The city held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to honor the legendary musician and former UW-Madison professor. Davis' colleagues spoke about his successful career and his work toward ending racism in the community. 

Some of Davis' former students played music at the event. Wilder Deitz said he owes his career to Davis. 

"After graduating with my social work degree, which is what I went into school wanting to do, because of Richard's teaching, I had the confidence to become a full-time musician, and here I am several years later, succeeding in that career in large part due to Richard," Deitz said. 

Davis was not in attendance, but organizers said he watched a live stream of the event. A plaque will soon be put up on the street to give the public more information about Davis' life, career and contributions to the community.