‘RHOP' Star Gizelle Bryant’s Civil Rights Activist Dad Dies At 84
Famed Civil Rights leader, Curtis Graves, is dead at 84. Graves was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1967 to 1973. He was one of three Black members elected in 1966 among the first since 1896. Graves was also father to Real Housewives of Potomac star, Gizelle Bryant.
Bryant announced her father's passing with a touching tribute on social media, writing, ""Thank you for being the best Dad that a little girl could ever want or need. I will miss you everyday of my life ❤️"
The accompanying photo was of Bryant, her father, and her three daughters.
After his illustrious political career, Graves went on to work for NASA for 30 years. He initially worked in NASA's Academic Affairs Division before eventually becoming its Director for Civil Affairs.
He was a graduate of Texas Southern University and Princeton University.
In 2016, Bryant shared a photo of her father alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., writing, "Love this! Proud daughter."
Graves was honored by Congress for his "distinguished public service career" in 2015.
The acknowledgment read: "On behalf of the people of Maryland's Eighth Congressional District, and in anticipation of his seventy-seventh birthday on August 26, 2015, I would like to thank Curtis M. Graves for his lifelong career of public service and for his many contributions to our nation," U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, who was a Maryland Congressman at the time, previously said. "I wish him and his family all the best in the years to come."
According to Houston Style Magazine, Graves was also a fine art photographer with photographs in numerous businesses and private collections across the country. His photography was exhibited in museums and galleries in New York, Alabama, Georgia, Maryland and Louisiana. The publication notes that "Graves' photographs are a reflection of his hopefulness, yet realistic vision of the world."
