Dr. John Louis Flateau, 73, a professor and administrator at CUNY Medgar Evers College, as well as a districting commissioner for the city and state, passed away suddenly at his home in Bed Stuy last week. He was described by friends and family as a brilliant mind and strategist who helped shape Brooklyn’s political landscape.
Flateau’s résumé over the course of his lifetime is lengthy, to say the least.
He was one of the founding members of the Vanguard Independent Democratic Association (VIDA), a Black political club in Brooklyn, and senior vice president of the Empire State Development Corporation. He served as a legislative aide to late Assemblymember and Councilmember Albert Vann; was the chief of staff to the late Mayor David N. Dinkins, the first Black mayor of New York City, in the 1990s; and served as a commissioner on the New York City Board of Elections, among other things.
At the time of his passing, Flateau was a commissioner on the New York State Independent Redistricting (IRC) team and a commissioner of the New York City Districting Commission.
He was a tenured professor at Medgar Evers for 30 years, chaired the Department of Public Administration, and was formerly dean of the School of Business.
He was considered an expert political strategist and wrote the book Black Brooklyn: The Politics of Ethnicity, Class, and Gender in 2016.
Above all, Flateau was known to be a jovial, good-tempered family man who strove to advance the struggle for Black New Yorkers’ political equality.
He died suddenly on Saturday morning on December 30, 2023. His cause of death had not been announced as of this Tuesday. Flateau left behind his wife, Lorraine; sons Marcus and Jonathan; and their children. He was also one of seven siblings.
In a post on social media, one of his sisters, Adele, announced his death with “profound sorrow and shock.” They had recently lost another sister about six months ago. She said her brother worked up to his final days, doing community work. She said he was living the legacy brought on by their upbringing.
“His activism stems from our parents, really,” Adele told the AmNews. “There were seven of us children, and they were always very engaged in the community and in our schools. My dad especially was involved in voter outreach education. He was a founder of the area community council.”
She said she and her siblings would tag along with their father, Sidney Joseph Flateau Sr, and were motivated by him to get involved. Both her father, brother, and Vann, who also died in 2022, helped found VIDA together. Vann and Flateau lived near one another in Brooklyn.
“He [Flateau] was always very busy, but a wonderful family man, a brother with six siblings—four of which were sisters. He always had a protective relationship with his family. He worked hard at what he did but he was also available for family gatherings,” she said. “A long list of accomplishments but he was a great brother and father and son. That’s part of his legacy.”
Former Assemblymember Annette M. Robinson is a committed member of VIDA and a close friend of Flateau’s who attended the same church. She recalled that Sidney was a prominent and active member of VIDA in the 1970s. And in his youth, Flateau was also a teacher-type who was incredibly driven in his work in the political club and on the Brooklyn county committee.
“He recruited me in church to start working on campaigns,” said Robinson. “He started me out, so I will always be grateful that John took the time to talk to me. He taught everybody. John provided masterclasses to people. That’s how many of the people out there doing this work in politics learned under him.”
Robinson said that at the time, few people in the voting majority, especially people of color, understood the nuances of political governance and structure the way Flateau did, which was why he was drawn to positions on the elections board and districting commissions. He had a gift for analyzing where candidates from Black and brown neighborhoods would excel, how to fill in the “gaps” of Black political representation in the city and state, and running campaigns, she said. She often sought him out for advice about how to manage her assembly district when she was in office.
“Al Vann, John Flateau, and the team that Al had around him helped to incorporate that whole movement. John was pivotal. When John came to speak, we knew that he had knowledge we did not have. He had the tone and information for us all,” said Robinson.
“He was a consummate tactician who really believed,” said attorney Gregorio Mayers, an associate law professor at Medgar Evers and a close friend of Flateau’s. They met when Flateau was working on Dinkins’s campaign and he was a student leader at Medgar Evers in his 20s. Mayers said this was right after the height of the Civil Rights Movement, when young Black advocates were challenging how the political system was run.
Flateau was a behind-the-scenes person who never had an aspiration to be an elected official himself. He preferred data and research to the limelight, he said, and getting other candidates into office. Mayers said that having voices like Flateau’s is critical to maintaining the bedrock of voting rights and fighting against gerrymandering.
“If you look at the generation now, today, someone has to continue that legacy, someone has to have the tools, the history, the tactical organizational skills to do that,” said Mayers.
“In my first encounter with Dr. John Flateau, it was a job interview that unfolded into a year of close collaboration,” Jabaran Akram told the AmNews. Akram was assistant chief of staff for the city’s districting commission and worked closely with Flateau while surveying the city’s various districts and redrawing City Council lines.
“His commitment to inclusivity stood out, granting access and valuing the opinions of everyone under his guidance,” Akram said. “Amidst the redistricting process, he championed not only for Black communities but for all minority communities.”
Akram described Flateau as adept at navigating political controversies while steadfastly advancing his work, and that his resilience in serving on multiple redistricting commissions over the course of decades was unparalleled.
“The drives into Bed Stuy with John were more than journeys; they were history lessons. John would say. ‘This where we opened our VIDA office, where we organized long before your time.’ John, an authentic New Yorker, shared tales that painted the rich tapestry of the city,” said Akram. “Even in his 70s, John exuded a youthful spirit. Even after parting ways, John consistently checked in, sharing news and events he thought we’d find relevant. His legacy as a tireless advocate, mentor, and a true New York original will forever resonate. RIP, John, and to his family, thank you for sharing him with us.”
In October 2023, Flateau was honored by VIDA with the organization’s first legacy award. VIDA President Henry Butler told the AmNews that he was proud of Flateau’s work in political action and was “shocked” when he heard the news of Flateau’s passing.
“[We’re] grateful that we got a chance to give him his flowers while he was here and let him know how much the organization appreciates the work that he did for VIDA, and the city, with redistricting and serving as commissioner for [the] Board of Elections and being an educator. He was a giant in politics for the city and state,” Butler said.
An array of prominent Black political figures is mourning Flateau’s death as well.
In a statement, Congressmember and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called Flateau a brilliant strategist, electoral tactician, scholar, and community leader. “Dr. Flateau helped to 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 said.
Brooklyn Democratic County boss and Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn also had a few words to add about Flateau’s passing in a social media post.
“We are dismayed by the loss of Dr. John Flateau—an ardent community advocate whose profound public service uplifted Brooklyn,” said Bichotte Hermelyn. “Dr. Flateau significantly impacted civil rights. He will be greatly missed and his legacy will be felt for generations. We’re praying for his loved ones.”
Funeral services for Flateau will be held at Bridge Street AWME Church (277 Stuyvesant Avenue, Brooklyn) on January 10.Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. before the funeral service at 10 a.m. A repast will be held on Medgar Evers College campus at 1638 Bedford Avenue from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The funeral will be live streamed via Zoom by clicking here. Meeting ID: 845 7581 8216
Passcode: 655080.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made to Bedford Stuyvesant Early Childhood Development Center, 718-455-4806, 5585, Ms. Sofia Vega, bsecdc.org and the Medgar Evers College Educational Foundation, Sharon Bartell, Medgar Evers College 1150 Carroll St. – Suite 400 Brooklyn, NY 11225. Memo: In Memory of Dr. John Flateau
Ariama C. Long is a Report for America corps member and writes about politics for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.
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