When Bomani Gray was given the name “Bomani” by his community of
elders he knew that he was charged with an awesome responsibility.
The Malawi (South Africa) name means “Warrior”. And as a community
warrior, Mr. Gray has dedicated his life to public service as a
community and educational advocate.
As a product of the Detroit Public School systems himself,
Bomani understands the importance of starting early to develop
advocacy programs that keep students and parents plugged into the
educational process. As a parent, he and his wife continue to
support their four children and other young people in the
community, in all of their educational and life endeavors. Bomani's
undergraduate work at Central Michigan University in the Non-Profit
Management Program with certificate in Community Development,
deepened his passion for developing programming around men,
particularly fathers.
As a former program coordinator for Fathers Forward with the
Detroit Health Department, he worked to educate parents in programs
that can help enhance their child’s learning outside of the
traditional classroom environment. He works closely with the Safe
Sleep Initiative. He currently sits on the board of Birth Equity
Leadership Academy (BELA). In his spare time, he volunteers with
the Children’s Hospital of Michigan to install car seats for
families.
Bomani and his wife, Kija have been married for over 20 years
and are especially proud of being parents to four children:
Demetrious, Zuri, Kafele and Zwena.