Jack W. Gravely, who served two stints as head of the Virginia State Conference NAACP three decades apart, died Monday at a local hospital.
Rodney Thomas, a former lobbyist and legislative representative for the state NAACP, said Gravely died of cardiac arrest early Monday afternoon shortly before a scheduled procedure at VCU Medical Center.
Gravely — whose activism and civic mindedness also found expression as a local radio talk show host — served as executive secretary of the state office of the NAACP from November 1976 to January 1985.
Upon resigning from the organization, he moved to Arlington County and worked as special assistant to the county manager. He later held positions at National Public Radio as assistant to its president for affirmative action, and as a special assistant to then-national NAACP leader Benjamin L. Hooks. Gravely, a graduate of Fayetteville State University and the University of Virginia School of Law, was appointed the first director of diversity at the Federal Communications Commission in September 1995.
Since 2008, Gravely had hosted “The Jack Gravely Show” on Rejoice WREJ-AM 990 (formerly WLEE). From 1996 to 2002, he hosted a talk show on WRVA-AM.
He returned to the helm of the state NAACP in April 2015, reviving an office that had been dormant and leaderless for more than a year following the ouster of longtime executive director King Salim Khalfani. Gravely resigned as interim executive director in June, frustrated over a diminished, less autonomous role, Thomas said.
“Jack came back at a time when the state conference was foundering” and got branches working with the state office again, Thomas said. “He was trying to make the Virginia NAACP the lead organization in the state of Virginia it once was.”
Gravely, who had been diagnosed with cancer, had been hospitalized since late July — first at McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center and then at VCU Medical Center, Thomas said.
Lynetta Thompson, president of the Richmond branch of the NAACP, expressed shock at Gravely’s death.
“I am so sorry for his family and our community,” Thompson said. “Jack Gravely was such a force for our community.” As word of Gravely’s death spread, plaudits rolled in.
“Richmond has lost a true freedom fighter with the loss of Jack Gravely,” Mayor Dwight C. Jones said. “As a seasoned broadcaster, he worked to lift the consciousness of the public on many important matters. He was a person who had a true heart for all people, and the public policy arena has lost a sturdy rudder. My condolences go out to all of his family and friends who have lost this most notable man.”
Former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder called Gravely “a good friend and also a good worker in advancing what I call the civil rights agenda.”
Wilder recalled how Gravely provided the support of the state NAACP when he, as state senator, advanced legislation to require single-member legislative districts to replace multimember districts in which “you couldn’t get African-Americans or minorities” elected.
The former governor also recalled how he and Gravely collaborated on issues of importance to civil rights. “He and I developed an understanding that if we were to disagree, we would do so privately to iron out whatever differences there were.” But Wilder said he could find “few instances” in which he and Gravely disagreed on issues.
When Wilder sought to remove “Carry Me Back to Old Virginia” as the state song among other causes, he said, “Jack Gravely was there.”
Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, D-3rd, said he met Gravely, then head of the Virginia NAACP, while serving as branch president of the Newport News NAACP.
“I was able to see firsthand what a forceful voice he was on civil rights issues,” Scott said. But others will remember Gravely as a staple of local Richmond talk radio, he said.
“He used his radio program to highlight and discuss at length issues that often went unnoticed or unreported by other media outlets,” Scott said.
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine called Gravely “an incredibly influential voice in Richmond and communities throughout our Commonwealth for decades.
“As someone who had the pleasure of knowing Jack for years, I can tell you that he was as genuine as it gets, was extremely passionate about the important issues of our time and possessed a truly admirable work ethic.”
With Gravely’s death, Virginia “has lost a champion in the fight for equality and justice,” said Susan Swecker, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Virginia.
“His legacy is defined by an impassioned commitment to combating racial inequality, whether it be at the helm of the state NAACP or broadcasted through the Richmond radio waves,” she said.
Henry L. Marsh III, a retired state senator and Richmond’s first African-American mayor, said Gravely “was identified with the state NAACP for years at a time when it was critical for the NAACP to be active.”
“When I think about Jack, I think about the state NAACP,” said Marsh. “He’ll always be remembered as a fighter for the rights of all people, particularly poor people, African-Americans and women. History will be kind to him.”
Gravely was head of the NAACP when Khalfani was hired as grants and field activities coordinator in November 1990. “He was the man when I was a college student … and very inspirational,” said Khalfani, recalling that Gravely hosted an early morning TV show on Sundays.
“Jack did a lot in the commonwealth of Virginia. I don’t know how well he was appreciated, but he made a lot of things happen,” Khalfani said. “I don’t know what to say. I’m actually kind of floored.”
“After he resigned, I said Jack’s best work was ahead of him,” Khalfani said.
