January 9, 2022
A Voice For Black Entrepreneurs: Honoring Business Icon Earl G. Graves Sr., Founder of Black Enterprise On His 87th Birthday
BLACK ENTERPRISE’s Publisher Earl G. Graves, Sr., was the quintessential entrepreneur who created a vehicle of information and advocacy that has inspired four generations of African Americans to build wealth through entrepreneurship, career advancement and money management.
Born Jan. 9, 1935, Mr. Graves passed away quietly at 9:22 p.m. on April 6, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. Graves was 85.
Graves was widely considered to be the ultimate champion of black business, launching BLACK ENTERPRISE in 1970 to not only chronicle the rise of African American entrepreneurs, but also provide the tools for African Americans to succeed in the business mainstream and “achieve their measure of the American dream.”
In his award-winning, now classic, business bestseller, How To Succeed In Business Without Being White, Graves stated his life-defining purpose for founding Black Enterprise in simple, direct terms:
“The time was ripe for a magazine devoted to economic development in the African American community. The publication was committed to the task of educating, inspiring and uplifting its readers. My goal was to show them how to thrive professionally, economically and as proactive, empowered citizens.”
Driven by that mission, Graves became a trailblazing entrepreneur in his own right, building BLACK ENTERPRISE from a single-magazine publishing company 50 years ago, to a diversified multimedia business spreading the message of financial empowerment to more than 6 million African Americans through print, digital, broadcast and live-event platforms. As such, Black Enterprise was one of two companies that would appear on the BE 100s—the publication’s annual rankings of the nation’s largest black-owned businesses—each of its 47 years. At one point, Graves would operate two companies on the list, including Pepsi-Cola of Washington, DC, one of the nation’s largest soft-drink distributors owned by African Americans.
Graves’ influence and reach also extended into the mainstream of corporate America. One of the few African Americans to serve on the boards of major corporations such as American Airlines, Daimler Chrysler, Rohm & Hass and Federated Department Stores (Macy’s), he was a staunch advocate for African American inclusion in the C-Suite and corporate governance. Graves was also a tireless champion of major corporations doing business with black-owned companies.
Beyond business, Graves was a force in politics, civil rights, and philanthropy.
In fact, he played a pivotal role in galvanizing support for the election of the first African American president of the United States, Barack Obama, through his endorsement in BLACK ENTERPRISE and service as a surrogate campaigning on his behalf. Before that, Graves also championed the historic presidential bids of Rev. Jesse Jackson. Moreover, his fight for racial justice and economic parity earned him the NAACP Spingarn Medal, the organization’s highest honor, in 1999.
Graves was also known for his dedication to family, and especially to his wife Barbara Kydd Graves, who passed away in 2012. Together, they raised three sons, Earl Jr., Johnny and Michael, and were blessed with eight grandchildren.
BLACK ENTERPRISE’s legacy lives on now through his son Black Enterprise CEO Earl “Butch” Graves Jr.
Let’s take a look at Mr. Graves’ life through pictures.
Barbara and Earl Graves join Oprah Winfrey during her photo session for the cover of the June 2008 issue of Black Enterprise, in which Winfrey’s Harpo Inc. was named BE 100s Industrial Service Company of the Year. Hand-in-hand, Barbara and Earl Graves, Sr. walk with sons, Earl Jr., Michael and Johnny. Barbara and Earl Graves, Sr. commit to a lifetime together at their wedding ceremony. Barbara Graves is at her husband’s side as Black Enterprise Publisher Earl Graves rings the closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange on February 10, 2006.
