About the Author

Dr. Lavon Wright Bracy

Dr. LaVon Wright Bracy has been a champion for the rights of others since she was a child. She’s known in Central Florida for her vigorous encouragement to increase voter registration and for single handedly registering over 1200 people. She’s known as being the voice and the feet that spread the significance of exercising the right to vote by encouraging people to cast their vote on Election Day. She’s known for being the wife of a minister and university Dean. She’s known as the mother of a state senator and an attorney turned performing arts administrator. She’s known as the co-founder of the New Covenant Baptist Church of Orlando. She’s known as the proud grandmother of two little girls. Her legacy, as she shares in her new book, A Brave Little Cookie, is why she’s most known. She’s the girl who integrated the school system in Alachua County, Florida, becoming the first African American to graduate from Gainesville High School in 1965. Her gripping story has been written for elementary school children to introduce them to the civil rights struggles and sacrifices made to make the world a better place.

The product of a civil rights activist and a schoolteacher, LaVon is the proud daughter of the late Reverend Thomas A. Wright and Affie Mae Wright. She is the youngest of four children born to parents who, in their school age days did not experience education in an integrated setting. These powerful community pillars wanted better opportunity for their children and fought, in and outside of the courtroom, to help bring to fruition the equality that was well deserved.

Beyond the challenge and victory of integrated Alachua County, LaVon continued her education at Fisk University where she earned an undergraduate degree in Psychology. She matriculated to the University of Miami to begin her graduate studies, earning a Master of Education degree with emphasis on College and Personnel Services. She then earned her doctorate from the University of Florida in Higher Education Administration.

Having worked in private and public institutions, Dr. Bracy has had the pleasure of being on staff at; University of Florida, Lake City Community College, Florida Junior College at Jacksonville and the University of North Florida. After transitioning with her husband to Rochester, NY and Philadelphia, she held leadership positions with the City of Philadelphia including; Director of Personnel, Executive Assistant, Assistant Managing Director.

Her next feat was a move back to her home state that would span 20 plus years and another tier of her legacy of service and trailblazing. LaVon Bracy is the co-founder of the New Covenant Baptist Church where she served for 20 years before retiring. During that time, she founded an elementary school (with an emphasis on performing arts), led community partnerships and served as administrator while maintaining her political and social work.

LaVon Wright Bracy is the author of Making Them Whole (1990), Beyond Bravery (2012) and A Brave Little Cookie (2019).