African-American entrepreneur Earl G. “Butch” Graves, Jr. will deliver the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Lecture at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 5th in Graham Chapel. The lecture, titled “The Media History and Portrayal of Black America,” is free and open to the public.
In 1998, Graves became chief operating officer and president of the Earl G. Graves Publishing Company, responsible for publishing Black Enterprise magazine. This transition marked a new generation of leadership for the family-owned company.
Black Enterprise is a national publication that 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 sales revenues that near $60 million. Since 1997, it has been awarded the FOLIO: Editorial Excellence Award for Business/ Finance three times.
Graves first joined the magazine in 1988 as the vice-president of advertising and marketing. Since then, he has worked to transform the company into a multimedia conglomerate, reaching over 500,000 readers. 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 Internet website, blackenterprise.com, that grants its users access to information and financial and business transactions. Additionally, he created the concept of the company’s $1 million private equity firm, which provides support and investments to many minority-owned business.
Graves received 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 Yale basketball team. He became the school’s all-time leading scorer, and the second-leading scorer in Ivy League history. He enjoyed a brief basketball career with the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. He 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. Additionally, he serves on a number of non-profit 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 to the Board of AutoZone, Inc. He also serves an advisory role for the Earl G. Graves Ltd., and for Channel Thirteen (WNET).
This lecture is co-sponsored by the Association of Black Students. Graham Chapel is located north of Mallinckrodt Center on the Washington University Hilltop campus. For more information, call (314) 935-4620 or visit the Assembly Series Web page (http://assemblyseries.wustl.edu).