Sykes attended the
Luther Rice Seminary & University, graduating in 1983 with a
Bachelor of Arts degree. He then enrolled at
Drew University, where he graduated with two
Master's Degrees, one in Divinity and the other in Philosophy. He completed an internship in
clinical pastoral education at the
University Hospital in
Jacksonville, Florida. Sykes became the
pastor at Bethel Community Baptist Church in
St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1993. He also serves as the
chaplain at the
Veterans Affairs Medical Center and
Bayfront Health St. Petersburg. As a member of the
Democratic Party, Sykes declared his intention to run for the
United States House of Representatives in the
2014 elections, challenging
incumbent Republican David Jolly in . The
Pinellas County Democratic Party chairman told him he would be "
persona non grata" if he ran, and Sykes dropped out. Sykes is considering another campaign for 2016. ==Personal==