[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 82 (Thursday, May 15, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2948-S2949]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING FLOYD CLACK

 Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a dedicated 
public servant, advocate for education, fair housing, conservation and 
equity, and longtime community leader from Flint, MI: Honorable Floyd 
E. Clack, who passed away on April 3, 2025, at the age of 84. Mr. Clack 
touched countless lives as a champion for the city of Flint and his 
community at large. It is a privilege and a sorrow both to recognize 
him here today and celebrate his life's work and many achievements.
  Born in 1940, Mr. Clack spent his childhood in Houston, TX, before 
relocating to Michigan, where he went on to earn a master of arts in 
education from Eastern Michigan University. Embracing his love for 
education, he served as a social studies teacher at Flint Northern High 
School and later as a guidance counselor in the school district.
  In 1979, Mr. Clack began his career as a politician with a successful 
campaign leading to his election to the Flint City Council, where he 
served until 1992. He was then elected to the Michigan House of 
Representatives, where he served until 1996, due to term limits. He 
then returned to his local community, continuing his elected service on 
the Genesee County Board of Commissioners from 1996 to 2004. Finally in 
2005, he was appointed by then-Governor Granholm to the Eastern 
Michigan University Board of Regents, where he served until his 
retirement in 2014.
  His enduring service to the Flint community included his presidency 
of the Flint Chapter of the NAACP, membership in the Urban League of 
Flint, Free & Accepted Masons, Lions Club, both the American and 
Michigan Corrections Association, and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. 
These organizations further embodied Mr. Clack's dedicated story of 
service and advocacy of equality, equity, and the power of quality 
education.
  Mr. Clack was not afraid to speak truth to power. In 1980, he called 
for

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the resignation of the Flint police chief after the fatal shooting of 
William Taylor, Jr., an unarmed teenager, by an active-duty police 
officer. His response also called for the hiring and promotion of more 
Black officers, a call that in the decades which followed has become 
reality on the city's police force, which has diversified through 
officer hiring and several appointments of Black police chiefs 
including the current chief serving today.
  Throughout his lifetime, Mr. Clack was recognized for his leadership, 
advocacy, and education efforts; this included honors from the 
Concerned Pastors Association, an inductee of the Greater Flint Afro-
American Hall of Fame, by the Michigan Education Association, and the 
Lions Club.
  The impacts of Mr. Clack's work will long be remembered by the Flint 
community through the stories of his service and landmarks he advocated 
for, including a push to rename the downtown Flint bus station in honor 
of Rosa Parks, which helped lead to the creation of a bronze statute 
honoring the civil rights pioneer at the facilities entrance that 
remains today.
  The Hon. Floyd E. Clack not only served but also inspired others to 
step up for the city of Flint and the State of Michigan. His wife 
Brenda also served in the Michigan House. I ask you to join me, Floyd's 
family, his friends, and everyone he inspired in recognizing and 
celebrating his life and numerous accomplishments. I hope that each of 
us can find some comfort in the precious moments and memories that were 
shared with him.

                          ____________________