JAVIER BRAY's Obituary
Bray, Javier, 89, died peacefully at home in Miami where he has been a
resident for 43 years. Born in Battlecreek , Michigan, he was taken to
Matanzas, Cuba to be raised in his widowed mother's loving family. He
graduated from Matanzas Academia and came to the United States to join the
Army in 1942, serving for four years and was honorably discharged in 1946.
He used the G.I. Bill and attended the University of Michigan where her
earned a B.A. in Latin American Studies and an M.A. in Political Science.
Following graduation, Bray moved to New York, worked briefly for Dunn and
Bradstreet in the Latin American Division and personally vowed never to work
where he had to punch a time clock again. He kept that vow.
Bray became an interpreter working in Washington, D.C. for the Foreign
Visitors Bureau. He went to Harvard University to join a training program
to sponsor rural development projects in Colombia, Bolivia and Ecuador.
After feeling isolated from the political turmoil and social change
occurring in the United States he moved his family from Latin America to
Amherst, Massachusetts where he spent two years of post-graduate study in
the University of Massachusetts School of Education
Totally committed to multicultural education, Bray settled in Miami in 1974.
He was a founding director of the Spanish American League Against
Discrimination becoming the first President of SALAD in 1974, an
organization then dedicated to assist communication between the exile Cuban
Community and the larger Miami-Dade County community.assisting Cubans to
make the difficult transition from Exile to refugee with the goal of
achieving permanent residency and ultimately, citizenship.
A community organizer and educator, Bray taught Translation/Interpretation
at FIU, worked for six years as the executive Assistant to Dade County
Public Schools Board Member, Paul Cejas and managed and opened three
alternative schools for the Cuban National Council successfully focusing
his attention on drop-out prevention.
An avid sailor and champion dominoes player, he pursued both
enthusiastically. Well into his seventies, he mastered the ability to hoist
his boat's mast without assistance often to the applause of younger men and
women who gathered to watch him
In addition to his creation and leadership of SALAD, Bray served as a member
of the Board of Directors, American Civil Liberties Union. Miami Chapter.
His intellectual gifts, sparkling good humor and devotion to friends and
family earned him the love and respect of a large community well-served by
his efforts.
He is survived by his Wife, Brenda B. Shapiro, his two daughters, Ingrid
Biancone (Michael) and Cristina Disney, (Andrew), ten grandchildren many
neices, nephews and cousins, friends and followers.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to SALAD, the ACLU and the
community organization of your choice.
A memorial celebration of his unique life is being planned for December.
What’s your fondest memory of JAVIER?
What’s a lesson you learned from JAVIER?
Share a story where JAVIER's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with JAVIER you’ll never forget.
How did JAVIER make you smile?
