Neighbors and friends were left shocked at the news of the passing of civil rights icon and Harlem legend, which was announced Saturday morning. She was 92.
Dukes’ son Ronald Dukes confirmed her death. Dukes, who was the NAACP’s New York State Conference president, had been battling an illness in recent weeks, her son told the Amsterdam News.
Karen Boykin-Towns, 59, a leader of the NAACP National Board of Directors, said Dukes called her her “godchild.”
“I’ve known Hazel Dukes since 1987 when I worked for David Paterson,” Boykin-Towns said. “I am the vice chair of the NAACP National Board of Directors, for which Hazel was one of our esteemed members. And it’s because of her that I have risen to the highest positions in the organization. Due to her support, her leadership, her guidance and even chastisement.”
Dukes was an avid churchgoer who attended services every Sunday on Long Island and spent her time teaching Sunday school, Boykin-Towns said.
Dukes recently ran the entire NAACP Annual Meeting on Feb. 15, where she gave those that were close to her a handwritten Valentine’s Day card along with chocolates in a small bag, according to Boykin-Towns.
“She was intentional with her love,” she said. “She loved so many, and she made everyone feel like they were her very special one.”
Daniel Paterson, who is the brother of former New York Governor David Paterson, came by Dukes’ Harlem apartment Saturday afternoon and praised her loyalty, dedication and upbeat personality.
“I mean, Hazel was always somebody who was in the mix,” Paterson said, “and as a Black woman working around leadership, Hazel was one of the few people, as a Black woman, to be able to rise up and engage in events and concerns that meant everything to everybody. If something happens in our community, Hazel shows up. Hazel was always on the front line.”
Dukes was awarded the Spingarn Medal in 2023 during the NAACP’s 114th National Convention in Boston, which was presented to her by Hillary Clinton.
“There are very few words for this kind of feeling,” Paterson said. “But in one sense, we’re thankful for having had Hazel, but we are brokenhearted because we miss Hazel.”
Reverend Diane Lacey, 86, who lived in the same building as Dukes, shed a tear after learning of the news of the trailblazer’s death. Lacey remembered Dukes as someone who was “always on the go” and a “community woman.”
“She was definitely a lady in every way,” Lacey said. “Always very well-dressed. We admired her clothes and her style. She was also very much like a regular person. Very down-to-earth person among her neighbors. And you could see her life played out in different ways; sometimes she had to be very strong and aggressive and outspoken. She was a leader of her association she belonged to. We saw her as both powerful and as a neighbor and a friend,” Lacey said.
Dukes was the first civilian in U.S. history to administer the oath of office to a governor when she swore in Gov. Hochul in 2023.
Mayor Adams on Saturday ordered all flags on city buildings to be lowered to half-staff in honor of Dukes.
One neighbor, J. Gorham, 63 simply recalled Dukes as “the sweetest lady ever.”
“She’s been in the building for years,” he said. “She was the sweetest lady ever. Always said hi to everybody. She would always talk. Knowing her as a neighbor, yes, she was the sweetest lady.”
“She was 92 years old and that says it all,” Boykin-Towns said. “We should all be so lucky to live that long and live a life like hers.”
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