How Earl G. Graves Sr. influenced the world of Black Business
Updated: May 31, 2020
The late Earl G Graves Sr. was a pioneer in the field of Black Business. As Founder of Black Enterprise Magazine www.blackenterprise.com and author of "How to Succeed in Business without being white", Mr Graves made it his mission to improve the state of our people.
Mr. Graves devoted most of his life to the uplift, development, and progress of black business and Afro-Entrepreneurship. Mr. Graves used the tools at his disposal to give black wealth seekers a fighting chance in their pursuit of financial independence.
As a class of 1958 graduate of the illustrious Morgan State University where he was honored with the dedication of the newly developed Earl G. Graves School of Business Management, Mr. Graves was a proud supporter of the HBCU mission to educate and inspire the future of our race
It is this school that served as the catalyst for our movement and many others in Baltimore, across the country and around the world. As a champion of our community It was with deep sorrow that we accept his transition from this lifetime on April 6, 2020 at the age of 85.
Mr. Graves was a proud member of the Pi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. After graduating from Morgan State, Mr Graves. entered the Army as a member of the 19th Special Forces Group, The Green Berets retiring with the rank of captain.

Mr. Graves leaves behind a legacy of inspiring generations of what would soon become black businessmen and women. His magazine Black Enterprise is run today by his son Earl Graves Jr. On behalf of each of the students currently enrolled in the Earl G. Graves School of Business located on the campus of Morgan State University I would like to express the depth of gratitude that we have to not only to the Graves family, but the Black Enterprise Family that has been the source for everything black business ownership and representation for the past fifty years.