#BlackHistoryReimagined, Day 8
In this series, I re-imagine the lives of Black folks gone too soon.
#BlackHistoryReimagined, Day 8: Zavion Michael Davenport, born on September 24, 1985, in Shreveport, Louisiana, is better known by the stage name, Chi Chi DeVayne, for which she rose to international attention on the eighth season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and on the third season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.” As Chi Chi DeVayne, Davenport embarked on a multitude of tours and landed several web series about drag. But before the fame, Davenport’s path to stardom began in Shreveport, where she was known to do signature backflips during performances. A classically trained dancer and natural-born entertainer, Davenport became an easy fan favorite at every show.
In 2018, Davenport was diagnosed with scleroderma, a group of autoimmune diseases that result in changes to the skin, blood vessels, muscles, and internal organs and make it incredibly painful to move. While there is no cure for scleroderma, treatments are available to ease the symptoms. On August 20, 2020, after finally finding an appropriate treatment that eased enough of the pain to reverse an extended bed rest order, Davenport announced that while she would likely never be well enough to work as a performer again, she would be opening up a drag dance studio. The studio, which is slated to open this spring, will feature classes for advanced queens, as well party-style classes for novel patrons, and a program for beginners. While Davenport was always most happy working the room on her own accord, given her diagnosis, she intends to find more joy in spreading her talents among the drag community and its appreciators.
[#BlackHistoryReimagined is a series of posts that re-imagines the lives of Black folks gone too soon, by writing a story that does not end in their deaths. Throughout this month, I implore you to go on this imaginary journey with me and think of what could have been. The stories are based on the people’s real lives; the ending has been altered to allow them to live out whatever they were actually working on or could have done had they been given more time on earth.]
