Civil Rights icon and Harlem legend Hazel Dukes, the NAACP’s New York State Convention president, has died. She was 92.
Her son Ronald Dukes confirmed her passing.
“Mom departed this life peacefully surrounded by her loving family,” he mentioned. “Mom was a committed civil rights leader in New York City and the nation and worked tirelessly on the frontlines almost to the end.”
Hazel N. Dukes (C), president of New York State Convention of NAACP branches, and different protesters march down the road in direction of Holland Tunnel throughout an indication on Could 7, 2008 in New York Metropolis, after the acquittal of three New York Metropolis Law enforcement officials within the Sean Bell taking pictures trial. (Picture by Hiroko Masuike / Getty Photos)
Lovingly referred to as “Ma Dukes” in New York’s political circles, the longtime activist’s recommendation was cherished by New York’s political leaders, together with Mayor Adams and Gov. Hochul.
Dukes was the primary civilian in U.S. historical past to manage the oath of workplace to a governor when she swore in Gov. Hochul in 2023.
“I was with Hazel Dukes at her bedside during her final days. She called me her daughter. That means the world to me,” mentioned Hochul, who has referred to as the civil rights chief her “mother on Earth.”
“Her contributions to making our state and our country more just, more equitable and more fair are impacts that will long endure after her passing,” Hochul mentioned.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will get a hug from Hazel Dukes throughout an occasion the place she launched her alternative for Lt. Governor in Harlem on Thursday, August 26, 2021 in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams for New York Day by day Information)
Mayor Adams on Saturday ordered all flags on metropolis buildings to be lowered to half-staff all day as we speak in honor of Dukes.
“For over 40 years, Ma Dukes has been an unwavering presence in my life — a trusted advisor, a cherished friend, and a guiding light during some of my most challenging times,” Adams mentioned. “I will remember Ma Dukes for her remarkable ability to bring people together.
“Whether in times of crisis or celebration, she could fill a room with her commanding presence yet make everyone feel heard and valued,” he mentioned. “Her wisdom, compassion, and straight-talking spirit made her a mother figure not just to me, but to several generations of leaders and community members throughout our city who were her ‘children.’”
Her dying saddened native elected officers and neighborhood activists who labored with Dukes through the years.
“A great pioneer and warrior for social and racial justice, Hazel Dukes was my champion for as long as I can remember and close to all of us in the Cuomo family,” former Gov. Andrew Cuomo wrote on X. “America has lost one of the greats.”
Hazel Dukes speaks throughout a discussion board on the New York Day by day Information Constructing in Manhattan on Sept. 25, 1991. (Invoice Turnbull / New York Day by day Information)
The Rev. Al Sharpton mentioned he had simply spoken to Dukes, who he described as a “true friend” on Thursday.
“She was a force of nature for justice and an activist of the highest order,” Sharpton mentioned in a press release. “She made a difference, and we will forever be indebted to her.”
“We will never have another Hazel Dukes, but I am grateful that we had this one,” he mentioned.
Hazel Dukes is pictured with protestors on the headquarters of the Board of Training in Manhattan, New York on April 25, 1983. (Ed Molinari / New York Day by day Information)
Born in Montgomery, Ala. in 1932, Dukes moved as much as New York in 1955 and bought concerned with neighborhood organizing via the Financial Alternative Fee of Nassau County within the city of Roslyn.
Within the Nineteen Sixties, Dukes was appointed by former President Lyndon Johnson to his Head Begin early childhood training program. In 1966, she turned the primary Black individual to take a place within the Nassau County Lawyer’s Workplace.
Hazel Dukes with Mayor David Dinkins, left, and Edward Lewis on Could 31, 1991. (New York Day by day Information)
Shifting to Harlem and getting concerned within the NAACP, Dukes labored behind the scenes in each nationwide and New York politics for many years however by no means wished to be in political workplace, pals mentioned.
Mayor de Blasio gave Dukes the important thing to the town in 2020 for her decades-long struggle for civil justice.
Initially Revealed: March 1, 2025 at 10:09 AM EST
