Javon and three of his children at a festival
Javon Davis was exonerated through work by the Great North Innocence Project in March 2020. A father of six children, Javon served five years in prison for a crime he did not commit. He is still awaiting compensation from the state for his wrongful incarceration.
During this month of Father's Day, Javon has reflected on what he is grateful to be able to do with his kids now that he has been freed. He says that one of his favorite things about being a father is “seeing [his kids] become their own people while also helping to guide them.”
Javon has passed on his love of basketball to his son Jemierre (player #5 in this recent video), a talented fifth-grader who plays on the winning Minneapolis-based travel team, Team Supreme. Javon is his son’s biggest fan attending nearly every practice and game and taking him to practices and training.
In addition to his son’s basketball prowess, Javon has passed on his physical fitness talents to many of his other children who participate in dance and baseball among other activities. “Watching them participate in their sports and activities is one of my favorite things to do,” He shared with a laugh, “I’m like a soccer dad, except my kids don’t play soccer. But, I take them everywhere and watch their games,”
Javon and his daughter Isis before her prom
Javon shows up for his kids beyond sports, too. Recently, he played the hero in his daughter Isis’ story of a lost prom dress. Shortly before her prom, Isis received word that her yellow dress, picked because of its similarities to Belle’s dress from Beauty and the Beast, would not be delivered in time for the dance. Luckily, Javon has a close friend in Chicago who designs fashions for female rappers. He called in a favor, and he and Isis traveled to Chicago where his friend created a one-of-a-kind prom dress in a matter of days that Isis donned for her prom the following weekend.
Hearing Javon recount these stories and memories with his children, it’s clear that he is a natural-born dad. When asked to describe himself as a father, Javon smiled and responded, “I’m a fun dad.” He elaborated, “I’m involved with my kids. I know all of their schedules, and they call me all of the time to talk.” He beamed.
At GN-IP, stories like Javon’s fuel our work. We know that every day missed is too long for a father or father-figure who is incarcerated and a child should not have to go without a father or father-figure because of mistakes made by our criminal-legal system. We’re thrilled that Javon will not have to miss another day with his kids, and we continue to work towards the same for all of our wrongfully convicted clients.