Joseph Graves, Jr.

Joseph Graves, Jr. is the MacKenzie Scott Endowed Professor of Biology at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Sometimes called “Black Darwin,” Professor Graves is the first African American to receive a PhD in evolutionary biology. He has done pioneering work in the genetics of aging and is a prolific author and speaker dispelling misconceptions about biology and race. He has written five books, including his most recent: A Voice in the Wilderness: A Pioneering Biologist Explains How Evolution Can Help Us Solve Our Biggest Problems.

Born in Westfield, New Jersey, in 1955 at the start of the civil rights movement, Graves had to teach himself to read because both of his parents were illiterate. His elementary school wrongly considered him to be mentally disabled and placed him in a low academic track. He proved the system wrong when he not only finished high school but went on to become the only graduate from his class to earn a PhD in science. A chess enthusiast, Graves says that his childhood interest in science was fueled by Star Trek.