Earl Gilbert Graves Sr. (January 9, 1935 – April 6, 2020) was an entrepreneur, publisher, businessman, philanthropist, and advocate of African-American businesses. A graduate of Morgan State University, he was the founder of Black Enterprise magazine and chairman of the media company Earl G. Graves, Ltd. He was the director for Aetna and an Executive Board member of the Boy Scouts of America. Born in Brooklyn, He grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant. A member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, he received a BA in Economics from Morgan State University. He was an ROTC graduate and attended Airborne and Ranger Schools. Having written a letter to the DNC, he became a volunteer for the presidential campaign of Lyndon B. Johnson. His work with the party allowed Him to serve as administrative assistant to newly elected Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Following the assassination of the senator, he would land a seat on the advisory board of the SBA. He started Earl G. Graves, Ltd., and under that holding company, he began the Earl G. Graves Associates management consulting firm. In August 1970, the first issue of Black Enterprise magazine would hit newsstands. Earl G. Graves, Ltd. would grow to include several divisions including publishing, marketing, radio, television, and event coordinating arms. The firm is the co-owner of the private equity fund Black Enterprise Greenwich Street Corporate Growth Fund, an equity partnership formed with Travelers Group, Inc. The fund aims to invest in and promote minority-operated businesses. He served as CEO of the Pepsi-Cola bottling franchise in DC. He has held other board and director memberships with several corporations including AMR Corporation, Daimler AG, Federated Department Stores, and Rohm and Haas, as well as a board member of the American Museum of Natural History and Hayden Planetarium in New York City. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of Howard University. #africanhistory365 He married Barbara Kydd Graves (1969-2012) and they had three sons. #africanexcellence #omegapsiphi https://www.instagram.com/p/CnMe0lVrnop/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
