Earl Graves Sr., trailblazing entrepreneur and Black Enterprise publisher, has died. He was 85.
His son confirmed Graves’ death Monday night on Twitter.
“At 9:22 pm this evening, April 6, my Father and Hero Earl Graves Sr., the Founder of @blackenterprise, passed away quietly after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. I loved and admired this giant of a man and am blessed to be his namesake. LOVE YOU DAD,” Earl “Butch” Graves Jr. tweeted.
Graves leaves behind a magazine created in 1970 to help Black entrepreneurs succeed and “achieve their measure of the American dream,” according to Black Enterprise, which was created to educate, inspire and empower readers to accomplish their professional and economic goals.
“The time was ripe for a magazine devoted to economic development in the African American community,” Graves once said. “The publication was committed to the task of educating, inspiring and uplifting its readers.”
