Bruce Booker

Bruce Leon Booker was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in the Brownsville section (Van Dyke Houses). He is the third of seven children, born to (the late) Stephen Melvin Booker of Virginia and Mary Helen Booker of Georgia. As a response to the heroin epidemic that was destroying inner-city neighborhoods, Bruce began writing poetry at an early age, participating in anti-drug campaigns during the early 1970s. He uses his poetry to uplift people through positive views of men, women, and children.

Bruce graduated from Erasmus Hall High School with a Regents Diploma in June 1978 and went on to Bernard M. Baruch College in New York City. He joined the NYC Transit Police Department in 1983, returning to his old neighborhood to serve the community with respect and compassion. Bruce worked in Transit District 32 for 17 years, rising to the rank of Sergeant and later being assigned to the Criminal Justice Bureau.

He is a founding member of "100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care" and has participated in workshops like "What to Do When Stopped by the Police." Bruce began worshiping at SPCBC in 1992 and accepted Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior after attending services for three years. He has been involved in several ministries, including the ASAFO Men’s Ministry, Eldad-Medad Poets, Dabar (Word) Ministry, and the Security Ministry. He joined the Board of Elders in 2007 and earned a Certificate in Christian Education from New York Theological Seminary.

Bruce has been married to Cherise Dorrine-McGill Booker since 2003, and they have five children: Sharanda, Stephen, Krystal, Ryan, and Ashley; eight grandchildren: Isaiah, Nailah, Taliyah, Naciyah, Damir, Khyir, and Amara; and a great-granddaughter, Alaaia.

His favorite scripture is Proverbs 22:6.