Born in Roxbury in 1900, Mildred Davenport became a trailblazing dancer and renowned dance instructor. Her first career was in show business. In 1938 she danced her interpretation of the African-American spirituals with the Boston Pops. She appeared on Broadway with such reviews as 'Blackbirds' and 'Flying Colors' and danced with white performers such as Imogene Coca and Clifton Webb. For more than five years she toured in the 'Chocolate Revue' in New York, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. With her dancing career behind her, she served as an officer in the Women's Army Corps (WAC) during World War II. From 1947 to 1968 she worked for the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.