31 years ago today, Jen Davis hosted a baby shower for me in her NYC apartment – it turned out to be the day before my son was born. She hosted many other South Africans in that apartment, from the UDF and other organisations involved in the struggle against apartheid.
A South African exile, she was one of the key figures in the anti-apartheid movement in the United States and with the late Dumisani Khumalo, drove the sanctions legislation that to a large extent closed down apartheid SA from 1986.
A year ago, I spent a few days with her, when I visited her in Washington DC, still the same gentle, wise, funny, humble, committed person and good friend. Yesterday we lost her – she passed away surrounded by friends and family and her longtime partner in the home of Stephanie Julia Urdang, surrounded by generosity and love. May she rest in peace. She will be deeply missed by so many from all corners of the world.
Jennifer Davis 1933-2019 