African-American entrepreneur Earl G. “Butch” Graves Jr. will deliver the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Lecture, titled “The Media History and Portrayal of Black America,” at 11 a.m. April 5 in Graham Chapel.
In 1998, Graves became chief operating officer and president of the Earl G. Graves Publishing Co., responsible for publishing Black Enterprise magazine. This transition marked a new generation of leadership for the family-owned company.
Black Enterprise advocates for the establishment and success of minority-owned enterprises. It was started in 1970 by Earl G. Graves Sr. to provide readers with information on African-American business markets, financial management, entrepreneurship and careers.
Over the years, it has become the premier business news source for African-Americans, reaching about 3.7 million readers worldwide and earning nearly $60 million in annual revenue. It has been awarded the FOLIO: Editorial Excellence Award for Business/Finance three times since 1997.
Graves joined the magazine in 1988 as the vice president of advertising and marketing and has worked to transform the company into a multimedia conglomerate. He initiated ventures into broadcast media with a nationally syndicated television show called The Black Enterprise Report.
He also helped the company expand with a radio show and a popular Web site, blackenterprise.com.
Additionally, Graves created the concept of the company’s $1 million private-equity firm, which provides support and investments to many minority-owned business.
Graves earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Yale University in 1984.
During his college career, he also distinguished himself as a four-year starter and captain of the basketball team. After he became the school’s all-time leading scorer and the second-leading scorer in Ivy League history, he enjoyed a brief career with the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers.
He later returned to school to earn a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University.
During his business career, Graves has been the recipient of multiple awards and honors, including induction into the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Hall of Achievement. He also received the AAF Jack Averett Volunteer Spirit Award.
Graves serves on a number of nonprofit boards, including the Magazine Publishers of New York, the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund and the Michael J. Berkeley Foundation.
He is the newly appointed director to the board of AutoZone Inc.
His lecture is co-sponsored by the Association of Black Students.
Assembly Series talks are free and open to the public. For more information, call 935-4620 or go online to assemblyseries.wustl.edu.