Black Enterprise Founder Earl G. Graves Sr. Has Passed Away At 85

Earl G. Graves, Sr., the founder of Black Enterprise magazine, has passed away at the age of 85 on Monday (April 6). Graves used his media platform to empowering emerging owners and sharing pathways of wealth entrepreneurship.

Black Enterprise shared in an article regarding the news of Graves’ passing, with Graves’ son Earl “Butch” Graves, Jr. sharing that his father’s long bout with Alzheimer’s Disease was what took his life.

Graves was born January 9, 1935, in Brooklyn, N.Y. and raised in the borough’s Bedford-Stuyvesant section. Graves’ sharp business acumen began early on when he was a boy in Brooklyn, and he carried that sensibility with him as a student at Morgan State University. Graduating from the Baltimore, Md. school in 1958, Graves went on to serve two years as an officer in the U.S. Army. In 1965, Graves was named as Sen. Robert F. Kennedy’s administrative assistant. After Kennedy’s assassination in 1968, Graves was moved to begin a publication for Black people to learn more about entrepreneurship.

The first issue of Black Enterprise hit stands in August 1970 and with the help of his wife, Barbara, Graves transformed what he called his “modest magazine” into one of the top magazines of its era aimed at Black Americans. Using Black Enterprise to highlight brilliant Black business leaders such as Bob Johnson, Kenneth Chenault, Reginald F. Lewis, Oprah Winfrey and more, the magazine served as an inspiration for future entrepreneurs.

Black Enterprise exists today and has changed with the times, moving from strictly print to covering its favored subjects across all forms of media, most specifically the digital space. Adding to Graves’ success, he was also the CEO of Pepsi-Cola in Washington, D.C., a Black-owned distribution site for the beverage company.

Graves is survived by his three sons Earl Jr., Johnny, and Michael, along with eight grandchildren. Mrs. Graves passed away in 2012.

We’ve amassed reactions from Twitter to the news of Graves’ passing. May he rest powerfully in peace.

Learn more about Earl G. Graves, Sr. here.

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It is with profound sadness that we share the news, just announced by our CEO Earl “Butch” Graves Jr. @earlbutchgraves, of the passing of his father and Black Enterprise Founder and Publisher Earl G. Graves Sr. earlier this evening, April 6, at the age of 85. With the launch of Black Enterprise in August 1970, our visionary founder created a vehicle to provide information and advocacy that has empowered and inspired generations of African Americans to build wealth through business ownership, career advancement, and money management. Through his media company, which now comprises national business and lifestyle events, web and digital offerings, he opened the door for the best and brightest in the global business arena. For nearly a half century, Graves has been the cornerstone and catalyst for a multigenerational network of the most accomplished black entrepreneurs, business leaders and professionals in every industry, from Main Street to Wall Street, and from Silicon Valley to the White House. The entire Black Enterprise Family joins the Graves Family in mourning Earl Graves’ passing, and will evermore celebrate his life and legacy, in this, our 50th Anniversary Year, and beyond.

A post shared by Black Enterprise (@blackenterprise) on Apr 6, 2020 at 8:54pm PDT

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Photo: Getty