Can I just tell you, I think it's the most beautiful thing about young people today, it gives me so much hope for the future, that they don't really recognize race the way my generation does.

Davis was nominated for several awards for this performance including a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She was involved in the federal TRIO Upward Bound and TRIO Student Support Services programs. In August 2011 Davis played the role of Aibileen Clark in the screen adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's novel The Help directed by Tate Taylor.

Beginning her career on the stage Davis won a Tony and a Drama Desk Award for her role in August Wilson's King Hedley II (2001). Her eleven-minute-long performance in the film adaptation of John Patrick Shanley's Doubt (2008) earned several honors including an Academy Award nomination.