Reverend Jacques Andre De Graff
100 Black Men

The Reverend Jacques Andre De Graff is a member of the One Hundred Black Men of New York, the founding chapter of the 10,000 member international organization. He presently serves as the Minister of Social Justice at New York's historic Canaan Baptist Church in central Harlem.

Reverend De Graff was transformed as a youth when he met the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. while he was a high school student studying at Morehouse College in a program for gifted African Americans. That moment transformed his life and led him on a path to activism. He later campaigned against the United States' role in the Viet Nam War, American Apartheid, Police Brutality, Genocide in the Sudan, and Apartheid in South Africa. He has been an outspoken advocate for economic justice for communities of color and for an end to disparities in health care in urban areas. He has carried his concern for equal justice into the political arena where he has led numerous campaigns for elective office in all levels of American government.

Reverend De Graff's prodigious organizing and communications skills keep him in constant demand in the media on matters concerning human rights, social justice and politics. His international travels have allowed him to witness, first hand, the impact of gender issues on global development. The One Hundred Black Men of New York is an advocacy and service organization of prominent, concerned African American businessmen, professionals, civic and clergy leaders. Observing over forty years of service, Phil Banks is its current president and Robert D. Gumbs joins Reverend De Graff in spearheading the organization's efforts against the horrific nightmare of violence against women.