Black Enterprise Founder Earl Graves, Sr. Has Died At 85

Earl G. Graves, Sr., the founder and publisher of Black Enterprise, has died at 85. According to his son Earl “Butch” Graves, Jr., he passed away at 9:22 p.m. on April 6 after a long fight with Alzheimer’s.

Graves, Jr., who is the current CEO of Black Enterprise, shared the news on Twitter. 

Considered a trailblazer for Black companies, Graves launched Black Enterprise in 1970 to promote African-American entrepreneurship and to provide the tools to succeed in business. 

Graves’ groundbreaking magazine also spawned a successful lineup of events for entrepreneurs and business leaders, tv shows and he also published the award-winning book, How To Succeed In Business Without Being White.