IMANI FAMILY & FULL GOSPEL BAPTIST CHURCH
REV. DARRYL G. GRAY - Founding Pastor and Pastor Emeritus of the Imani Family and Full Gospel Church, who resigned in December 2018, was arguably the most media sought out, and most quoted Black person in Montreal, and throughout Canada. ​
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Elected to the Kansas State Senate at the age of 26, Gray was the only Black State Senator in Kansas, at that time; and one of the youngest State Senators in the United States. He was also the National Director of Communications of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Altanta, Georgia.
He has worked for decades in promoting human and civil rights and human dignity. He has worked in Canada and the United States as an advocate for the reform of refugee & immigration policies, police/community relations, community/youth development, social change and justice, sustainable community economic development, and interfaith cooperation.
He has previously worked as a national officer and/or senior staff person with such civil rights organizations as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), National Rainbow Coalition and Operation PUSH, Canadian Multicultural Association; and HARAMBEE Canada.
Since coming to Canada, he has been active in various human and civil rights efforts, youth violence, black enterprise creation, economic disparity, youth development, police brutality and racial profiling. He gave Church sanctuary to African refugees’ families, and had unfair federal and Quebec provincial government immigration polices overturned. Elected the first Black president of the Anglophone rights group, Alliance Quebec (which represented over 800,000 English speaking people in Quebec).
While living in Nova Scotia he started and published the only black news publication, The Provincial Monitor; and there served as President of the Black Business Consortium of Nova Scotia. He lobbied for legislation that created minority set-a-side projects for black construction companies (which generated millions of dollars and countless jobs in black communities).
He advocated for and helped to create a provincial riding in the historical and predominantly African Canada community of Preston; which provided the opportunity for that community to elect its first African Nova Scotian Member of the Legislative Assembly.
Created, hosted and produced black oriented Montreal television program entitled Urban Soul, on the Global TV/CJNT (the program has since changed the name to Soul Call).
Weekly Commentator on CJAD Radio, largest English speaking radio audience in Quebec Canada.
He brought together public and private sectors partners to create a community based initiatives to building affordable homes, community centre renovation and expansion, better roads, education & jobs program for the community of Upper Hammonds Plains and Lucasville, while serving as the Executive Director of Community Development. His program became a model for Human Resource Development Canada. He also published a Teaching manual on “Creating Sustainable Community Economic Development in Black Communities“, which has been used by the Nova Scotia Teacher’s College and Concordia University.
His honors are numerous and distinguished by receiving the Canadian Minister’s Award for Leadership in Multiculturalism, by former Federal Minister Gerry Weiner; Rosa Parks Awards by the Quebec Black History Month Association celebrated in the Montreal Black History Month Calendar’ by the Black History Month Round Table of Montreal, “Chosen as One of Montreal’s 20 Heroes for 2010 for his work in Community Service by The Suburban news publication; “Who’s Who in Canada”, “Who’s Who in Black Canada“ as well as “Who’s Who in America”.
He currently serves as 1st vice District Representative, 13th District, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., former Deputy District Representative, Canada, 13th District Chaplain, Immediate Past Basileus, Nu Gamma Gamma Chapter; former Basileus and Epsilon Epsilon Undergraduate Chapter (Benedict College), Ambassador for Peace; Founding Member of the Global Peace Council of the Universal Peace Federation, founder and Senior Advisor for the Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Committee of Montreal and President of the Board of Directors, NDG Black Community Association and Head Coach of Royal Vale Boys and Girls Basketball Program.​​