NAACP Mourns the Passing of Decades-Long Leader & Trailblazing Icon Hazel N. Dukes
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 1, 2025
Contact: Alicia Mercedes, amercedes@naacpnet.org
NEW YORK - Today, the NAACP is mourning the passing of our New York State Conference President and organizational leader, Dr. Hazel N. Dukes. In addition to her role as New York State Conference President, Dr. Dukes was also a member of the NAACP National Board of Directors, the Executive Committee, and an active member of various Board of Directors sub-committees. She also served as President of the Hazel N. Dukes & Associates Consultant Firm and held several leadership positions within her New York community.
NAACP Chairman of the Board, Leon W. Russell, NAACP Vice Chair of the Board, Karen Boykin Towns, and NAACP President & CEO, Derrick Johnson, released the following joint statement:
"No words can convey the devastation that this loss brings upon us as individuals, and the NAACP as an organization. Dr. Hazel N. Dukes, known to many as 'Ma' was a living embodiment of the NAACP. She led with conviction, always put her community first, and stood up to those who tried to bring us down. From leading our National organization to carrying our New York State Conference, serving as a passionate voice on our National Board of Directors, and mentoring our youth, there is no corner of the movement that has been untouched by Dr. Dukes' legacy.
"While she may have passed on, hers is a legacy that will outlive us all. The NAACP is proud to have served as a home, and our members and fellow leaders an extended family for a force of nature, and source of light as bright as Dr. Dukes. Our hearts are with the Dukes family as we hold her memory close to our hearts while carrying the torch she lit."
Dr. Dukes received the Association's highest honor, the Spingarn Medal, at the 114th National Convention in Boston, Massachusetts. The Medal was presented by Hillary Rodham Clinton, who commended Dr. Dukes for her many decades of service to the people of New York and her dedication to bettering the lives of Black Americans across the country. A full interview from the 114th National Convention can be found here.
A daughter of the South turned Harlem legacy, Hazel was born in Montgomery, Alabama, where her father taught her to question racial segregation, and her community showed her the power of organizing. After her family's migration to New York in the 1940s, Dr. Dukes got heavily involved in the movement for racial equity across healthcare, education, and housing, and was ultimately selected by President Lyndon B. Johnson to the Head Start program.
Dr. Dukes began her leadership at the NAACP in the 1990s, and has been a leading voice in the organization for nearly 40 years, but her list of accomplishments runs long. Most recently, she was given the key to the city by former NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2020, and made history by becoming the first civilian person in the United States to administer the oath of office to a governor - Kathy Hochul.
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The NAACP advocates, agitates, and litigates for the civil rights due to Black America. Our legacy is built on the foundation of grassroots activism by the biggest civil rights pioneers of the 20th century and is sustained by 21st century activists. From classrooms and courtrooms to city halls and Congress, our network of members across the country works to secure the social and political power that will end race-based discrimination. That work is rooted in racial equity, civic engagement, and supportive policies and institutions for all marginalized people. We are committed to a world without racism where Black people enjoy equitable opportunities in thriving communities.
NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund – also referred to as the NAACP-LDF - was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP, but now operates as a completely separate entity.