This story was originally published on Black Press USA, and edited for Washington Informer audiences and clarity.
Freedom fighters are celebrating the life and legacy of civil rights activist Dr. Hazel Nell Dukes, a leader within the ranks of the New York and national board of the NAACP, who died on March 1. She was 92.
“She was a warrior in the truest sense of the word and activist extraordinaire,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton, civil rights leader and founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN).
Dukes remained steadfast in her longtime commitment to justice work. Just two weeks ago, Dukes was wheelchair bound and present to perform her duty as NAACP Election Supervisory Chair certifying the elections of the justice groups’ board members.
The NAACP Board was notified of Dr. Dukes’ death through a correspondence Saturday morning.
“Colleagues, it is with a heavy heart and a profound sense of sadness that I inform you that our sister, Momma Dukes, went to be with the ancestors at 6:20 a.m. today. Her transition was officially recorded and announced at 6:38 a.m.,” the NAACP wrote in a message to their team. “Please lift her up in prayer and continue to pray for her son Ronald and all of her extended family. It is always hard to send a message like this but as Hazel would say, she is in God’s hands now.”
Dr. Benjamin Chavis, elected in 1993, was the seventh executive director and CEO of the NAACP and remembered Dukes’ remarkable work and guidance.
“The transformative leadership legacy of freedom fighter Hazel Dukes will now be enshrined with the greatest honor and respect as a leader of the NAACP in America and throughout the world,” said Chavis, who currently serves as president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA).
Leon W. Russell, chair of the Board of the NAACP told Black Press USA that Dr. Dukes led the NAACP New York Conference for 50 years.
“Her work has helped ensure that the 116-year-old NAACP could remain relevant and continue its work throughout the years,” he said. “She has been consistent in her work and her support as a member and a leader.”
Sharpton said he has known her for almost 50 years since he was a teen.
“There never was an issue that she was not out front,” said Sharpton, who expects to offer comments at Dukes’ funeral service. “We’ve gone to jail together and the White House together.”
The NAN president recalls Dukes was “authentic, committed, and concerned.”
“We will never have another Hazel Dukes,” continued Sharpton, a civil rights leader and TV host. “But thank God we had this one.”
The NAACP remembered Dukes as a “true warrior for civil rights and social justice.”
“Her voice and her influence at our table will be missed, but we will all continue to be influenced by that same voice as we continue to fight for that same cause,” the civil rights organization wrote in a message to the board. “Hazel was one of the giants on whose shoulders we will continue to stand as we continue to do God’s work here on Earth.”