Black Archives Hall of Fame inductees visit museum ahead of ceremony
Two brothers touched down in the City of St. Joseph to explore the area head of a special event in which they will be recognized.
Brothers Chuck and Elbert “Buddy” Davis always find time to reunite, but this time it will be for a special event honoring their contributions to the St. Joseph community.
The Davis brothers are among the group of people who will grace the wall of the St. Joseph Museum’s Black Archives Hall of Fame following the 2025 induction ceremony this Thursday night.
They said most of their lived experiences were post-segregation, but it’s still an issue they grew up facing.
“We experienced segregation firsthand in the late ‘50s where we were denied participation in an activity that had been advertised in our school,” Elbert Davis said.
It’s one of the reasons Chuck Davis became interested in researching Black history. Photographs he donated to the museum help illustrate Black history in St. Joseph.
“When you look at the history of St. Joe and the history of the country, and now you see how everything is unfolding,” he said. “That’s clarity and understanding.”
Elbert Davis said as one door closed, another opened with the Wesley Center and its after-school programs. The Wesley Center would later become InterServ.
“All kids in the community would be able to come to that regardless of their race or religion or whatever,” he said.
His work supporting the Wesley Center in his adult life helped earn his spot in the Black Archives Hall of Fame.
Joining the brothers in the 2025 Hall of Fame is posthumous inductee Kelsy Beshears, a local civil rights icon who was president of the St. Joseph NAACP chapter.
“She was one of the trailblazers, flag bearers for progress,” Elbert Davis said. “In progress, I mean opening doors for our community across the area.”
“We know what she did was super important,” Chuck Davis said.
The Black Archives 2025 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27, at 3406 Frederick Avenue, the ceremony officially begins at 6 p.m. and is estimated to conclude at 8 p.m.
