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29

V

irginia

C

apitol

C

onnections

, F

all

2016

In Memoriam

A

Tribute To Jack Gravely

By Joe W. Dillard Jr.

When you say the name Jack Gravely,

you cannot help but to think of the NAACP.

I first met Jack in October of 2014 when

he was the keynote speaker for the Virginia

Beach NAACP Freedom Dinner. Being fairly

new to the civil rights movement, I was

blown away by this man who reminded me

of Joe Clark from the movie “Lean on Me.”

He went into detail how in his younger days

he got with some younger members of the

NAACP like now State Senator Louisa L.

Lucas and discussed their desire to represent the people they served in

many spheres of the civil rights movement. Never before this day had I

heard from a pioneer in the movement who vividly painted the picture

of his activism in his younger days. It was more inspirational at the

time than I knew it to be.

The second time I met Jack Gravely, he was this fired up NAACP

savior hopeful to return the Virginia State Conference NAACP back to

its rightful place as the leading civil rights advocacy group in this land.

He was so fired up; he began to tell anyone in the crowd, if they had a

problem with him they could meet him at his house and he proceeded

to give out his home address. Again,

déjà vu, this was most certainly a

scene from“Lean onMe.” Iwondered

why this man had so much air in his

chest at such a “young age” but many

took his passion out of content. See

as a new leader in the civil rights

movement, I never witnessed this

style of leadership. Of course as a

millennial I read about it in textbooks

and some novels. However, I was in

the thick of witnessing a Virginia

State Conference NAACP legend

return to rear the organization back

into top shape.

I didn’t know how to take his

comments. Where they an insult to the general membership? Not so, it

was a clear challenge to every member of theVirginia State Conference

NAACP to get on board with doing the work of the people. It didn’t

take long for me to begin to get calls of seasoned members of the

NAACP excited to know that Jack Gravely was returning as our interim

executive director. Rev. John Hines was beaming with excitement of

his friend returning. Literally, the Virginia State Conference received a

jolt of energy after his announcement.What I never shared with anyone

is why I decided to run for the Vice President of the Virginia State

Conference of the NAACP. Jack Gravely was a major influence on

my decision, he challenged members of all ages to step up and be the

leaders needed today in society. After his dynamic speech in Virginia

Beach, I am sure he didn’t know it but he convinced me it was time

for the millennial generation to step up to the plate. Jack, was the man

who would approach you directly with problems. You did not have to

hear “Jack, said” because, certainly he would be telling you himself.

Jack leaves behind big shoes to fill but isn’t that cliché to say? Jack has

made one of the greatest impacts on the growth of the Virginia State

Conference NAACP and I think that is a safe assumption for anyone

who knew the legend JackW. Gravely.

What better way to close this tribute than to quote the late Jack

Gravely? “Walk Slow, Drinking Plenty of Water. Gone.”

Joe W. Dillard Jr. is President, Norfolk Branch NAACP

&Vice- President, Virginia State Conference NAACP

GRAVELY

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