Davis faced a great deal of bigotry in his life. For example, he could perform with the Rat Pack at the Sands in Las Vegas and other such resorts, but he could not stay there. I believe it was Frank Sinatra who finally said he would not perform unless Davis was allowed to stay at the resort.
It's unfortunate because Davis was a huge talent. I suppose eventually, it was his talent that people began to focus on, not his skin color, and that allowed him to be successful.
I’m not going to re-argue the Civil Rights movement with you - that wasn’t my point. It was simply that America didn’t stop when that kiss occurred. Perhaps the south came to a grinding halt but the rest of the country didn’t even think about it. My family, hardly The Durrs of Montgomery, were watching that night - as was I, a little tot - and it was simply two luvvies doing what luvvies do on Oscar night.