Rev. Dr. Floyd H. Flake Biography Favorites Color Blue...maybe Food Baked salmon, black-eyed peas Quote “God has not given me the spirit of fear. But a power and of love and a sound mind.” Time of Year Autumn Vacation Spot Caribbean cruises

The Reverend Dr. Floyd H. Flake was born on January 30, 1945. He grew up in segregated Houston as one of thirteen children of Robert Flake, Sr. and Rosie Lee Johnson-Flake. Their small two-bedroom house lacked running water. Flake was heavily influenced by his parents' strong moral beliefs and by excellent teachers who challenged him.

After high school, Flake attended Wilberforce University, obtaining his B.A. in 1967 and becoming the first member of his family to graduate from college. After graduation, Flake served as a social worker and then as a marketing analyst with Xerox Corporation.

He was recruited to serve as director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Afro-American Center in Boston University. In 1976, he was asked to head the Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church (now The Greater Allen Cathedral of New York) in Jamaica, Queens, New York. At the time, the church had 1,400 members. Under Flake's leadership, the church's membership has grown to more than 13,000 parishioners, complete with a private school, senior center, and hundreds of housing units for its members and other community residents. Allen A.M.E. Church has become one of the largest nonprofit corporations in the country and the second-largest African American employer in New York City.

Flake was elected and served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1986 to 1997, while still leading Allen A.M.E. Church. In Congress, Floyd established a reputation for bipartisanship. He also led several initiatives to revitalize urban commercial and residential communities. Flake left Congress during his sixth term to devote himself fully to the pastorate of the Greater Allen Cathedral of New York.

In addition to his duties as senior pastor of Allen A.M.E. Church, Flake serves as president of Edison Charter Schools, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Social and Economic Policy, and as a columnist for the New York Post. Flake earned a doctor of ministry degree from the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, and holds numerous honorary degrees. He has also written a book, Nine Action Steps for Achieving Your Dreams: The Way of the Bootstrapper.

Flake was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on September 15, 2001.