times critic
Jennifer Szalai as "a daughter's gesture of loving defiance, an act of reclamation, an absorbing portrait of her mother in full", and Joshunda Sanders writing in
Kirkus Reviews concluded a profile of the author by saying: "Fannie orients and centers a world where she risks everything to provide and demonstrate unconditional love for her family. Bridgett returns that love right back to her mother, unfettered from any hesitation or sense of lack. From the first word to the last, there is nothing in the book but adoration, reverence, and affection." In 2025, Davis published her memoir
Love, Rita, a tribute to her elder sister Rita and Black sisterhood. == Bibliography ==