ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s not every day you get to interview a local legend, in any sense of the term.
This week on “Black Men Sundays,” host Corie Murray returns to his interview in February 2022 with Rev. Dr. Randolph Bracy Jr. — renowned and remembered as a father, pastor, church-founder, civil rights advocate, educator, leader and more — who to the community’s sorrow passed away earlier this month on Father’s Day at the age of 79.
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What a 77-year-old Bracy brought to the “Black Men Sundays” table in 2022 was some of what you could expect, incorporating advice on accruing generational wealth and so on, but he also described inspirational run-ins with a fellow well-known figure or two, such as when he visited the grave of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune as an academically-struggling teenager.
According to Bracy, Bethune and the institution of her namesake saved his life.
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“I was going to be a medical doctor. Well, you know, at that time, there were only two HBCUs with medical schools. That was Meharry and Howard. So I was going to be the medical doctor that was gonna turn the world upside down. If you listen to me, and please don’t take offense when I said it, I’ve always had a good self concept, but I got kicked out of school and they told me that I wasn’t college material, and so I tried to reapply for FAMU, FAMU would not accept me,” he said. “...I came by the grave site on the campus of Bethune Cookman, when they had the grave of Mary McLeod Bethune, and what is so powerful, something electric magnetized itself in my personality and it was a place that gave me a sense of personhood, it restored who I was as a person. Some people could say I was very affirmative in my position, some people could say I was cocky, but I had been knocked for a loop, but then Bethune was a place that restored my self esteem, that cockiness if you will.”
The Duval County native, who served as the president of the Orange County NAACP and founded the New Covenant Baptist Church of Orlando, would go on later in life to serve as director of Bethune’s School of Religion.
It was one of the many legacies he would leave behind when making his earthly transition, as his church phrased it.
Bracy conveyed excitement at describing what it meant that his two children — State Sen. Randolph Bracy III and State Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis — became politicians to make a difference.
“When you talk about power leverages, I thank God that you know, well, ‘What does Rev. Bracy think?’ That might be on the first lip of any congresswoman, man or mayor: ‘What does Rev. Bracy think? Fortunately, I got a wife who keeps me mellow and the like, but one of the things we wanted to do was to make a difference. Some of you might remember there used to be a program on TV called ‘Dynasty.’ Corie made some statement earlier. My son carries my name, my daughter carries my wife’s name, which is very unusual, but guess what? We are talking about leaving a legacy. I told you earlier that I’m 77, I’ll be 78 years old, OK? The Lord has blessed me and guess what? I want to leave a legacy for the coming generation, that when I’m dead and gone they’ll say ‘Man, did you see what they did?’ And as a Black man I’m fiercely, fiercely excited about leaving a legacy for the generations to come.”
Bracy is survived by his wife, Dr. LaVon Wright Bracy, along with their children.
Hear the full interview and more in Season 2, Episode 29 of “Black Men Sundays.”
Black Men Sundays talks about building generational wealth. Check out every episode in the media player below.