Mildred Davenport was a boundless dancer who graced the stage wherever she performed. Beyond her entertainment career, she was an unyielding leader as a civic official and military officer.
Born in 1900 in Roxbury, Davenport went to C.C. Perkins Grade School and Prince School and graduated from Boston Girls’ High School in 1918. She then studied at Boston University’s Sargent School of Physical Training.
She later taught at Tuskegee University before returning to Boston, where she opened her first studio, the Davenport School of Dance. During her dancing career, Davenport broke barriers and carved a path for herself as a performer. From 1930 to 1935, she performed in several African American shows on Broadway, including “Fast and Furious,’’ “Flying Colors,’’ and “Black Birds.’’
In 1938, after opening her second dance studio, Silver Box Studio in the South End, she became the first Black woman to perform with the Arthur Fiedler Pops unit of the Boston Pops Orchestra. She was also involved with many roadshow performances, including the Chocolate Revue and Hot Chocolates.
Her career as a performer ended when she enlisted in the Army during World War II. There, she was one of the first Black women in the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps and later served as a special service officer, library officer, and adviser in the Office of Racial Affairs.
After the war, she returned to Boston to continue her work as an advocate for the Black community. She served on the executive board for the Boston chapter of the NAACP and worked for the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. She died in 1990, but her impact on the performing arts and Black communities created an enduring legacy.