All About Gizelle Bryant's Father, an Important and Esteemed Civil Rights Leader
During his long and distinguished career, the late Curtis Graves had the opportunity to work alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
It’s easy to see how Gizelle Bryant had such a loving relationship with her late father, part of which was featured on The Real Housewives of Potomac.
The RHOP trailer for the show’s eighth season — premiering Sunday, November 5 at 8/7c on Bravo — was released only months after Gizelle's father, Curtis Graves, passed away at 84. Graves leaves a legacy to be remembered for generations, notably because of his pioneering role as a distinguished politician and his activism in the Black community.
Curtis Graves on The Real Housewives of Potomac
The lovable Mr. Graves first appeared on RHOP Season 4, Episode 5 after the women — including upcoming Season 8 ‘Wives Karen Huger, Ashley Darby, Robyn Dixon, and Candiace Dillard Bassett — headed to New Orleans for a fun and eventful girls trip, which aligned with Graves’ 80th birthday.
At one point, Candiace commented that Gizelle’s father was “a good-looking man.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” Graves joked, much to everyone’s amusement.
“I get Gizelle. Like, she is explained 200 percent,” Candiace told RHOP producers. “The humor, the confidence, the arrogance, that’s your daddy. He cannot deny you, honey.”
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At the time, Gizelle and the ladies met Graves at Louisiana’s Whitney Plantation to explore their family’s lineage, steeped in the horrors of slavery. Graves led an emotional and eye-opening plantation tour, highlighting Gizelle’s great-great-grandparents and their role in history.
“To really see and hear, firsthand, my history, it makes me grateful for where I am, and it really makes me proud of my dad,” Gizelle told RHOP producers.
In the follow-up episode, Gizelle and Candiace enjoyed lunch with Graves at the historic Dooky Chase’s restaurant — a mainstay eatery during the Civil Rights Movement — with the now-late Queen of Creole Chef Leah Chase and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell.
In another memorable event from the episode, Graves gave a knee-shaking dance on the streets of New Orleans as a musical procession played traditional NOLA jazz on his way to his birthday event.
“My dad is somebody that I’m so super proud of,” Gizelle said in Episode 5. “He’s done so much for Black people. He’s done so much for me.”
Who is Curtis Graves?
Born 1938 in New Orleans, Graves was part of a large, extended Creole family, raised in a “welcoming home” where civil rights lawyers and activists frequently visited, according to Graves’ obituary. He often sat in on the grown-up conversations and had a “rich childhood” that allowed him a formal education at Catholic school.
“I came up in a political Black family in New Orleans… my father was always involved with the N.A.A.C.P. and civil rights,” Graves said in a 2015 interview with Texas Monthly. “Thurgood Marshall slept in my bed while I slept on the couch — that’s a fact!”
Graves attended Bayou Boys State leadership camp, where he found his passion for politics that shaped his path following high school graduation.
He first attended the Xavier University of Louisiana before transferring to Texas Southern University (T.S.U.), where he graduated in 1963 with a business administration degree. While enrolled in the latter, “Curtis found his voice” as a civil rights activist, per the obit.
Graves spent time working as a bank manager before campaigning as one of the first African-American members for the Texas House of Representatives, which Gizelle recapped in RHOP Season 4. Graves served three terms for the Democratic Party between 1967 and 1973, the first time an African American held the position since 1899, according to the Legislative Reference Library of Texas.
“Curtis was a memorable figure there, an outspoken advocate for issues that most affect the voiceless,” according to Graves’ obituary. Such issues included raising the minimum wage, cutting food taxes, and incentivizing adoptions for minority and disabled children.
Graves was said to have begun activism at T.S.U., where he participated in sit-ins and helped pioneer the school’s Progressive Youth Association. He also “played a major role” in desegregating Houston.
At some point, Graves worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as seen in a photo posted by Gizelle on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, to commemorate Black History Month.
“Love this,” Gizelle captioned. “Proud daughter!”
While serving his last term as a State Rep, Graves ran for the Texas Senate, though he would not win. During the race, Graves called it “one of the most important political races in the country,” as reported by The New York Times in 1971.
“The first Black Congressman in this century from Texas, from the old Confederate South, must be independent — he can’t be compromised,” Graves said at the time. “I don’t see anyone else able to do this better than myself.”
Soon after losing the race, Graves relocated his family to Washington D.C. and “got out of politics,” Gizelle explained on RHOP.
Curtis Graves’ later life, death, and legacy
Graves took a role in Washington D.C. and spent the next 30 years with NASA, first as the Director of Educational Programs and then as the Director of Public Affairs, per Graves’ obituary.
He retired in 2003, moved to Tucker, Georgia — just outside Atlanta — and lived there for the next 20 years with his wife until his passing.
During his retirement, Graves continued to serve on boards with La Creole and the Whitney Plantation, the latter of which was featured in the aforementioned RHOP episodes. When not chasing his passion for photography, he and his wife enjoyed traveling and throwing large parties for their extended families and friends.
“At home, they hosted big parties, with Curtis cooking barbecue, gumbo, and spiked bread pudding for 30,” the obituary stated. “Like his mother, grandmothers, and aunts before him, he was a great Creole cook.”
Graves was diagnosed with brain cancer on July 10, 2023, and died less than two weeks after surgery, leaving behind three children and six grandchildren.
Many spoke highly of Graves following his passing, including former Texas State Senator and Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, as reported by The Defender. Ellis said he was “immediately inspired” by Graves upon hearing how Graves — then a State Representative — jumped on the table and demanded his colleagues listen to what he had to say.
“From marching alongside the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to his service in the Legislature, Curtis Graves showed a generation of young politicians and activists that no one will give you a platform to fight for your beliefs; you have to take it,” said Ellis. “Texas is a better place because of his service and his spirit.”
Gizelle confirmed her father’s death in a July 20, 2023, Instagram post showing Graves, Gizelle, and Gizelle’s daughters.
“Thank you for being the best Dad that a little girl could ever want or need,” Gizelle captioned. “I will miss you every day of my life.”
The Real Housewives of Potomac Season 8 premieres Sunday, November 5, at 8/7c on Bravo and will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.
