Electeds, family, and friends of Dr. Hazel N. Dukes filled Mother African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion Church on Wednesday morning to pay their final respects to one of Harlem’s greats.
“Her legacy is selflessness,” said Dukes’ goddaughter, Melissa Walker.
Dukes was a towering figure in the Civil Rights Movement and a lifelong advocate for social justice, voting rights, and education. In 1977, she became the president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) New York State Conference, and served as National President of the NAACP from 1989 to 1992.
In January 2023, Dukes made history as the first layperson in the U.S. to administer the oath of office to a governor. Her contributions were further recognized in August 2023, when she was awarded the NAACP 108th Spingarn Medal, the highest honor given to a Black person for nobel achievements.
She passed away at the age of 92 on Saturday, March 1, 2025. The announcement was made by Dukes’ son, Ronald.
Reverend Dr. Malcolm J. Byrd, senior pastor of Mother AME Zion Church, opened the service noting that the entire service, down to the location, was by Dukes’ design and specific instructions.
Known as the “Freedom Church,” Mother AME was established in 1796. The church itself has been at the forefront of the struggle for civil rights and was a spiritual home for abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Madame CJ Walker, Paul Robeson, and Harriet Tubman.
Ariama C. Long and Elinor Tatum photos
Dukes’ funeral service was packed with dignitaries, elected officials, civil rights leaders, and community members from all over the city, state, and nation. This included former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, NYS Secretary Walter Moseley, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg; Senators Cordell Cleare, Kevin Parker, and Zellnor Myrie; Assemblymembers Al Taylor and Jordan Wright; Councilmember Yusef Salaam, National Action Network (NAN) Founder Rev. Al Sharpton, Manhattan Democratic Party Boss Keith Wright, and New York State NAACP Conference President L. Joy Williams.
Clinton spoke about the long friendship she’s had with Dukes and former Congressmember Charles Rangel — both of whom convinced Clinton to run for office while she was First Lady. They first met during the 1992 presidential campaign while former President Bill Clinton was running.
“Hazel was very liberal with her advice, but it was good advice, which was followed with a very good result,” said Clinton. “During those two terms of Bill’s presidency, every time either one of us came to New York for any kind of event, we always invited Hazel, and she always came. Not just to attend but to continue giving advice. And again, it was always good advice.”
Clinton considered Dukes a mentor and political sage throughout every stage of her career, including the two times she ran for president. She also presented Dukes with the Spingarn Medal in 2023.
“It seems especially cruel that we would lose a trusted friend and a leader in a voice like Hazel’s,” said Clinton. “I think many of us would find ourselves in the days ahead, wishing we could pick up the phone to hear what she had to say, get a word of encouragement, because she never wanted to give up and she wouldn’t want us to give up either.”
Hochul promised that Dukes’ memory would be immortalized on the Million Dollar Staircase in Albany.
“She was always there for me during challenging times. That’s what she’s known for. She didn’t give up on her friends and when she embraced you she was there even when others are attacking. She’s your best defender,” said Hochul.
Williams laughed that she and Dukes didn’t get along at first but eventually came to know each other as kindred spirits committed to the cause.
“And that is what I am taking with me. Her prayers, her dedication not only to the NAACP but to our people,” said Williams.
Sharpton joked that “Hazel would go to jail and the White House” for a good cause, and that she never failed to stand up for others no matter what the issue was.
“Hazel Dukes was the mother of the northern civil rights movement. She raised us to fight and the generation behind us to keep the fight going,” said Sharpton. “I don’t know how long we have to go, but I know we owe it to Hazel to take bigots out of the White House…She raised us for this day. So she could get her rest now because from one generation to another generation or another generation, she did her duty.”In her honor, Majority Leader Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins sponsored a resolution noting Dukes’ death as a distinguished citizen and devoted member of her community.