PALM DESERT, Calif.–A man who was abandoned on a trash heap as a baby and who went on to start on television shared his story with credit unions here.
Addressing the REACH 2025 event, comedian and actor Tommy Davidson offered a keynote titled “Everyone Has a Story,” offering credit union leaders his deeply personal story, which he outlined in his book, “Living in Color: What’s Funny About Me.”
Davidson, best known as one of the stars on the legendary sketch comedy show In Living Color, which ran from 1990-94, revealed that as an infant in Greenville, Miss., he was abandoned in a trash heap. Davidson, who is African American, was subsequently adopted by people he described as a loving, white, socially conscious family.
‘Living in Color’
“This extraordinary beginning created a life of ‘Living in Color,’ the central theme of his memoir,” the California and Nevada leagues said in sharing his remarks. “He detailed his upbringing in an all-white environment, where he remained largely unaware of racial barriers until he came of age during a turbulent era. This experience gifted him a unique sense of nuance and universal humanity, allowing him to approach difficult subjects with a distinctive perspective.”
The leagues said that for credit unions Davidson’s narrative of survival and self-discovery provided a “metaphorical challenge: to view market struggles and competition not as burdens, but as crucibles for organizational strength, mirroring Davidson’s journey of turning personal trauma into creative power.”
Perseverance Highlighted
Davidson used his ascent through the competitive worlds of stand-up, film, and television as a testament to perseverance, the league said.
“He recounted years of hustling on the stand-up circuit, a path that led to groundbreaking role on television and feature films,” according to the leagues’ account. “He was transparent about the personal highs and lows that accompanied his fame and life. This vulnerability reinforced the keynote’s central challenge: achieving success in a hyper-digital world ultimately relies not just on technology, but on the human foundation built on hard-won experience.”
‘Leverage Your Story’
Davidson urged REACH attendees to be authentic in every interaction, viewing conversations with a member or an employee as a crucial opportunity for genuine human connection. He further advised them to leverage their story, using their cooperative’s signature human touch and unique member narratives as a powerful, competitive differentiator against larger financial institutions, the league said.
