Today we’d like to introduce you to James C.B Gray.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My name is James C.B Gray and I’m a Civil Rights Activist, a Film and television producer, a SAG-AFTRA Actor, a professional drummer, and an African-American historian.
A Judicial Delegate, and the County Committeeman for the 68th Assembly District of New York State… but beyond everything that I do, I’m most passionate about the work.
I do in the community as an anti-violence advocate who is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors for a non-profit organization called Street Corner Resources, which is the leading anti-violence organization in New York City.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My road wasn’t always smooth, but in the long run, it paid off… my struggles made me stronger and enabled me to endure much more in life than I could have if I had it easy.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I wear many hats and have been blessed to have many opportunities in life, but becoming a film and television producer is what helped me to establish myself and opened up doors for me.
I became the producer of a television show called the (Joey Reynolds Show) which aired on NBC’s subsidiary network called (NBC -New York Nonstop) the show aired 5 nights a week at the Nasdaq studio in the heart of Times Square NYC… This opportunity made me the youngest black television producer to produce a t.v show on NBC.
I’m also the President of the Arc of Justice Bronx, NY Chapter, which is the fastest-growing Civil Rights Organization in the United States, this organization was founded by my good friend and mentor Reverend Kirsten John Foy who I also knew for years as we both came out of The National Action Network under the leadership of its founder and President Reverend Al Sharpton.
I opened up Reverend Al Sharpton’s Saturday morning broadcast show every week for 5 years with a Civil Rights Highlight speech. I was selected to deliver a speech that Highlighted the Civil Rights Movement because I was already publishing black history facts 365 days a year on all of my social media profiles. Today, my 365 days of black history campaign has been running every day for eleven years.
I’m also the Director of Community Engagement for the Harlem Historical Society, which preserves historical documents, research historical records, and re-name and co-name streets after famous athletes, entertainers, celebrities, and very influential people who have contributed to the Harlem community.
I’m also a Judicial Delegate here in the 68th Assembly District of New York State. As a Judicial Delegate, I sit on a panel of other delegates who votes on whether attorneys who want to become judges are approved for the Bench. One of the reasons, I wanted to become a Judicial Delegate is because minority communities suffer the most when attorneys who don’t practice fair justice are appointed as judges.
As the County Committeeman for the 68th Assembly District of New York State, I serve my community as a local politician who is on the front lines daily providing resources and information to my community… I’m also very hands-on with my district leaders during election time in order to help our constituents to be well prepared as active participants in the voting process.
I’m also a SAG-AFTRA Actor who had the same acting coach as Denzel Washington and studied with Ossie Davis as well… I went on to do a few off-Broadway plays with Mr. Davis and then I did a few films and commercials, then I started producing music videos and short films which led to the first full-length documentary I produced about a guy named (Carl Richie) called (The Carl Richie Story).
I’m currently producing a documentary about Police Brutality and a full-length feature film about a Redemption story that takes place in the Bronx.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
In the next 5-10 years, I see myself blasting off because I’m building a legacy right now that will allow me to connect the dots across several different demographics. I have a few lucrative investments that will be maturing very well within the next 5-10 years.
Contact Info:
- Email: Jamescbgray@gmail.com
- Website: www.jamescbgray.com
- Instagram: @jamescbgray
- Facebook: @jamescbgray
- Youtube: James C.B Gray
