Civil rights leader Hazel N. Dukes, known locally for challenging discriminatory housing practices in Roslyn, died at age 92 on Saturday in Manhattan.
Dukes championed civil rights causes for decades as the NAACP State Conference president, a position she had held since the late 1970s, and as the civil rights organization’s national president from 1990 to 1992.
“Hazel Dukes was a barrier breaker, a glass ceiling shatterer, and a leader for millions of New Yorkers and Americans,” State Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “Dr. Dukes may have been honored with awards, recognitions, street namings, and medals, but to me, she will always be the quiet but powerful force for good, justice, and equality. My heart is heavy as we say goodbye to my dear mentor and friend. May she rest in peace and power, and may her memory be an inspiration for generations to come.”
Dukes grew up in Montgomery, Ala., during a time when local laws forced schools and other public facilities to be segregated by race. When Dukes was in her early 20s and moved to Roslyn in 1956, discrimination based on race was still apparent in areas like education and housing.
Dukes’ fight for racial equality wasn’t just focused on codified segregation in the South. Dukes took on racial inequalities locally when she became the first Black resident of the Roslyn Gardens apartment complex and while working at President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Head Start program helping low-income children achieve an education.
In 1966, Dukes became the first Black to work at the Nassau County Attorney’s Office and would also work at the county’s Economic Opportunity Commission. As a leader of the North Shore NAACP chapter in the late 1960s, she worked to get Black history taught in North Hempstead schools and would defend black students in Roslyn School district who faced discrimination from administrators of the day.
For years to come, Dukes would continue advocating for equal access to education and housing, like leading a program for low-income adults across the North Shore to achieve a college education and attending town board meetings where she’d call for the council people to construct more affordable housing.
No board meeting or project was too local for Dukes, who would earn a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Adelphi University in 1978. Dukes would also serve as the first Black vice chairwoman of the Nassau County Democratic Committee and as the president of her own policy consulting firm.
“Into her 90s, she remained on the frontlines, whether protesting police brutality or pushing for better health care in underserved neighborhoods,” the NAACP New York State Conference said in a statement.
Dukes received numerous honors for her civil rights activism and work over the years, including the NAACP’s highest honor, the Spingarn Medal, which former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented to Dukes in 2023. That same year, Edwards Street in Roslyn Heights, the street where Dukes challenged discriminatory housing practices decades earlier by moving into Roslyn Gardens, was renamed “Dr. Hazel Dukes Way” in her honor.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, whom Dukes administered the oath of office to in 2023, ordered state flags to be lowered in Dukes’ honor on Saturday. County Executive Bruce Blakeman and New York City Mayor Eric Adams also ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff.
Hempstead Village Mayor Waylan Hobbs Jr. said in a statement that Dukes wasn’t just a civil rights leader but was the community’s heart and soul.
“Her courage to confront injustice and her dedication to uplifting others have left an indelible mark on Hempstead and all of Long Island,” Hobbs Jr. said. “Her legacy is a beacon, guiding us toward a more just and equitable society.”
Dukes is survived by her son Ronald Dukes and daughter-in-law Janet Dukes.
