According to Davis, being told by her agency that "we just don't know what to do with you" hit her as the most excruciatingly painful thing of all. But while that hurt, she cited the death of Alton Sterling, a black man shot by police on July 5, 2016 — the very same day her Calvin Klein campaign launched — as her personal turning point. Upon hearing the news that very day, David went home and penned an impassioned open letter to the fashion industry as a whole, telling them and the world that "it is no longer acceptable for us to revel in black culture with no regard for the struggles facing the black community ... The time for change is now."