Traciana Graves-Project Bully Free Zone

Project Bully Free Zone's founder Traciana Graves is a fanatic about helping schools, colleges and organizations create bully free zones. Her personal experiences, and those of the people closest to her, have formed and driven her passion to create bully free schools, companies and communities in which people are able to cultivate, contribute and celebrate their unique voices in a space of safety and respect.

Growing up in the shadows of bullies who taunted her throughout her early school years, Traciana encouraged herself by studying the lives of heroes who used their voices to take a stand and empower others, including Dr. King, Gandhi and Anne Frank, to name a few. These leaders inspired Traciana to persevere even through the most terrible incidents of taunting and teasing. However, her charismatic stepbrother, Joel Harris, was not as fortunate. During a hazing incident at his college, Joel was brutally killed. Hundreds of bystanders witnessed the violence without stepping in or speaking up.

When Joel died, Traciana became determined to develop her individual voice to use it as a vehicle for change—just as so many of her heroes had done in times of adversity. This mission intensified Traciana's passion for singing and speaking. Traciana soon discovered that she had the power to inspire others to raise their voices in her concerts, workshops and in their everyday lives to prevent bullying while fostering self-esteem, potential and power.