There’s a distinct difference between public servants and politicians.
Many politicians are merely self-serving, self-centered, egomaniacs with a passion for self-aggrandizement, while exploiting and profiteering from their unsuspecting constituents.
However, the Rev. Dorris Davis who, for years, ran the nonprofit Helping Hand Shelter in the East St. Louis area was a public servant in the truest sense.
He passed away recently after a brief illness, but the void left by his passing will be immense.
His passion for serving the poor, the homeless and the destitute in the Washington Park and East St. Louis communities was legendary.
Whether he was passing out loaves of bread and other food items or providing back-to-school supplies for youth or feeding the hungry during his yearly Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, Rev. Davis practiced the Biblical principles of providing for “the least of these” through his work and personal sacrifice.
Davis’ humble and soft-spoken demeanor was in stark contrast to the bravado of area political “spotlight chasers” who, through their photo opportunities and “speechifying”, draw far more attention to far lesser deeds. He allowed his good works – not his rhetoric- to define him.
And if you were not among those who were the recipients of his altruism and generosity, you may never have known him because he never sought the spotlight.
But if you were one of the homeless and downtrodden in ESL or surrounding areas he was a hero, an icon who will be sorely missed.
Rev. Davis even leveraged that community trust into the political arena by getting elected as a trustee of Washington Park, a village rife with corruption, poverty and despair.
Yet Davis, amid the gloom, became a beacon light of hope for many despite being surrounded by opportunistic colleagues and politicians.
In fact, many of the Metro East’s elected officials, ministers and political leaches who masquerade as “public servants” should take notes from the life of this selfless man whose greatness was defined by his capacity to serve.
Email: jtingram_1960@yahoo.com; Twitter@JamesTingram.
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