Hazel Dukes, a New York City and national civil rights leader died during the early morning hours of March 1 in her Harlem home, according to former NY Gov. David Paterson, a close friend and associate who had known her since he was a child.
According to The Gothamist, Dukes, at the time of her death, was still the president of the NAACP New York State Conference and remained a towering figure in politics who was sought after by presidents, mayors, governors, and reporters for advice and opinions for generations.
As Paterson told the outlet, Dukes was a tremendous force for justice.
“She was really a tremendous force,” Paterson said. “Behind the glamour of her advocacy and forcing her way in as a woman — and at times, forcing her way in as an older woman…was not just that people listen to what she had to say, but they understood why she was saying it.”
In a 2024 profile for New York Amsterdam News, Dukes shared that she grew up in the same neighborhood as Rosa Parks in Alabama and was deeply influenced by activism, thanks to her father. A Pullman porter, he was a member of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first all-Black railroad union and the first all-Black labor union in the U.S., led by the renowned labor leader A. Philip Randolph.
In the 1950s, the Dukes family moved to Long Island, NY, and Hazel enrolled in a community college in Nassau County where she would eventually become the first Black woman to work for the Nassau County attorney’s office, and the first Black vice chairwoman of the Nassau County Democratic Committee.
In the 1960s, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed her to his Head Start program, a fixture of his Great Society initiatives to help lift Americans out of poverty. As a result, education and anti-poverty programs would be a focus of her career in activism throughout her life.
Dukes eventually became a part of the “Gang of Four” in Harlem, where she was the only woman to get a “seat at the table” alongside Percy Sutton, David Dinkins, Charles Rangel, and Basil Peterson, David’s father, the group’s goal was to create a base of Black political power in New York City.
According to Paterson, “When these groups would get together they were all male. But it was understood that Hazel would be there.”
Hazel’s son, Ronald Dukes, told CBS News New York that she worked tirelessly for civil rights her entire life, but the family was taking solace in the fact that she was now resting.
“Mom was a committed civil rights leader in New York City and the nation and worked tirelessly on the frontlines almost to the end. We find comfort in knowing that while she’s no longer with us physically, but resting in the bosom of Jesus,” Ronald Dukes said.
Dukes was one of the few women to serve as the national president of the NAACP; she was elected in 1989, a position typically occupied by men, and was previously chosen to be the leader of its New York Conference in 1977.
After a scandal, which involved Dukes pleading guilty to embezzling money from Velma McLaughlin, a woman who had leukemia and had given Dukes power of attorney, she lost her national NAACP reelection in the 1990s.
Rev. Al Sharpton, himself a fixture in New York City politics and a friend of Dukes for over 40 years, called her a force of nature in his remarks to the outlet.
“She was a force of nature for justice and an activist of the highest order. She made a difference, and we will forever be indebted to her. I spoke to her by phone just two days ago. She was weak and somewhat conclusive that her work was done,” Sharpton said. “We will never have another Hazel Dukes, but I am grateful that we had this one.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, whom Dukes supported, also issued a statement to the outlet regarding Dukes’ legacy in New York.
“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. Ma Dukes was a true trailblazer who dedicated her life to uplifting our community. As the longtime leader of the NAACP New York State Conference, she fought tirelessly for civil rights, education equity, and economic justice. Her fearless advocacy opened doors for countless New Yorkers — including myself — and helped shape our city and state into what it is today,” Mayor Eric Adams said. “Her legacy lives on in the countless lives she touched and the changes she helped create in our city and our nation. New York City has lost a giant, but heaven has gained a warrior.”
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