COLUMBIA, S.C. — Kevin Alexander Gray, an activist who'd been involved for South Carolina civil rights and politics for decades, has passed away.
A message about Gray's passing was posted on a Columbia funeral home website and a friend of Gray also confirmed to News19 that he had died.
Gray was 65 years old. His passing happened Tuesday but a caused of death was not released.
Gray was outspoken on civil rights and political issues for decades, often appearing and speaking at rallies for a variety of causes. He was also an author, penning the book "Waiting for Lightning to Strike: The Fundamentals of Black Politics."
In 1988, Gray led Democratic presidential candidate Jesse Jackson's campaign in South Carolina. He also was the head of the Rainbow Coalition in the state, a civil rights organization founded by Jackson.
He later served on the campaign of Tom Harkin in 1992 and Tom Clements' Senate campaign in 2010.
He often lent his name and time to a number of causes. According to Spartanburg-Herald Journal article in 1989, he and the Rainbow Coalition spoke out against the ongoing apartheid in South Africa. He also was a past president of the South Carolina ACLU.
Gray was also involved in the effort to get the Confederate flag removed from atop the dome of the South Carolina State House. The flag was taken down and moved to a nearby monument in 2000 and was eventually moved to a museum in 2015 following the massacre of nine people at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.
In recent years he became a restauranteur, opening Railroad BBQ in Columbia in 2020.
"Intellectual, writer, righteous, moral center, bbq- the definition of activist & activism - these words cross my mind as I mourn Kevin Alexander Gray this morning," said Trav Robertson the chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party. "So few live an authentic life of purpose like he did - our world is better because of his time here. Gonna miss him."