- Caribbean community mourns death of educator Dr. John Flateau
The Caribbean community in New York is mourning the loss of Dr. John Flateau, an African-American professor characterised as “a cerebral giant, acclaimed educator, and dedicated public servant.”
Flateau, a former dean at Medgar Evers College’s (MEC) School of Business and Office of External Relations in Brooklyn, died unexpectedly on Saturday. He was 73.
He was a long-time lecturer in the Department of Public Administration and the head of the Dubois Bunche Centre for Public Policy at Brooklyn College’s Crown Heights campus.
Guyanese-born Dr. Clinton Crawford, an Emeritus Professor of Art at MEC, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that he and Dr. Flateau both enrolled at the mostly black college with a large number of Caribbean students at the same time.
“‘Jay Flat’, as I called him, had an early compulsion towards addressing the prison industrial complex,” stated Crawford, who went on to say that “John was also instrumental in the founding of the Ralph Bunche DuBois enter.”
“John’s death is unquestionably a page out of the physical annals of Medgar Evers College.” We are fortunate to have his participation and work. “Another ancestor has joined the illustrious pantheon of MEC greats,” he continued.
Attorney Gregorio Mayers, a Panamanian-born Associate Professor at MEC with origins in Jamaica and Barbados, told CMC that he and Flateau had a “long-standing relationship and friendship” since 1989, when Mayers was a student leader at MEC.
“John and I met in the late 1980s, when he was working on the election campaign of David Dinkins (late New York City Mayor); he was the campaign strategist.” He counselled and mentored me.
“He had a vision to get younger black and Latino people in the city into the executive branch,” he said.
Flateau was her first supervisor at MEC, according to Dr. Zulema Blair, the Jamaican-American chair of MEC’s Department of Public Administration.
“You truly are a warrior. “Black Brooklyn, New York City, New York State, and the world have lost a true legend,” said the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, adding, “you will not be forgotten.”
Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, who represents the predominantly Caribbean 8th Congressional District in the United States, stated he was “deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. John Flateau, a brilliant strategist, electoral tactician, scholar, and community leader.”
“An important part of a powerful movement led by the late, great Al Vann, Dr. Flateau helped usher in an era of black political empowerment in Central Brooklyn in the 1980s and 1990s that positively transformed the community and lives on to this day,” he wrote.
The son of Grenadian immigrants, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, told CMC that he was “extremely saddened” by his death, describing him as “a cerebral giant, acclaimed educator, and dedicated public servant for the city and state of New York.”
“His long tenure as a professor, administrator, and dean at Medgar Evers helped shape the lives of countless students, and his work in both the city and state government helped advance justice and equity for communities across New York,” he wrote.
“As a former commissioner of the NYC (New York City) Districting Commission, he assisted in ensuring that our districts accurately reflect our city’s population and demographic changes.”
“I’m not sure I would be where I am today without his work,” Williams concluded.
The Haitian-American head of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, New York State Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, said the party is “dismayed by the loss of Dr. John Flateau, an ardent community advocate whose profound public service uplifted Brooklyn.”
“Dr. Flateau had a significant impact on civil rights,” said the daughter of Haitian immigrants and legislator for Brooklyn’s 42nd Assembly District. “He will be sorely missed, and his impact will be felt for generations to come.” We are praying for his family.”
Mr. Flateau was described as “a lifelong learner” and that he “led by example when it came to his students, earning a Ph.D. in Political Science, Public Policy, and American Politics from CUNY (City University of New York), while also obtaining Masters degrees in Philosophy in Political Science, Public Administration, and Political Science, Urban Policy.”
“But it was what he did with this education that made Dr. Flateau a community pillar—for students or even those looking to run for Congress,” said the institution of higher education.
