Fighting for the underdog, uniting the masses and seeking justice were top priorities for the Rev. Dwight Graves. He spent a lot of time intervening for others, through his ministry and civil rights advocacy.
“He was passionate about helping people,” said his wife of 42 years, the Rev. Dr. Cheryl Graves. “And that comes from way back, from when he grew up in West Virginia.”
Rev. Graves became a well-known figure in Cobb County as he worked with a number of public officials to right the wrongs of those without a voice, his wife said.
Dwight C. Graves, of Marietta, died Jan. 10 at WellStar Kennestone Hospital after battling a number of health issues. He was 64. A funeral service is planned for 11 a.m. Friday at Zion Baptist Church, Marietta. Hanley-Shelton Funeral Directors is in charge of arrangements.
At the time of his death, Rev. Graves was the president of Cobb County’s chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He’d held that title for the past two or three years, his wife said. In 2004, he helped revive the once-dormant chapter, with the hope of curbing racial profiling, increasing minority voter rolls and recruiting more African-American and Hispanic teachers, he and other clergy said in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article that year.
Rev. Graves was also the pastor of Emmanuel Tabernacle Christian Church, where he’d recently celebrated 14 years in leadership, said his wife and co-pastor.
Rev. Graves was humble and didn’t seek the spotlight for his own gratification, friends and family said.
In 2008, Rev. Graves partnered with fellow activist Richard Pellegrino, and others, to speak out against Mulligan's restaurant and bar in Marietta. The eatery, at the time, sold T-shirts that depicted a newly-elected President Barack Obama as Curious George, with a banana in hand.
“Say ‘no’ to those who push up by pushing others down,” Rev. Graves said at the time.
In 2011, Rev. Graves was in court with Raquel Nelson, the Cobb County mother who faced three years of jail time in her 4-year-old son's death – the result of a hit-and-run caused by someone else.
Rev. Graves would often go to court with people, to provide support or speak on their behalf, Mrs. Graves said. She recalled several situations, many involving young people, where her husband was able to have a word with a school or law enforcement official, to help clear up misunderstandings and dissolve tense situations.
Rev. Graves worked hard to make sure people were treated equally, no matter their station in life, said Mr. Pellegrino, who is also director of the Cobb immigrant alliance.
“He went beyond racial and cultural lines,” Mr. Pellegrino said. “He even went beyond religious lines. Even though he was a Christian, he reached out to the Muslim and the Jewish communities, too.”
Rev. Graves is also survived by his daughter, Diana Graves of Marietta; three sisters, JoAnn Law of Chicago and Debbie Harris and Wanda Graves, both of Bramwell, W.Va.
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